Go to uni or Retake?
Unfortunately, I failed to obtain the grades I needed for my Firm and Insurance universities (University of Nottingham and University of Leicester) due to personal circumstances that I can't even hold blame to. Through clearing I got a place at Nottingham Trent University to study Biochemistry. I achieved BCC when I was predicted AAB. However I am not happy with my results and I know that I am capable of achieving better. I don't know whether I should go to University this year, take a gap year and resit, or go to university while resitting some modules.
Has anyone else been in a similar position?
Will my a level results hinder my future job prospects even if i were to graduate with a 1st or 2:1?
Has anyone else been in a similar position?
Will my a level results hinder my future job prospects even if i were to graduate with a 1st or 2:1?
Scroll to see replies
I'm in the same position and have just made my own thread. I'm so so upset and this doesn't help you lol, but you're not alone. 
Original post by charliesmith18
I'm in the same position and have just made my own thread. I'm so so upset and this doesn't help you lol, but you're not alone.
where is your thread?
Original post by help!!!!!!!!!!
where is your thread?
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?p=49440899
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I think you should take a gap year and retake them and opt for a deferred entry.
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Original post by Chrissy.x
Unfortunately, I failed to obtain the grades I needed for my Firm and Insurance universities (University of Nottingham and University of Leicester) due to personal circumstances that I can't even hold blame to. Through clearing I got a place at Nottingham Trent University to study Biochemistry. I achieved BCC when I was predicted AAB. However I am not happy with my results and I know that I am capable of achieving better. I don't know whether I should go to University this year, take a gap year and resit, or go to university while resitting some modules.
Has anyone else been in a similar position?
Will my a level results hinder my future job prospects even if i were to graduate with a 1st or 2:1?
Has anyone else been in a similar position?
Will my a level results hinder my future job prospects even if i were to graduate with a 1st or 2:1?
We are in the same boat ! I too got CCC but I KNOW i done better or could have done better. I wanted to see if I could get into University of Nottingham but looks like that isnt happening xD
But I still got my firm which Nottingham Trent ! Same as you. I talked to a lot of people and they told me its not worth going through retakes, this year the grade boundries were SUPER hard imagine next year?!
Im also going to talk to teachers from Trent University but Im hoping that if we mange to first a 1st and 2;1 the jobs wouldnt care about our a levels! (Hopefully!)
Though I am super upset, last year my As grades were BBB as well
But its upto you! And maybe see you in Trent!
Original post by AnimeCrazy
We are in the same boat ! I too got CCC but I KNOW i done better or could have done better. I wanted to see if I could get into University of Nottingham but looks like that isnt happening xD
But I still got my firm which Nottingham Trent ! Same as you. I talked to a lot of people and they told me its not worth going through retakes, this year the grade boundries were SUPER hard imagine next year?!
Im also going to talk to teachers from Trent University but Im hoping that if we mange to first a 1st and 2;1 the jobs wouldnt care about our a levels! (Hopefully!)
Though I am super upset, last year my As grades were BBB as well
But its upto you! And maybe see you in Trent!
But I still got my firm which Nottingham Trent ! Same as you. I talked to a lot of people and they told me its not worth going through retakes, this year the grade boundries were SUPER hard imagine next year?!
Im also going to talk to teachers from Trent University but Im hoping that if we mange to first a 1st and 2;1 the jobs wouldnt care about our a levels! (Hopefully!)
Though I am super upset, last year my As grades were BBB as well
But its upto you! And maybe see you in Trent!
Hey
I've decided to go to Trent! I know its so disappointing and depressing t not get the grades we wanted but I think the best thing to do is focus hard on getting that 2:1 or 1st. We can do it! What course wll you be doing at Trent?
I got CCC and I got trent in clearing to di comp science. I've got the same dilemna.
Personally if I didn't get the grades I wanted to go my first choice then I can understand wanting to retake in order to improve. Uni is 3/4 years of your life and as most say the best days you ever have. So in the grand scheme of things one more year at this young age is nothing. I know someone who missed their firm by one grade, had a decent insurance but opted to retake and got in the following year, which also meant paying the higher fees.
