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Can't make the right uni choice / bad AS grades

I need everyones advice! I'm in my second year of college so obviously thinking about unis. However I can't seem to make the right choice. I started to apply to do nursing but I think I'm making a mistake. I always wanted to do psychology because I find it so interesing however my grades were not good enough so I got told I'm simply not good enough. I had a very tough first year at college ( I'd rather not say which one but it's amongst top 10 in uk) I couldn't fit in, I asbolutely hated the people and the subjects, I didn't have any friends. This resulted in very bad AS grades (DEEU, English lit, late history, sociology and law which I now dropped). I know I messed up so now I have to do resits however I won't get to unis I want to go to because my predicted grades are not good enough. I got told to just apply to unis that have very low entry requirements because the college pretty much makes everyone apply. I don't know if it's a good idea to wait now and apply next year, when I know what grades I actually get and maybe have a better chance of getting in? Just want to add that all my GCSEs are very good I gained 15 A*-C, with triple science so it's not the fact I'm not capable of getting the grades just really hated the college I went to :/ any advice?
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nerdcake
6
Take a gap year and apply when you have your grades. Bear in mind that Psychology requires understanding and use of scientific and mathematical methods (although whether it is a science in its own right is debatable). If you chose the A levels you did because you didn't enjoy science at GCSE, you might not enjoy studying psychology at degree level. However, don't let me stop you if you've read about it in depth and really love it.
Hi :smile:
Well I was in the same position as you, I got CCDE in my As so I was freaking out trying to decide what to do. The options came down to either keep going on in the year and work so so so hard to pull those grades up to AAA/AAB, but that's almost impossible, you'd need like almost full marks on everything. Plus it wouldn't be healthy to work so hard. So I personally chose to resit the year, it's a bit of a tough decision because it's leaving friends behind and staying on but you still see them and it's ultimately about what is best for YOU, no one else. So despite it being a bit late into the year it doesn't mean you shouldn't consider it, because you have already done it and it's a good choice! You'd have to probably drop whatever you got an E in because it's not a pass. But also means you're not walking into something you don't enjoy like nursing. When really Psychology is your interest and it should always be about that because you'll work so much more if you enjoy it. So I'd recommend resiting a year, I have and I'm getting steady A grades and it just feels good because you can do EPQ a year early and have loads of time to plan personal statements, (double what others have!) which is good and sure it's a bit weird and maybe even embarrassing to choose, I mean it took me 4 solid days of thinking to make that choice considering my girlfriend and friends and other things. But in the end it has to be what's best for you, and if you go to a uni with lower grade boundaries to it's not challenging you to your full potential and means you won't enjoy it.
And if it means you come out with ABB or AAB whatever it is, then you have a far wider list of options to look at which may even mean doing psychology wherever you want to go?
Whilst a Gap year is good, it may mean the lower As' and A2's still won't be enough because the year before brought down your other grades, best to get the absolute best starting point you can for A2 whilst you can

But like I said it's a tough option but ultimately may be the best because you can just try it all again and when you apply next year with better grades it's far less stress, especially if the reasons for bad As' weren't entirely your fault.


Hope this helps! :smile:
Original post by veve
I need everyones advice! I'm in my second year of college so obviously thinking about unis. However I can't seem to make the right choice. I started to apply to do nursing but I think I'm making a mistake. I always wanted to do psychology because I find it so interesing however my grades were not good enough so I got told I'm simply not good enough. I had a very tough first year at college ( I'd rather not say which one but it's amongst top 10 in uk) I couldn't fit in, I asbolutely hated the people and the subjects, I didn't have any friends. This resulted in very bad AS grades (DEEU, English lit, late history, sociology and law which I now dropped). I know I messed up so now I have to do resits however I won't get to unis I want to go to because my predicted grades are not good enough. I got told to just apply to unis that have very low entry requirements because the college pretty much makes everyone apply. I don't know if it's a good idea to wait now and apply next year, when I know what grades I actually get and maybe have a better chance of getting in? Just want to add that all my GCSEs are very good I gained 15 A*-C, with triple science so it's not the fact I'm not capable of getting the grades just really hated the college I went to :/ any advice?


I was in the same situation this time last year (im in year 14 now) i came out of year 12 exams with a B in maths, E in physics and E in chemistry and I wanted to do astrophysics at university but that went out the window. My teachers didnt quite agree but I made the decision to stay on an extra year and dropped physics and chemistry. I took up further maths and sociology and ended up getting A in maths (A2), B in Sociology and C in Further Maths (AS). If you need to do retakes its not the worst thing, I redid 2 out of my 3 maths exams again and need to redo a further maths one this summer.

Although i still cant study astrophysics, I went for Computer Science and got an offer from Warwick last night :smile: I guarantee I wouldn't have an offer like that if I stayed with physics and chemistry and just retook AS modules whilst studying A2 because my predicted grades would've been pretty low. Staying on an extra year has seriously paid off :smile:

hope this helps, good luck :biggrin:

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