A2 Results: What do I do? Please help

So I got my A2 results today. I got ABB in Maths, Physics and History respectively. My offer from King's College however was AAA and I failed to meet the offer which has really disappointed me. I got into my insurance Queen Mary (London) but i'm not sure my heart is set on going there. My family keep telling me to go because it's "just as good" but i really don't agree. Anyway my question is should I resit the one physics paper I had a bad day on which stopped me from getting an A and also the one history paper I didn't do as well as i should have on. I don't know if I'd still be made an offer in the next cycle for ucas etc and I don't know if kings' would favour me less for having to redo two exams to get 3 As...

Reply 1

aaronmatto

Also, if i was to reapply, i would try UCL too but again I don't know how they would react to my circumstances

Reply 2

JacobJamess

What was your uni course? Studying at Queen Mary is definitely something not to be sniffed at, you can do very well with a good class of degree from there. Have you tried calling Kings to see if they would reconsider? I have seen that many unis are being very flexible this year. I would generally avoid redoing years as if there's nothing to stop you having a 'bad day' next year and while resits generally do not pose too much of an issue for some universities, for others it will be a deciding factor. UCL and Kings could be a bit on the edge with this issue, sometimes it will be a problem with resists but other times it will not... it's a risk for sure given you already have decent grades. You should also consider that a year extra in college mean pushing back everything else by a year which can be a bit of an issue depending on your future career ambitions.

Reply 3

aaronmatto

Original post by JacobJamess

Hey, thanks for the reply! And I called King's and I was just told there's nothing I can do. And to be honest it wasn't so much a bad day as it was that I just didn't prepare well enough for that last exam - I had prepared but weeks before and it was my last exam so I had forgotten a lot by then and didn't have time for past papers. I know there's no point in excuses but that's just what happened...hmm see yeah it would be a risk and i'm not too bothered about pushing things back a year. I've just never felt so low after not getting in... :frown:

Reply 4

RainieXD

Theres nothing stopping you from taking a gap year, and iMO I would say its really an eye - opener. Maybe try calling King's and explain how you may take a gap year and reapply, and see what they think of it. Personally, I took a gap year too as I was also rejected by King's, and so I worked the whole year, gained work experience and reapplied, got offer AABa and now I'm waiting to see if I meet their offer (its complicated I sat the wrong paper so on)
So yeah, considering I got the usual offer despite my retakes, it's definitely possible. :smile:

If you feel it's right, definitely go for it!

Indeed, with every hardship comes ease :wink:

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Reply 5

RainieXD

And I know exactly how you feel when you say feel like crap, I felt the same thing last year, and am starting to feel it this year. Don't you worry though, sooner or later itll all work out.

Just contact admissions teams ask for advice tell then your passionate, pester them if they don't listen.

Also, about Queen mary, exact same situation, it's my insurance/nearly firm and I really do not wish to go there, as its biochem and I prefer neuroscience and I'm alot more fond of the campus/area at kings.

If you dont want to go, dont waste three years if you have other options.
Maybe go take a look around see if you change your mind or have any liking to it.
Otherwise, simply reapply next year :wink:

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Reply 6

Dilzo999

Queen marys is ****, I mean what uni has a huge cemetery bang on in the middle of the uni, I wouldn't want ghosts haunting me. Take a gap year.

Reply 7

Colroyd

Original post by aaronmatto

Last year I was more or less in the same position as you, so maybe I can help. I screwed up my grades, they wanted AAA but I got BBB. This year, I retook everything and also did an additional AS, where I scored A*A*A in A2s and A in the AS. Unlike you, I didn't even get my insurance the first time round!

What I did was find another tutoring school (ask your Head of sixth form or college for recommendations, that's where I found mine), and pay for the classes. Note: they can be quite expensive, so if your family can't pay for any classes you want to retake, it might be difficult. I studied very hard, performed exceptionally in the first few tests, and received A*A*A*A predictions, despite my original ABB. I applied via UCAS with those predictions, a very praising reference and a choc-a-block personal statement, and I received an AAA offer from Durham, and A*AA offers from my other choices notably Bath and Nottingham. You may be able to study solely at home or whatever, but you'll likely need those predicted grades from your original school, and I'm not sure how that will work.

If you feel that you don't want to do your insurance, that's fine. I didn't want to go into clearing because my heart was set on Durham. Make sure if you decide to do a gap year that you complete additional stuff to add to your application. For me, that was masterclasses etc, more wider reading, and completing a further maths AS. I also tried to do a one-year whole A level chemistry program, but it was too intensive to be doing essentially 6 a levels in one year! This includes extra-curricular achievements, sporting events and that kind of thing. Try to make the most out of your gap year.

And I don't think your King's College application will be damaged by the fact you had an offer last year. If anything it'll evidence your determination to join their university!

I hope my experiences can be used to help you :smile:

if you have any other questions, i'll be glad to help.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 8

aaronmatto

Woah thanks a lot guys for the informative responses! See this really illustrates the other side of the argument as my family keep urging me to go to QM, saying things like it would be weird being a year older than everyone as well as other things if I were to re-sit.
And I agree, uni is a huge investment to make and if you're not totally sure I don't think it's wise to go.
As for the gap year, what exactly is a tutoring school? And for the predicted grades, I think the most my school would predict me is an A and not an A* :/
Also, my head of sixth and my history teachers left this year so it's all new staff which may be problematic as they don't know me, although the head of department is still the same
The main issue with the gap year seems to be how I'd fill my time because I already have the A in maths and I'd only need to re-sit one physics exam and one history exam, and preparing for these would not take a whole year. I know that would only be to achieve the minimum offer of 3 As and the last poster went on to achieve much more (well done btw!) so I think I'll speak to admissions tutors about what they'd like to see. Thanks again.