On the other hand if you got offered a place at your firm but just didn't get the grades you wanted I would just go. I understand you worked two years for your a levels but I think it's more a pride thing and just like gcse once you make that step up in education the lower qualifications become less relevant. I went to Nottingham Trent and graduated this summer. I would honestly say getting a grad job depends on your degree classification and experience e.g. A placement year. Yes a handful of top companies request specific a level grades but it's definitely the minority.
Nottingham Trent is a really good uni you won't regret going!
Hope it helps.
On the other hand if you got offered a place at your firm but just didn't get the grades you wanted I would just go. I understand you worked two years for your a levels but I think it's more a pride thing and just like gcse once you make that step up in education the lower qualifications become less relevant. I went to Nottingham Trent and graduated this summer. I would honestly say getting a grad job depends on your degree classification and experience e.g. A placement year. Yes a handful of top companies request specific a level grades but it's definitely the minority.
Nottingham Trent is a really good uni you won't regret going!
Hope it helps.
Original post by OJM32
Personally if I didn't get the grades I wanted to go my first choice then I can understand wanting to retake in order to improve. Uni is 3/4 years of your life and as most say the best days you ever have. So in the grand scheme of things one more year at this young age is nothing. I know someone who missed their firm by one grade, had a decent insurance but opted to retake and got in the following year, which also meant paying the higher fees.
On the other hand if you got offered a place at your firm but just didn't get the grades you wanted I would just go. I understand you worked two years for your a levels but I think it's more a pride thing and just like gcse once you make that step up in education the lower qualifications become less relevant. I went to Nottingham Trent and graduated this summer. I would honestly say getting a grad job depends on your degree classification and experience e.g. A placement year. Yes a handful of top companies request specific a level grades but it's definitely the minority.
Nottingham Trent is a really good uni you won't regret going!
Hope it helps.
On the other hand if you got offered a place at your firm but just didn't get the grades you wanted I would just go. I understand you worked two years for your a levels but I think it's more a pride thing and just like gcse once you make that step up in education the lower qualifications become less relevant. I went to Nottingham Trent and graduated this summer. I would honestly say getting a grad job depends on your degree classification and experience e.g. A placement year. Yes a handful of top companies request specific a level grades but it's definitely the minority.
Nottingham Trent is a really good uni you won't regret going!
Hope it helps.
yeah you're right. It is definitely pride more than anything. I'm going to Trent and am just gonna work hard to come out with a 2:1 or 1st.
Thank you
I'm in the same situation except I got my insurance (Westminster) however, I live in the north east of England and recently broke my foot, requiring surgery which will be a nightmare to travel back and forth for. so I'm just gonna retake a year at college and redo the modules that let me down, I know I can do better so I may as well give it ago, even if I don't end up doing any better there's always next year at Westminster hah
Original post by Chrissy.x
Unfortunately, I failed to obtain the grades I needed for my Firm and Insurance universities (University of Nottingham and University of Leicester) due to personal circumstances that I can't even hold blame to. Through clearing I got a place at Nottingham Trent University to study Biochemistry. I achieved BCC when I was predicted AAB. However I am not happy with my results and I know that I am capable of achieving better. I don't know whether I should go to University this year, take a gap year and resit, or go to university while resitting some modules.
Has anyone else been in a similar position?
Will my a level results hinder my future job prospects even if i were to graduate with a 1st or 2:1?
Has anyone else been in a similar position?
Will my a level results hinder my future job prospects even if i were to graduate with a 1st or 2:1?
If you think you can more or less definitely get into somewhere better, I would say go for it, as long as you don't mind living at home for another year...there's no harm in it really.
If you were to go to university, you could always retake a few A level exams but I would think that's a little unnecessary, since I wouldn't think your potential employer would care too much about them, I'm not sure though. I think about it this way, how employers only really care about your most recent qualification, so when we applied to uni AS levels were of the most importance by a fair bit and GCSEs not so much. AND for the 1st and 2:1, not too much of a difference, but my friend once told me about this pharmaceutical company that automatically rejected everybody who got less than a first, for a means of decreasing the number of applicants they had. --- unlike A levels though, if you were got 69/68 your employer would probably be sympathetic and it shouldn't be too much of an issue.
