The Student Room Group

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Reply 1
Are you sure you are even pursuing the right degree, when you already have bad results in math... And frankly, if you've withdrawn from the same course two times it shows a lack of interest in the subject... Why don't you get a part-time job, redo your A-levels in night school or whatever, get good grades and get your head sorted out with what you really enjoy before you apply anywhere.

And don't talk about two wasted years, refer to it as self-development and exploring your interests. You could whine about having to overcome terrible difficulties as well, money-wise relationship-wise etc.

I wasted three years and I'm now in a decent uni so I don't think it is impossible at all =)
Reply 2
If your best grade is a D in a subject most top 40 unis disregard, sadly it appears more work with A-Levels is needed before going to university. :frown:
Reply 3
How old are you? Maybe try a 1 year Access course and apply as a mature student. You can get into most unis that way. I wish I had done that.
Most decent unis won't accept General Studies, and depending on what you define as 'decent', I doubt you'd get in with your grades as they are at the moment, so your best option is probably to resit politics and possibly sociology, do a resit or two in psychology and continue with it to A2 and pick up another AS. Psychology is quite a popular subject though, and because you'll have resat twice, you may be asked for even higher grades than normal. As for your personal statement, you'll just have to be honest and explain that the course and uni wasn't right for you, then explain why you want to do psychology, talk about particular aspects of the course that interest you and anything relevant you've done in your spare time. You could also try and turn dropping out of uni and resitting your A-levels into a positive experience by saying how determined and motivated you now are to succeed, how it's made you more mature etc etc.
Reply 5
undersecter
I am 19 will be 20 in January.


I was in a similar situation to you. I did my GCSEs and started my A levels at school. Did ok in the first year (could have done better -- total lack of interest!) and dropped out before Yr 13. Did an NVQ in business admin but hated that so got a job. Decided I wanted to go to Uni, so enrolled myself for A levels through distance learning (as a private candidate) but quit that after 3 months.

I then did a one year Access course -- and it was honestly the best decision I have ever made! I chose 3 subjects and was only in college 13 hours a week so I could get a job and save some money too. I think it's definitely something you should look into. And you get so much support from your tutor with your personal statement and application.
There is no way on earth you'll get into a top 40 uni with those results. Surely this is where the government is going wrong when they want everybody to go into higher education. It would just be a waste of money.
But if you want to do psychology, surely it will look better to have a full A-level in it rather than just an AS? I'm not sure whether applying through clearing would be an advantage, except that the grades would probably be lower, but make sure you visit any unis you're interested in as well as reading the prospectus and looking at the website to make sure you really want to go there. It might be a problem getting accommodation through clearing because I very much doubt it would be guaranteed, so you might have to rent privately. Definitely mention not liking your course, resitting A-levels and getting a job. Some unis do ask for higher grades from resit candidates, but I'm not sure how this would work in relation to clearing because the grades are usually lowered.
undersecter
A lot of decent universities do accept general studies Birmingham, Leicester etc.


The point is the best grade he got was a D in arguably the easiest subject ever. Most people never go to a general studies lesson or revise and can get an alright grade...
Reply 9
Sephiroth Leonhart
How old are you? Maybe try a 1 year Access course and apply as a mature student. You can get into most unis that way. I wish I had done that.

Can't you still do that through Extra? I don't think it's too late.
supernova2
The point is the best grade he got was a D in arguably the easiest subject ever. Most people never go to a general studies lesson or revise and can get an alright grade...


That's what I'm thinking.

He's talking about going to uni again but shows no comittment to anything he's done in the past.

My view is he should forget about uni and find a job for a couple of years while he matures and gets his act together. Then he could do an Access course in relevant subjects for the subject he wants to do at uni.

