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Doing a Third Year at Sixth Form (Year 14)
Hello,
I hope I am not repeating anything, I have already looked through to check, but still...
At the moment, I am considering doing a third year of sixth form at my current school for no real reason as such.
It's just that I am not prepared to go to University next year, I don't feel ready in my mind or capable, and I am not sure how my results will turn out next week. However, for that aspect, there are re-takes and working harder!
Is it a good idea to do this? Or will I be at a disadvantage when it comes to applying for Universities when that time comes?
I don't mind that my friends will go off to Uni or anything (although one friend is thinking about Y14 too), I want to feel ready and do what is right for me, and how do I convince my school?
Thank you for your help/advice
I hope I am not repeating anything, I have already looked through to check, but still...
At the moment, I am considering doing a third year of sixth form at my current school for no real reason as such.
It's just that I am not prepared to go to University next year, I don't feel ready in my mind or capable, and I am not sure how my results will turn out next week. However, for that aspect, there are re-takes and working harder!
Is it a good idea to do this? Or will I be at a disadvantage when it comes to applying for Universities when that time comes?
I don't mind that my friends will go off to Uni or anything (although one friend is thinking about Y14 too), I want to feel ready and do what is right for me, and how do I convince my school?
Thank you for your help/advice
Scroll to see replies
if you dont feel ready, take a gap year, get a job and go travel
taking three years to do your a'levels without a proper excuse isn't going to go down well with any university
taking three years to do your a'levels without a proper excuse isn't going to go down well with any university
If your not planning on not doing any retakes, then why go back? If you don't feel ready to go to university, then why not take a gap year, go travelling...
I don't know of any disadvantages as such, but couldn't you spend your time doing something interesting or productive instead of going back to 6th form for the sake of it?
I don't know of any disadvantages as such, but couldn't you spend your time doing something interesting or productive instead of going back to 6th form for the sake of it?
Take a gap year and travel or work. Unless you need to resit or do extra A-levels, an extra year in college is not advisable.
If my results aren't good enough, then I'll resit them and do AS in Y13 and A2 in Y14.
I haven't thought about a gap year. That would be useful in making me grow up etc. but then I still want the security of Sixth Form for a bit longer, which isn't right, because no one else has the opportunity to do that, they just deal with it!
Thank you for replies, it's given me something to think about more and properly
I haven't thought about a gap year. That would be useful in making me grow up etc. but then I still want the security of Sixth Form for a bit longer, which isn't right, because no one else has the opportunity to do that, they just deal with it!
Thank you for replies, it's given me something to think about more and properly
Hi, due to a few troubles and personal reasons I've had to do a couple of new A Levels, and I'm most likely going to do Year 14 next year. I'm not 100% happy about it, as I would have liked to go uni this year (2010), but oh well, at least I have more time to prepare. Only do the third year for retakes or if you're finishing A Levels you started late, otherwise you may as well have the proper gap year experience of work and travel. Here's a thread of mine from a while back, if you want a look: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?p=21516484#post21516484
Seham
Take a gap year and travel or work. Unless you need to resit or do extra A-levels, an extra year in college is not advisable.
This. There's no point hanging around at school to get extra qualifications if you don't need them, and I'm sure universities would rather you used the time more productively.
Thank you for the link to your thread, it was useful
I might be starting AS Spanish or Extended Project in Y13, would that be good to carry on to get the whole A Level in Spanish and spend a good amount of time on the EP? Also, would that count as some extra things to show that I hadn't wasted the third year that Universities might look for? Obviously, I'd need to do more than just those two things.
I might be starting AS Spanish or Extended Project in Y13, would that be good to carry on to get the whole A Level in Spanish and spend a good amount of time on the EP? Also, would that count as some extra things to show that I hadn't wasted the third year that Universities might look for? Obviously, I'd need to do more than just those two things.
sarah_h27
Hello,
I hope I am not repeating anything, I have already looked through to check, but still...
At the moment, I am considering doing a third year of sixth form at my current school for no real reason as such.
It's just that I am not prepared to go to University next year, I don't feel ready in my mind or capable, and I am not sure how my results will turn out next week. However, for that aspect, there are re-takes and working harder!
Is it a good idea to do this? Or will I be at a disadvantage when it comes to applying for Universities when that time comes?
