HELP! Don’t know what to do after 6th Form??!

I’m in Year 13 currently studying maths, further maths, chemistry and French and predicted A*A*AA. I applied to Cambridge, Durham, Bristol, Sheffield and Edinburgh. I got rejected from Cambridge post-interview, haven’t received an offer from Durham but have offers from the other 3 unis.
I’ve changed my mind quite a lot since I applied in October and now think I would prefer to go to Uni somewhere closer to London such as UCL or Bath (I know Bath isn’t that close but relative to Durham this is closer) . I was thinking of putting Bristol as my Firm but I went on an applicants day and hated it so now I don’t know what to do.
I’m not sure about taking a gap year as I don’t know what I’d do and Universities seem pretty against doing gap years before doing a maths degree but I don’t want to go to any of the universities I’ve applied to.
If I did do a gap year I think I’d want to do something to do with acting/drama which is a hobby of mine so if anyone has any ideas that’d be grand
thanks everyone

Not all unis are against it and if you show that your maths hasn't gone stale maybe by retaking modules or the like I'm sure that would be fine and maybe even make you better at maths if you are sure thats what you want to do.

Ok thanks, I was thinking of maybe doing Additional Further Maths if I did do a gap year so that I don’t forget everything, I just feel like Unis will expect there to be a better reason for taking a gap year and I don’t know what else I’d do to fill the rest of the year?

Yeah additional further seems to be a good shout. As for the better reason part, what exactly do you plan on doing for the gap year?

Well that’s really part of my problem :/
I don’t really have that much money so I couldn’t just travel like some people do on gap years, I’d like to do something which is productive that could help me in the future (not just working at a supermarket for example) and I looked at apprenticeship stuff but the only Maths related ones are for accounting which doesn’t really interest me.
However, I love drama so I was looking at maybe doing an acting course or something like that but i feel strange saying that seen as it’s such a contrast to Maths and no one seems to understand why I like both 😂

What's the rationale behind the gap year as oppose to say just joining some kind of drama society while at uni?

Well cause if I’m doing a gap year before uni anyway, because I don’t want to go to the ones I applied to, then I figured I might as well do something I enjoy

I’m in Year 13 currently studying maths, further maths, chemistry and French and predicted A*A*AA. I applied to Cambridge, Durham, Bristol, Sheffield and Edinburgh. I got rejected from Cambridge post-interview, haven’t received an offer from Durham but have offers from the other 3 unis.
I’ve changed my mind quite a lot since I applied in October and now think I would prefer to go to Uni somewhere closer to London such as UCL or Bath (I know Bath isn’t that close but relative to Durham this is closer) . I was thinking of putting Bristol as my Firm but I went on an applicants day and hated it so now I don’t know what to do.
I’m not sure about taking a gap year as I don’t know what I’d do and Universities seem pretty against doing gap years before doing a maths degree but I don’t want to go to any of the universities I’ve applied to.
If I did do a gap year I think I’d want to do something to do with acting/drama which is a hobby of mine so if anyone has any ideas that’d be grand
thanks everyone

Oh I think I misunderstood your initial post slightly. Im not sure how fussed unis will be that your gap year is non mathematical. Maybe @Doonesbury would have some idea.

Thanks for the tag

OP, so reading the thread you are considering a gap year and re-applying for maths but are concerned about not keeping up your maths? Most universities (including Cambridge actually - many colleges don't mind at all*) are fine with it and doing Additional Further is an idea - but is it still offered? Also even preparing for, and maybe doing STEP would be useful. It doesn't have to full-time maths, just enough to keep those cells ticking over.

*See table 7 in the link below. Cambridge colleges listed N, EI, or E are fine:
https://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/admissionsguide.pdf

Ok thanks! I’m not sure if AFM is still a course with the new a level but I’ll check. Quite a few unis say they don’t mind if you 1. Have something useful to do and 2. Keep doing maths .So step or afm would solve 2. I think but I’m not sure what I could do that would be useful?

Well, AFM is no longer a thing with the new A-level structure. STEP is probably better preparation anyway.
Something "useful" could include tutoring. But where does it actually say "useful"? Drama/acting is perfectly "useful" too.

I think by ‘useful’ it basically means doing something that improves you in some way, when I went to an open day they said they didn’t want people who had just “lied on a beach or worked in an office” for the whole year. STEP seems like a good option then and I suppose it’ll be helpful for the more uni style of maths

Ah that's fine then. Drama would definitely do that.