In a slightly different situation but some similarities? I needed AAA for Durham Biomedical sciences, got AAC missing my KCL firm offer of AAB too, so ended up at Warwick biomed through clearing which is still a great university. I see myself with these two options
1) I'm considering taking a gap year and working out what course I'd like to do, reapplying for a different course maybe chemistry, applying for 2015 entry, retaking some exams and maybe doing AS maths, getting work experience for this new course.
2) I can try out Warwick biomed, but the only risk to this is that if I drop out (haven't even checked if this is allowed) after my first term I'll be in a bad position for reapplying for next year, not having much time to figure out what course I want to do (since the deadline is in January), and my school might not even take me on, since by the end of the first uni term, that'd also be the end of school's first term, and 1/3rd of the year's teaching gone.
What'd you think about the options? - How would you recommend I go about finding a new course? Also, how were you sure that you were going to like/enjoy a course, how would you recommend I go about doing it?
Sorry for the monstrously long post! Hope I helped.
I need some advice 
I wanna study medicine. I managed to get low grades at A2 this year... BCD in bio, chem and maths respectively... So far I've had university of Westminister and Kingston university offer me a place in their biomedical science degree.
Idk what to do... should I accept these and then go into graduate entry medicine.. or take a year out and retake exams then try getting into a better university for biomedical science. ( queens mary will take me if I do better in my retakes next year...ABB)
I wanna study medicine. I managed to get low grades at A2 this year... BCD in bio, chem and maths respectively... So far I've had university of Westminister and Kingston university offer me a place in their biomedical science degree.
Idk what to do... should I accept these and then go into graduate entry medicine.. or take a year out and retake exams then try getting into a better university for biomedical science. ( queens mary will take me if I do better in my retakes next year...ABB)
Original post by Chrissy.x
Hey I've decided to go to Trent! I know its so disappointing and depressing t not get the grades we wanted but I think the best thing to do is focus hard on getting that 2:1 or 1st. We can do it!
What course wll you be doing at Trent?
I've decided to go to Trent! I know its so disappointing and depressing t not get the grades we wanted but I think the best thing to do is focus hard on getting that 2:1 or 1st. We can do it! What course wll you be doing at Trent?
We most certainly can! And I'm doing English with Linguistics! I think we at the same campus. Cliffton campus right?
But then again this year grade boundries were sooooo mean, im just glad i got into uni now/
If you are not totally sure then I would recommend taking a year out, try and get a part time job perhaps to save some money and retake and apply to places you really, really want to go. Its a lot of money and a few years, thats great you got a place through clearing but if you are unsure dont rush into it! Good luck whatever you choose to do
I had the same problem last year. I didn't care about my a-levels and ended up with BCE, I somehow managed to get into Swansea University. I knew from the get go I should have redone my A-levels but at that point in my life I just saw University as a big party and I was just surprised any institution offered me a place! I had the WORST YEAR OF MY LIFE! you don't want to go on with your life thinking 'what if?' I did very well in my first year of university, and with the right amount of research and prep, i was offered a place at Leicester university in september. I will no longer be thinking 'what if' I tried my best and now I can go to a university that I know I will love. Go back and do your A-levels, it saves all of the hassle I had to go through this year with staying at a university I hated. Even if you do end up going to university this year, remember loads of people want to transfer and if you have half decent grades you may even be eligible for second year transfer.
Do what you want to do, it's your life. If you try hard enough you can achieve anything.
Do what you want to do, it's your life. If you try hard enough you can achieve anything.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by imzba
I had the same problem last year. I didn't care about my a-levels and ended up with BCE, I somehow managed to get into Swansea University. I knew from the get go I should have redone my A-levels but at that point in my life I just saw University as a big party and I was just surprised any institution offered me a place! I had the WORST YEAR OF MY LIFE! you don't want to go on with your life thinking 'what if?' I did very well in my first year of university, and with the right amount of research and prep, i was offered a place at Leicester university in september. I will no longer be thinking 'what if' I tried my best and now I can go to a university that I know I will love. Go back and do your A-levels, it saves all of the hassle I had to go through this year with staying at a university I hated. Even if you do end up going to university this year, remember loads of people want to transfer and if you have half decent grades you may even be eligible for second year transfer.