I don't mind that my friends will go off to Uni or anything (although one friend is thinking about Y14 too), I want to feel ready and do what is right for me, and how do I convince my school?
Thank you for your help/advice
I hope I am not repeating anything, I have already looked through to check, but still...
At the moment, I am considering doing a third year of sixth form at my current school for no real reason as such.
It's just that I am not prepared to go to University next year, I don't feel ready in my mind or capable, and I am not sure how my results will turn out next week. However, for that aspect, there are re-takes and working harder!
Is it a good idea to do this? Or will I be at a disadvantage when it comes to applying for Universities when that time comes?
I don't mind that my friends will go off to Uni or anything (although one friend is thinking about Y14 too), I want to feel ready and do what is right for me, and how do I convince my school?
Thank you for your help/advice
I did 3 years in 6th form, although it's been a very useful experience, I wouldn't recommend it if you've got no reason
! You must love school! No, take a gap year and do something better.
If you're struggling to take another subject, take a gap year by all means, but get a job, go travel and if you know what route you wanna go down go find some work experience Make it fun and useful!
Make it fun and useful!didgeridoo12uk
if you dont feel ready, take a gap year, get a job and go travel
taking three years to do your a'levels without a proper excuse isn't going to go down well with any university
taking three years to do your a'levels without a proper excuse isn't going to go down well with any university
...
I got an offer from Bristol for English this year. I'm a year 14/resitter, and I didn't get an offer from Bristol last year.
OP - don't make any decisions now. Carry on with your application and your studies this year anyway - you can email the universities and ask for deferred entry at any time, if you really don't want to go next year. That way, if you do meet your offers this summer then you don't have to worry about UCAS again next year.
College can be fun - it makes sure you're getting out of the house, meeting people (I mean, if everyone you know has gone to uni, it can be lonely), and it keeps your academic skills sharp. Plus, I've really enjoyed the chance just to pick a subject I haven't studied before and learn about it for a year (for me, Philosophy). Being a proper member of a sixth-form college has also made UCAS and resitting so, so, so much easier to arrange (so if that's a situation you think you might find yourself in, it's something to think about).
Don't listen to people who tell you you won't get any offers if you take a year out/have to resit, though - they don't know what they're talking about. I've a friend at college this year who reapplied to Cambridge after missing her offer and has been accepted again. Certainly, you won't have any problems at all if you do work hard this year, get your grades and meet your offer in the first instance: you can ask the university to switch you to deferred entry and then whatever you do with your gap year is your decision alone.
Even if you do have to resit and reapply, you don't have to spend ages trying to justify what you're doing with your year to the unis, whether you decide to study, work, or go skydiving in Thailand. I only mentioned, in passing, in my PS that I'm taking a course in creative writing and that I'm sitting an EPQ and an A-level in Philosophy. As long as you're still motivated, still passionate, and still excited about your degree, you're good.
I don't know what subject you want to take at uni, but if you want to ask questions to people who are, or have been, back at college for another year to resit and reapply, just pop in and say 'hi' here:
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1201395
We're all pretty friendly and helpful, and we won't bite!
But good luck, with whatever you decide. You'll be fine!
That's the thing though :/ I don't know what I want to do, and I don't feel ready to go off travelling etc, even though it would be a great thing to do. What I want to do is stay in Sixth Form for another year, sort extra valuable projects/subjects out that'll be worthwhile and then sort out my career/uni path but it obv. isn't possible :/
I think the short answer is I should just get on with it, stop being daft, and grow up!!
Thank you for replying
I think the short answer is I should just get on with it, stop being daft, and grow up!!
Thank you for replying
freija
...
I got an offer from Bristol for English this year. I'm a year 14/resitter, and I didn't get an offer from Bristol last year.
OP - don't make any decisions now. Carry on with your application and your studies this year anyway - you can email the universities and ask for deferred entry at any time, if you really don't want to go next year - that way if you meet your offers this summer then you don't have to worry about UCAS again next year.
College can be fun - it makes sure you're getting out of the house, meeting people, and it keeps your academic skills sharp. Plus, I've really enjoyed the chance just to pick a subject I haven't studied before and learn about it for a year (for me, Philosophy). Being a proper member of a sixth-form college has also made UCAS and resitting so, so, so much easier to arrange.
