What should I do... Gap year or not after being rejected from my top choice...?

OP

llacerta

Correct me if I'm wrong, but could you try and get the grades for Cambridge, and then if you do not do so, you could withdraw from your insurance and just re-apply next year? Or is that not allowed? Because if it is, that's what I would do so you're sort of in a win-win situation. You get the grades, you go to Cambridge, and if you don't you just try again for Imperial.

Yeah, that is an option and one that I'm considering... well I'm consdering putting Cambridge as my firm (not have an insurance) and if i dont get the grades take a gap year and reapply... Its just so hard to know what to do as I had my heart set on going to Imperial

Reply 4

vik101

9

engineering is the best subject for taking a gap year, btw it's refreshing to see someone not instantly presume Cambridge is best. Anyway, judging by your previous grades I think you can definetely get 90%+ in your subjects but do as well as possible and then get an industrial place since that's what they want to see at Imperial. I know you want to travel but they really want to see engineering students get work experience, so it's about sacrifice.

Reply 5

llacerta

19

pinkfairysophie

Yeah, that is an option and one that I'm considering... well I'm consdering putting Cambridge as my firm (not have an insurance) and if i dont get the grades take a gap year and reapply... Its just so hard to know what to do as I had my heart set on going to Imperial

I'm not sure what I'd do in your situation...On the one hand, Cambridge is obviously a brilliant university, but on the other hand, if you've got your heart set on Imperial and think you can feasibly get in (which is probable, since you've got a place at Cambridge) then it might be worth trying again.

Do you think you'd be happy at Cambridge, happy enough to spend three years there? I know there's always the question of what might've been, but there is always the risk that if you apply again next year, Imperial might not take you and then you'd be a bit stuck. But if you really can't imagine yourself at Cambridge or at any of the other universities, and if you know you'll be spending a gap year wisely and will have things to do, it could be worth a go.

Reply 6

Zoe1986

Maybe ask Cambridge if you can change your application to a deferred entry for 2010 (if this is at all possible) and in the mean time reapply for Imperial and have a gap year anyway? There are probably many flaws with this plan, just a suggestion though.

Reply 7

Joanna May

15

Could you not just make Cambridge your firm and not have an insurance? That way if you get the grades, they'll let you into Cambridge. If you don't, you have a gap year to reapply in, and hopefully the right grades to apply to Imperial. Of course, that's presuming you could be happy at Cambridge. A lot of people end up at universities that weren't their "dream uni" and are happy elsewhere. If you could deal with going to Cambridge (what an odd sentence to type, lol) then the suggestion I made earlier sounds perfect! :smile:

Zoe1986

Maybe ask Cambridge if you can change your application to a deferred entry for 2010 (if this is at all possible) and in the mean time reapply for Imperial and have a gap year anyway? There are probably many flaws with this plan, just a suggestion though.

That's not allowed. In order to reapply, you have to give up all offers and accepted places. So she can't hold a deferred place at Cambridge and reapply elsewhere.

Reply 8

OP

vik101

engineering is the best subject for taking a gap year, btw it's refreshing to see someone not instantly presume Cambridge is best. Anyway, judging by your previous grades I think you can definetely get 90%+ in your subjects but do as well as possible and then get an industrial place since that's what they want to see at Imperial. I know you want to travel but they really want to see engineering students get work experience, so it's about sacrifice.

Do you know the minimum time you can do an industrial placement for? Ive looked at YINI and the minimum they say is 9 months. I know i should do a year in industry but do you know if there's anything where i can do say 6 months in industry and 6 months travelling? ive looked but cant find anything...
Tbh i think Cambridge and Imperial are as good as each other for engineering.. its just where i think i'd be happier and the course i prefer :smile:

Reply 9

Wow, Cambridge made you a HARD offer. I would say try to get the grades to go anyways. Imperial is arguably the best for engineering but Cambridge is obviously very good as well - what reasons do you have not to go there?
Obviously getting the best grades you can would help you should you decide to reapply next year. Problem is, if you made Cambridge your firm and got the grades I think you're legally obliged to go?

