Should i retake? Im so lost

I'm not an expert because I'm in a similar situation to yourself, but I'll try and help a little before someone more well informed comes along. 😊

I think you should keep trying to find somewhere you like through clearing, and really think about your offer- is it definitely not where you want to go?

If you have no success in clearing, then maybe retaking would be a better option. I also considered doing this during a gap year and told my sixth form about my plans and they said they would support me in ucas even though I would be an external candidate.

So if you choose to retake, contact your sixth form/ college to ask them for help with applying. :smile:

Ps. Everything will turn out alright in the end.

Reply 2

OP

Original post by Lularose83

I'm not an expert because I'm in a similar situation to yourself, but I'll try and help a little before someone more well informed comes along. 😊

I think you should keep trying to find somewhere you like through clearing, and really think about your offer- is it definitely not where you want to go?

If you have no success in clearing, then maybe retaking would be a better option. I also considered doing this during a gap year and told my sixth form about my plans and they said they would support me in ucas even though I would be an external candidate.

So if you choose to retake, contact your sixth form/ college to ask them for help with applying. :smile:

Ps. Everything will turn out alright in the end.

I am so confused about what I am even doing anymore :/ Thank you so much btw ! :smile:

The offer I was made was for computer science but its not the exact comp science course I want to do, its an integrated course with a foundation year which is not what I am interested in.

Clearing is no longer what it used to be and good unis just aren't giving up places that easily :O

Thats really good, maybe I should chat with my old sixth form and get help through UCAS since I was wondering who is going to be writing my reference etc but would the sixth form allow one year a level courses since I just want to do AS and A2 fresh and just sit all the exams rather than retake modules since that is quite long :/

THANK YOU DUDE! LOVE U SERIOUSLY

Reply 3

Lularose83

Original post by Applepiex3

I am so confused about what I am even doing anymore :/ Thank you so much btw ! :smile:

The offer I was made was for computer science but its not the exact comp science course I want to do, its an integrated course with a foundation year which is not what I am interested in.

Clearing is no longer what it used to be and good unis just aren't giving up places that easily :O

Thats really good, maybe I should chat with my old sixth form and get help through UCAS since I was wondering who is going to be writing my reference etc but would the sixth form allow one year a level courses since I just want to do AS and A2 fresh and just sit all the exams rather than retake modules since that is quite long :/

THANK YOU DUDE! LOVE U SERIOUSLY

No worries, I'm glad I could help!

Definitely talk to your head of sixth form or even your form tutor. I'm getting my reference done this week to apply for unis in clearing, so it's perfectly fine to stay in contact with them if you need help with applying!

Don't give up! Good luck if you do retake, it'll be so worth it😊

Reply 4

OP

Original post by Lularose83

No worries, I'm glad I could help!

Definitely talk to your head of sixth form or even your form tutor. I'm getting my reference done this week to apply for unis in clearing, so it's perfectly fine to stay in contact with them if you need help with applying!

Don't give up! Good luck if you do retake, it'll be so worth it😊

That's actually really helpful, I might just write my email up tonight! I guess it makes my life a little easier since I won't need to go out of my way to apply an external candidate somewhere really expensive.

I hope retaking will be worth it!! Since that's a whole years worth of effort :O
Btw since u are considering retaking are you going to be gaining some work experience alongside as well?

Reply 5

Lularose83

Original post by Applepiex3

That's actually really helpful, I might just write my email up tonight! I guess it makes my life a little easier since I won't need to go out of my way to apply an external candidate somewhere really expensive.

I hope retaking will be worth it!! Since that's a whole years worth of effort :O
Btw since u are considering retaking are you going to be gaining some work experience alongside as well?

I don't think I'm going to retake! I just want to get to uni asap now haha.😊 I initially intended to take a gap year and do loads of voluntary work but as my grades were unexpectedly low, I had to rethink.

But retaking is still a valuable option so I'll see what happens over the next few days!

Reply 6

OP

Original post by Lularose83

I don't think I'm going to retake! I just want to get to uni asap now haha.😊 I initially intended to take a gap year and do loads of voluntary work but as my grades were unexpectedly low, I had to rethink.

