What options do I have? Help please

Hi (almost certain this might be in the wrong forum)
My firm choice for uni was a Russell group university but I didn’t get in after I received my A Levels. I got into a different (non Russell group) university for a different course through Clearing but I ultimately regret everything and wish I just did better so I could go to my firm choice, as planned. I thought about my options (I’m not sure if I have any other options so feel free to let me know) and I can either
1) resit whilst in my first year of university
2)not resit and just do my uni course as normal
3)do a year of my course and then apply again next year through clearing (not sure why people tell me to do this. if I didn’t get in this year with my grades, how would I get in next year?)
Regardless of which one of the above options I do, I HAVE to go to University this year (my parents won’t allow me to do a gap year or resit my A Levels full time)

Reply 1

DataVenia

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by Anonymous

Well, none of those options are great, are they?

1. Resits aren't easy. You'll be going over A level work you've already covered and which you thought you already knew (only for the final grade to suggest otherwise). To try and do this whilst also doing a first year at university (where you'd rather not be, doing a course you'd rather not be doing) won't be impossible, but will be very hard. Remember you'll need to do well in this year, as the uni you want to join may make it a condition of entry that you do. (It goes without saying that you'll need to include the fact that you're already at uni on your UCAS.form). Would you be resitting all three A levels?

2. Well, you don't seem particularly enthusiastic about this option. Is the course very different from the one you wanted to do? Setting the Russell Group thing aside (as it's primarily a very effective marketing campaign rather than being a true sign of a great university), is the uni you got through Clearing an "OK" uni? Or are you really not happy with it? If you don't want to be at that uni doing that course, it's going to be a tough three (or more) years.

3. Was your target course available at your target uni via Clearing this year? If so, do you even know what grades they were accepting via Clearing? (If there are enough candidates in Clearing interested in the course / uni they may not have had to lower the grade requirements at all).

OK. Let's try to add some other options.

4. Try to establish why your parents are adamant that you go to uni this year, even if it's the "wrong" course at the "wrong" uni? Do you know? Is it a pride thing, where they've told all their friends that your off to uni, and so don't want to have to suffer the "shame" of saying, "Well, actually..."? Is it that they don't have any confidence that you'll be able to improve your grades, and so think it would be a waste of a year? Is it because they have plans for your room, and so need you out if the house? Only by understanding their motivations can you hope to be able to change their mind, which I think you should be open to trying.

5. Does the uni you're joining offer your preferred course? If so, you could contact them and ask what the process is for a course change. It may be that this can't happen at all, or that it can only happen at the end of year one. Note that this might mean having to start year one again, on the new course.

6. Does your target uni ) course accept candidates who want to transfer in from other unis? If so, what are the criteria? If they'd let you transfer in to year one of your preferred course, given an excellent results in your year one exams at your Clearly uni, then you could focus all your efforts on your course and not A level resits.

7. There are still Clearing opportunities available. If you felt you may have rushed into this one, take a look at what else it still out there.

That's all I can think of, I'm afraid.

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