Reply 10

Lewifratelli

2

I'm in a similar situation to yours. I was rejected from Edinburgh to study architecture which is what I wanted to do, but got an unconditional offer from Heriot Watt to study structural engineering w/ architecture.
It has taken me a while to decide what to do but I have decided to take my offer and I'm quite happy that I made that decision now.

If I were you I would do what you said, have Cambridge as your firm and have no insurance. But if you don't get the grades, how about a college course instead of travelling to increase your chances of being accepted next year?

L

Reply 11

If I understand your sig correctly you already have an A at over 90% in maths? So really you're just trying for 3 more..

Reply 12

OP

Zoe1986

Maybe ask Cambridge if you can change your application to a deferred entry for 2010 (if this is at all possible) and in the mean time reapply for Imperial and have a gap year anyway? There are probably many flaws with this plan, just a suggestion though.

This was my plan!! but i asked my tutor and he said you can ask them to defer it but they will probably just tell you to reapply so it wont work :frown:

otherwise it would have been the perfect plan!

Reply 13

pinkfairysophie

This was my plan!! but i asked my tutor and he said you can ask them to defer it but they will probably just tell you to reapply so it wont work :frown:

otherwise it would have been the perfect plan!

I don't think you're allowed to reapply whilst you already have accepted somewhere as your firm because you have to tell them you applied the year before and they would see you have already accepted your Cambridge offer.
Accepting a university as firm on ucas is entering a legally binding contract with the university.

Reply 14

Joanna May

15

If you take a gap year, you could try for a Year in Industry placement (google it). Companies like BAE Systems offer them for gap year students.

Reply 15

OP

johnbrown

Wow, Cambridge made you a HARD offer. I would say try to get the grades to go anyways. Imperial is arguably the best for engineering but Cambridge is obviously very good as well - what reasons do you have not to go there?
Obviously getting the best grades you can would help you should you decide to reapply next year. Problem is, if you made Cambridge your firm and got the grades I think you're legally obliged to go?

I know,, not very nice of them! I just think i would spend so long working at cambridge trying to understand everything and i think i could fall so far behind everyone so easily that I would literally be working solidly for 4 years and i dont want to do that
I think I would pretty much have to go there if i did that, but you can ask them to release you and they will agree if you have a good reason.. or something like that!

Reply 16

sophie..

johnbrown

Wow, Cambridge made you a HARD offer. I would say try to get the grades to go anyways. Imperial is arguably the best for engineering but Cambridge is obviously very good as well - what reasons do you have not to go there?
Obviously getting the best grades you can would help you should you decide to reapply next year. Problem is, if you made Cambridge your firm and got the grades I think you're legally obliged to go?

You're not allowed to go to your insurance choice if you get the grades for your firm, but you are allowed to choose not to go at all.

I don't think there is much point putting Cambridge as your firm if you know you don't want to go there. That way, if you get the grades you could end up going somewhere where you won't really be happy.
In my opinion your best option is to take a gap year and do some work experience and then reapply to imperial next year.
What is it that you don't like about Cambridge?

Reply 17

Joanna May

15

I wouldn't say there would be that much difference in the difficulty of the work at Cambridge and that at Imperial.

Reply 18

pinkfairysophie

I know,, not very nice of them! I just think i would spend so long working at cambridge trying to understand everything and i think i could fall so far behind everyone so easily that I would literally be working solidly for 4 years and i dont want to do that
I think I would pretty much have to go there if i did that, but you can ask them to release you and they will agree if you have a good reason.. or something like that!

Well if you're capable of getting 4 A's at A level at over 90% I think you can probably cope with the course. I also think it would be a mistake to think that Imperial students work significantly less than Cambridge students. But if you think you wouldn't be happy there then don't go but you might regret it later on. If you reapply you might not get into either Cambridge or Imperial! Maan that must be a difficult decision for you, you've got time to think it through though.
Do you know why Imperial rejected you? Maybe that would give you an idea of whether or not you would get in next year?

Reply 19