And don't listen to people who tell you you won't get any offers if you take a year out/have to resit - they don't know what they're talking about. I've a friend at college this year who reapplied to Cambridge after missing her offer and has been accepted again. Anyway, you really won't have any problems at all if you just work HARD this year, get your grades, and use next year to take a course that look interesting just for the fun of it.
Anyway - you don't have to spend ages trying to justify to the unis what you're doing with your year, whether you decide to study, work, or go skydiving in Thailand. I only mentioned, in passing, in my PS that I'm taking a course in creative writing and that I'm studying an EPQ and an A-level in Philosophy. As long as you're still motivated, still passionate, and still excited about your degree, you're good.
I don't know what subject you want to take at uni, but if you want to ask questions to people who are, or have been, back at college for another year to resit and reapply, just pop in and say 'hi' here:
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1201395
We're all pretty friendly and helpful, and we won't bite!
But good luck, with whatever you decide. You'll be fine!
I got an offer from Bristol for English this year. I'm a year 14/resitter, and I didn't get an offer from Bristol last year.
OP - don't make any decisions now. Carry on with your application and your studies this year anyway - you can email the universities and ask for deferred entry at any time, if you really don't want to go next year - that way if you meet your offers this summer then you don't have to worry about UCAS again next year.
College can be fun - it makes sure you're getting out of the house, meeting people, and it keeps your academic skills sharp. Plus, I've really enjoyed the chance just to pick a subject I haven't studied before and learn about it for a year (for me, Philosophy). Being a proper member of a sixth-form college has also made UCAS and resitting so, so, so much easier to arrange.
And don't listen to people who tell you you won't get any offers if you take a year out/have to resit - they don't know what they're talking about. I've a friend at college this year who reapplied to Cambridge after missing her offer and has been accepted again. Anyway, you really won't have any problems at all if you just work HARD this year, get your grades, and use next year to take a course that look interesting just for the fun of it.
Anyway - you don't have to spend ages trying to justify to the unis what you're doing with your year, whether you decide to study, work, or go skydiving in Thailand. I only mentioned, in passing, in my PS that I'm taking a course in creative writing and that I'm studying an EPQ and an A-level in Philosophy. As long as you're still motivated, still passionate, and still excited about your degree, you're good.
I don't know what subject you want to take at uni, but if you want to ask questions to people who are, or have been, back at college for another year to resit and reapply, just pop in and say 'hi' here:
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1201395
We're all pretty friendly and helpful, and we won't bite!
But good luck, with whatever you decide. You'll be fine!
Thank you, that's really useful!
So when I start UCAS process this summer of Y12 I should still go ahead etc, and see what Y13 brings and then consider staying on for another year?
sarah_h27
Thank you, that's really useful!
So when I start UCAS process this summer of Y12 I should still go ahead etc, and see what Y13 brings and then consider staying on for another year?
So when I start UCAS process this summer of Y12 I should still go ahead etc, and see what Y13 brings and then consider staying on for another year?
That's exactly it.
Go visit some unis, get a taste for it - you can even talk to some current students/staff while you're there, if you think it would help. Try to work out what you want to study, and where - again, go visit lots of places, talk to teachers, and order university prospectus... es(i?). Do something - work, volunteer - this summer, so you can put it on your application (there's a section that asks you about your work experience, so you need to have something to put down).Then go back for Year 13, work hard, send off a UCAS application with everyone else, sit your January exams, and once you have all your offers and your AS results AND your January A2 results, THEN you should start working out whether you're realistically going to get into uni, whether you'll be ready and if not, what you want to do for a year instead. If, at that point you still want a year out, you can email your universities and ask them to allow you to defer, which they probably will.
I will say, though, that you're right at the start of the process now. Don't worry about it yet, sweetie, honestly! You have three more chances to resit the exams you've just taken. You haven't even had your first A-level results yet - I just assumed you were in your second year already! - and it's amazing how much everyone changes and matures in just one year. You really, really can't know how you'll feel then, so just take it all as it comes, okay?
And even if you think things are going badly this time next year, don't withdraw your UCAS application, and don't pull out of your A2 exams. You can always surprise yourself with good results - last March I was sure I'd fail English and I got an A. And even if you don't get the grades you want in the end, at least if you've sat all the modules once then you can't do worse the second time around (besides, even if you do badly in some, you'll probably do well in others). The option of a third year is a good backup, but concentrate on the first two, first.
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