But retaking is still a valuable option so I'll see what happens over the next few days!

Well good luck with whatever you choose to do! May the odds be ever in your favour! :smile:

Reply 7

999tigger

Retake. You are about to take on a potential £50,000 debt. Makes sense you take that on at a Uni you wnat to go to and on a course you want to do.

Reply 8

username944192

21

Don't rush into clearing just for the sake of going this year. If I were you I would definitely retake. Dunno about you but I would never be happy having a D and an E on my academic record and you are obviously a capable student considering you got an A* in your other subject. I think it's worth retaking and applying somewhere you actually want to go, for a course you actually want to do*

Reply 9

OP

Original post by 999tigger

Retake. You are about to take on a potential £50,000 debt. Makes sense you take that on at a Uni you wnat to go to and on a course you want to do.

Thank you for the advice! I really appreciate it! I was unsure whether retaking was worth it due to the tuition costs (since retakes aren't allow u can pretty much only sit privately) but those tuition costs are nothing compared to the debt i would be in if I studied at a uni I didn't want to study in.

I am going to ask the uni to release me and retake this year :smile:

I feel this is the best decision now!

Thank you so much again dude!!! :biggrin:

Reply 10

OP

Original post by infairverona

Don't rush into clearing just for the sake of going this year. If I were you I would definitely retake. Dunno about you but I would never be happy having a D and an E on my academic record and you are obviously a capable student considering you got an A* in your other subject. I think it's worth retaking and applying somewhere you actually want to go, for a course you actually want to do*

The A* was in computing so I was hoping unis would credit the fact I am good at computing already so would make a good candidate for computer science but alas that's not the case :|

I am going to retake now thanks to your advice, thank you so much!

I really wasn't sure of the procedures and the idea of sitting as a private/external candidate seems so long but my life is at stake here so i am going to work very hard :smile:

Do top unis consider retakes?

Reply 11

999tigger

Original post by Applepiex3

Thank you for the advice! I really appreciate it! I was unsure whether retaking was worth it due to the tuition costs (since retakes aren't allow u can pretty much only sit privately) but those tuition costs are nothing compared to the debt i would be in if I studied at a uni I didn't want to study in.

I am going to ask the uni to release me and retake this year :smile:

I feel this is the best decision now!

Thank you so much again dude!!! :biggrin:

Im pleased for you. You really only get Uni once, so best go to the right place.

Obviously work hard to correct the wrongs, but its only a year and this time you will be resitting only one or two? I believe many mistajes are made by people just going on any course, just so they can say they are going to Uni.

Its not a race. Talk to your school and inform your parents. You cna always get a job an save a bit of money as well.

Reply 12

rainbowcolours1

I was in your position last year where I achieved BBD A-levels. This was enough to get into uni but not one of my desired choices.

Best decision of my life ever retaking year 13. I now have a level grades of A*AB with my D grade jumping up to an A grade this year. Now I have a place at a Russell group uni which was the main reason why I chose to retake.

I retook my year back at the same sixth form as they let me in but your sixth form/college should still support you in your UCAS application as an external candidate.

So yes retaking sounds like a wise decision. No point going to uni doing a course you're not happy with.

Posted from TSR Mobile

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 13

OP

Original post by 999tigger

Im pleased for you. You really only get Uni once, so best go to the right place.

Obviously work hard to correct the wrongs, but its only a year and this time you will be resitting only one or two? I believe many mistajes are made by people just going on any course, just so they can say they are going to Uni.

Its not a race. Talk to your school and inform your parents. You cna always get a job an save a bit of money as well.

I might just retake both of the ones I failed in, my module grades were very weird and in some maths modules I received As while in others I received Us (which brought my grades down immensely).