Do what you want to do, it's your life. If you try hard enough you can achieve anything.
Do what you want to do, it's your life. If you try hard enough you can achieve anything.
Wow i just recieved my a level results and I also got BCE. Missed out on my firm and insurance
I got into Birmingham city uni through clearing for mechanical engineering its a really low rank uni. I am unhappy going there and think i underachieved in my a levels i did Chemistry Maths and Biology. Do you think i should resit my A2 and apply for a better uni next year?
Original post by Badman1231
Wow i just recieved my a level results and I also got BCE. Missed out on my firm and insurance
I got into Birmingham city uni through clearing for mechanical engineering its a really low rank uni. I am unhappy going there and think i underachieved in my a levels i did Chemistry Maths and Biology. Do you think i should resit my A2 and apply for a better uni next year?
I got into Birmingham city uni through clearing for mechanical engineering its a really low rank uni. I am unhappy going there and think i underachieved in my a levels i did Chemistry Maths and Biology. Do you think i should resit my A2 and apply for a better uni next year?
I'd say if you KNOW you have the motivation to go back to resit your A-levels, do it. But for me, going to swansea university gave me a kick up the arse. If you achieve in your first year of uni, you can always transfer.
Original post by mit0sis
I'm in the same situation except I got my insurance (Westminster) however, I live in the north east of England and recently broke my foot, requiring surgery which will be a nightmare to travel back and forth for. so I'm just gonna retake a year at college and redo the modules that let me down, I know I can do better so I may as well give it ago, even if I don't end up doing any better there's always next year at Westminster hah
Hey! Your in the same situation as me! I have now decided to resit some modules and pick up as politics as an external candidate as my college have told me I'm not eligible for funding. Will you be attending classes ?
I have written the same post on a different thread but it's applicable here so sorry if I'm repeating myself.
I am in a bit of a similar situation. I was really annoyed with one of my results as I missed my offer for pharmacy as I got a C in chemistry but then eventually got accepted into my 1st choice due to extenuating circumstances- like you I am very disappointed and was considering retaking the year but then thought that I have the opportunity to go to the university of my choice, and I dont want to get bogged down in retaking the year when it was, like you partially due to personal circumstances.
The past is the past and as long as you know that in your heart you could have done better, if that gives you the drive to work really hard at university then go for it. I believe that sometimes you just have to move on- for me it is certainly going to make me work much harder and buck up my game and also to start a new life away from an unhealthy personal situation.
For most once you have got to university your A-level grades matter less, and if they are vital for a job application then you can always do them at night school. The most important things are drive, enthusiasm, determination and experience when trying to get jobs. Do what you feel you need to in your heart but dont be disheartened by your results- use them as a learning curve. Remember you've got into uni and if you are happy with that uni then go for it. Hope thats helped a bit. Good luck x
I am in a bit of a similar situation. I was really annoyed with one of my results as I missed my offer for pharmacy as I got a C in chemistry but then eventually got accepted into my 1st choice due to extenuating circumstances- like you I am very disappointed and was considering retaking the year but then thought that I have the opportunity to go to the university of my choice, and I dont want to get bogged down in retaking the year when it was, like you partially due to personal circumstances.
The past is the past and as long as you know that in your heart you could have done better, if that gives you the drive to work really hard at university then go for it. I believe that sometimes you just have to move on- for me it is certainly going to make me work much harder and buck up my game and also to start a new life away from an unhealthy personal situation.
For most once you have got to university your A-level grades matter less, and if they are vital for a job application then you can always do them at night school. The most important things are drive, enthusiasm, determination and experience when trying to get jobs. Do what you feel you need to in your heart but dont be disheartened by your results- use them as a learning curve. Remember you've got into uni and if you are happy with that uni then go for it. Hope thats helped a bit. Good luck x
(edited 9 years ago)
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