Please a-level help !!

hi, i’m really stressing out because i don’t know what to do. basically i was in college last year when i was 16 for a few months doing 3 a levels. i failed maths but they let me retake my maths gcse alongside those a levels. i then dropped out after 3 months due to awful mental health.
after a year i decided what subjects i really wanted to do (psychology, sociology and health and social) and tried enrolling with a different, closer college. however because of my 3 they denied me doing any a levels as they all require 4+ and also won’t let me retake alongside. this is the only college i’ve heard of that won’t let you retake alongside alevels. i then chose to do a health and social course instead but they’re completely full up. the only other courses they have that don’t require a 4 are things like hair and beauty and animal care and computing - just thinks i really really really don’t know what to do. and now i’m stuck because every college has finished with enrolments now until 2021 september but if i wait another year i’ll have to pay 8 grand for the courses i want to take as i’d be 19/20 in my second year. please please help i really don’t know what to do i feel so stuck as i don’t want to spend two years of my life doing a course i have literally zero interest in but i can’t afford to spend that much money on college i literally do not have any money.

Its very common for colleges not to allow progress to A levels or even level 3 if you do not have Maths and English GCSE.
You need to:

1. Get your MH sorted out.
2. Go back to college and enroll on a pre access or just Maths and English GCSE.
3. How old will you be by next year on 1 September?
4. If you are 19 then you can see whether they will let you do A levels or you can consider doing an access to HE diploma, which will get you onto most courses and at most unis. You can get loans for these but I think if its your frst time taking then it may be free anyway.

every college in my area actually does allow you to take a levels that require a certain GCSE as long as you are retaking alongside that’s why it’s stressed me out so much that the last college option I had won’t allow it.
this college also won’t allow me to just retake my gcse - i would have to take a level 2 course alongside it but there aren’t any access or level 2’s that are anything at all to do with what I wanted to study so i feel it’s pointless to do something that isn’t going to help my career in the future.
I would be 18 in september next year so the first year would be free but then I would have to pay the 8 grand for the 3 a levels in my second year and I’m not sure if i’m legible for financial help or not i’m not sure how to ask about it.
I feel like my only option is to find a place to retake my maths this year or pay to retake online id no colleges will allow it and just enrol next year but the only issue really is the money and the fact everybody I know would be in Uni and I’d be behind.

There arent any other colleges?
What is it you wnat to do?
GCSEs arent pointless.

You need to clam down and just list the questions and find the answers. Panic gets you nowhere.


1. You need to srt out your MH.
2. You need to get GCSE English and Maths at least.
3. £8,000 for A levels at an FE college?
4. Why cnat you get an advanced learner loan are you a non EU and non UK student?

5. Maths will costs you c £50 exam fee+ £150-200 centre fee + whatever revision materials you buy be it an online course c £250-300 or you just have textbooks.

6. England

You can leave school on the last Friday in June if you’ll be 16 by the end of the summer holidays.

You must then do one of the following until you’re 18:

stay in full-time education, for example at a college
start an apprenticeship or traineeship
spend 20 hours or more a week working or volunteering, while in part-time education or training


Not sure they cna debny you doing just GCSE maths and English if you are doing the others?

7. In any event check if you are eligible for ALL (likely if you are a UK or EU citizen that has lived in the Uk for the last 3 years)
8. If not then you will have to get a job and teach yourself or buy online courses.
9. It isnt a race stop comparuing yourself to other students. You are in this position because you have to deal with MH and you didnt get the grade needed for this or other reasons.

can you explain what you mean by MH? college haven’t told me any options they’ve just basically said to me ‘you can’t do any anything apart from BTEC’s here so if you don’t want to do that then idk what to tell you bye’.
I also don’t know what an advanced learner loan is. but yes i’ve lived in the UK all my life.

I don’t mean that maths will cost me the 8 grand. maths would be about £200-250 at most. I mean that college (a levels, btecs or courses) are free until you’re 19. after you’re 19 for sociology it’s £2500 to take it, psychology is the same amount and health and social is also about that. education isn’t free after you’re 19, which is why I want to get into college this year so I won’t have to pay it.
Also i’m not comparing myself to other students, I just mean that if I am so far behind everyone I will be the one left when everybody goes off and leaves for Uni when I’m only in my first year at college. obviously that’s not a huge issue as long as I get the qualifications but it’s just a small thing that would also be annoying about starting next year. I also have been working part time for the past year whilst being out of college and still am but this is the only college left that is still open to taking students on for this year, but they’ve told me I can’t just do my maths retake I have to do subjects alongside it (but they then told me I couldn’t so it’s just confusing to me). i’m not going to do 2 years of a course or btec that isn’t anything to do with what I want to do in the future as I just find that pointless. If there was an access course related to the career I wanted to do then I would take that and work up but there isn’t any. there’s also no apprenticeships.