I don't want to go uni for the sake of going uni but my parents were considering this recently since they didn't want me to be left behind. I think i will use your words and tell them that its not a race :smile:

Since I have the whole year I realised I have time to do everything which I have been telling myself to make time for: getting a part time job, finishing volunteering and even passing my drivers license XD

Reply 14

Pinkberry_y

Original post by Applepiex3

So my alevel results were not what I expected and I dropped from predicted ABB to A*DE
I was hoping to study computer science at a good uni this year but I dont think thats possible now

Should i retake? Or should i keep trying in clearing? I have been made an offer with a uni but Its not where I want to go and its not the exact course i want to do.

And where am I supposed to get ucas help from next year if I want to retake as an external candidate? Pls help I am so lost

Depend on what unis are in clearing, if it's all the rubbish ones left then retake

Reply 15

OP

Original post by naomi288

I was in your position last year where I achieved BBD A-levels. This was enough to get into uni but not one of my desired choices.

Best decision of my life ever retaking year 13. I now have a level grades of A*AB with my D grade jumping up to an A grade this year. Now I have a place at a Russell group uni which was the main reason why I chose to retake.

I retook my year back at the same sixth form as they let me in but your sixth form/college should still support you in your UCAS application as an external candidate.

So yes retaking sounds like a wise decision. No point going to uni doing a course you're not happy with.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Thats outstanding!! Congrats dude! You obv worked very hard!

Did you by any chance do maths? Since my grades are lacking in that cluster and I am either getting As or Us (not in between); its like playing a game of revision and luck. I was also wondering whether you revised independently or through private tuition?

This is truly motivating for me since I know what I can do now! :smile:

They don't allow retaking a whole year anymore (I really wished they did!) since they have introduced new a levels but I think if you retake as an external candidate your sixth form can accept you.

Thank you so much dude!! :biggrin:

Reply 16

OP

Original post by Pinkberry_y

Depend on what unis are in clearing, if it's all the rubbish ones left then retake

The only unis left in clearing are Kingston, Brunel, Goldsmith etc but I am not really interested in going there to study computer science.

I think its deffo worth retaking after hearing what other people had to say!

Reply 17

Pinkberry_y

Original post by Applepiex3

The only unis left in clearing are Kingston, Brunel, Goldsmith etc but I am not really interested in going there to study computer science.

I think its deffo worth retaking after hearing what other people had to say!

Yes retake. Much better in the long term if you retake, get better grades and go to to a better uni and have better employability

Reply 18

rainbowcolours1

Original post by Applepiex3

Thats outstanding!! Congrats dude! You obv worked very hard!

Did you by any chance do maths? Since my grades are lacking in that cluster and I am either getting As or Us (not in between); its like playing a game of revision and luck. I was also wondering whether you revised independently or through private tuition?

This is truly motivating for me since I know what I can do now! :smile:

They don't allow retaking a whole year anymore (I really wished they did!) since they have introduced new a levels but I think if you retake as an external candidate your sixth form can accept you.

Thank you so much dude!! :biggrin:

Thanks and yes, just goes to show that hard work does pay off if you have a goal.

And yes I did take maths but unfortunately, I saw no improvement in my overall maths grade this year as the C3 and C4 exams were solid. Therefore my maths grade remained a B. My advice with maths is just practising lots of questions although when it comes to the exam, a lot of it is on luck. I felt ready to sit my maths exams but when the time came, I just didn't have good exam papers. I ended up achieving a C in C3 and a D in C4 which obviously wasn't enough to boost my grade to an A.

I was tutored by a university student last year (2nd year of my A-Levels, before my resit year). However that obviously didn't really help me so in my 3rd year of A-Levels I studied everything independently. I worked harder without tuition as I had the pressure to complete the revision myself. And thankfully everything worked out well for me in the end.

And yes my sixth form also offered external candidates which some people had done but I wanted to attend the lessons at sixth form.

Just remember resitting your exams is a second lifeline so revise from the beginning. Possibly start your revision now because over the summer holidays, you will most likely to have forgotten a lot of things. Also try to work out what went wrong in your exams last year, possibly purchase your exam scripts. I purchased 6 of my exam scripts last year which helped me work out what areas I needed to work on improving.

Reply 19

999tigger