I must admit with his current record if I was an Admissions tutor I wouldn't dream of offering him a place until he showed some evidence that he'd grown up a bit.
But if you worked really hard, did retakes and still only got CDEd, the D in a subject a lot of unis won't even accept, maybe a decent uni isn't the right place for you. Degree level work is much harder than A-level, and even if you get in, you'll be surrounded by people who got As and Bs, mostly without many retakes. I'm not saying you're not capable of doing well at a decent uni because I don't know you, but that's how it would look to the uni. I think the comment about lacking commitment was because you dropped out of uni twice, but you might be able to get around that if you word your personal statement well. I still think you'll have to resit your A-levels again to get into a decent uni, but if you really want to apply this year, apply now. That way you'll have your original 6 choices and you can still try Extra and Clearing if you don't get any offers.
I'd say Bangor was pretty decent, and I think Goldsmiths is part of the University of London, so that must be pretty decent as well. If you only resat one of your A-levels, and that was General Studies, it's not as bad as resitting them all. With your personal statement, you'd just have to explain that you chose the wrong course and realised it wasn't what you wanted to do, then go on to say why you want to do psychology, highlighting aspects of the subject that particularly interest you and anything you've done in your spare time such as extra reading. It might be quite difficult explaining why you then went back to the same course and the same uni before dropping out again though. You might still be able to enter for summer resits as a private candidate, but you'd have to teach yourself at home. Whether a good uni would ask for higher grades or even let you in at all would depend on them, so the best thing to do would be to email them asking what their views are on people who resit a year or more and, if they accept resit candidates, whether they tend to ask for higher grades. Then you'll have a better idea of where you can realistically apply. For psychology, Goldsmiths want BBC and Bangor want 260-300 points including 180 points from at least 2 A-levels. For sociology, Goldsmiths want BCC excluding General Studies and Bangor want 220-260 points including 180 points from at least 2 A-levels. So at the moment, your grades aren't good enough for any of those.
Well I did **** in my first year of A levels and I knew with the grades I had that I wouldn't be anywhere near the uni that I thought I was capable of. So I went a year behind all my friends, resat all my A levels and now I've got a chance of getting into some decent unis. If you want to go to top 40 unis, you need the grades or something else to compensate, maybe if you cant get these academic studies isn't for you even if you're clever enough.
Reply 14
*starbuck*
I was in a similar situation to you. I did my GCSEs and started my A levels at school. Did ok in the first year (could have done better -- total lack of interest!) and dropped out before Yr 13. Did an NVQ in business admin but hated that so got a job. Decided I wanted to go to Uni, so enrolled myself for A levels through distance learning (as a private candidate) but quit that after 3 months.

I then did a one year Access course -- and it was honestly the best decision I have ever made! I chose 3 subjects and was only in college 13 hours a week so I could get a job and save some money too. I think it's definitely something you should look into. And you get so much support from your tutor with your personal statement and application.


:eek: Are you me? The only difference is I haven't got round to the Access course:p:
Reply 15
It doesn't seem to me like you are suited to academia, why not get a job? or some sort of apprentiship.

I mean, why did you do a foundation maths at uni? isn't that meant for people wanting to do a maths degree? - when you want to do psychology?

You don't sound like you know what degree you want to do, just picking something that sounds vaquely interesting. Odds are its not what you think it is and you'll drop out again, it won't be easy - blaming your teachers isn't really good enough - doesn't show much commitment.

I don't really know what to say, but the next thing you do stick it out at least for the year.

Also, why enter yourself as a private candidate and do no revision? your meant to study for exams and then get a qualification - not turn up to the exam hall and walk away with a good grade.

... don;t know you so sorry, but ...
That's what we're saying though. If you did genuinely work hard and revise but still got low grades, even after resits, maybe A-levels just aren't for you.
undersecter
I choose to do foundation maths last year, with only a c at GCSE maths.
then after a few months I withdrew because I had bad teacher, so I decided to re-take my a-levels as a private candidate, and the only okish result I got from that was d in a-level general studies.
So I though ok cant get into anther course at that uni may am well do maths again.
So then I re-applied to the same uni again to do foundation maths because I thought if I got a different teacher it would help, but it didn’t, now im gone withdraw from uni again.

I am looking for a job for this year

Do you think this uni or any other unis would now let me in?

I did have offers two years ago from unis that I would now like to go to.

shall I re-take some a-levels, what do I say on my personal statement about doing the same course then withdrawing then doing the same course again and withdrawing again,or about re-taking a-levls for 2years if i do that?

My cousin withdrew from 2 different unis she now at a uni but it’s a crap uni I want to go to a decent uni , for example in the top 40 in times university league tables.



look guys. your all being really harsh.


your foundation year of maths wasnt the brightest thing to do but hey! was it really that much of a waste? what did you learn from it?
obviously you chose it because you thought it was going to be beneficial to you.. so why is everyone having a go at you ?


by the sounds of it your only problem is that you seriously need to decide what it is that your interested in studying.
I know you mentioned psychology and another subject but before applying, make sure you know your positive!

Im not going to sit and call you lazy..

your making an effort and everyone else is just slating you because you didnt do as well as them :rolleyes: they are acting like your parents just because they have a few straight As. don't listen.

"If I was an admissions tutor I would wait till he gre up" please shut your ****ta thanks.


Not every Uni wants ALevels.
I went to college. & i thought it was pretty pointless studying another 2 courses which i wasnt interested in, i've always wanted to do ICT since school.
I left college and studied an NVQ3 which is equiv to 2 and a half ALevels with a CLAIT Advanced to boost it up to 3 Alevels.

There are so many routes you can take.
you dont have to go to Uni yet.

Read the other posts (the ones who arent just posting for the hell of it) and the posts which offer you good advice.

Try visiting a local careers advice centre. I did, and it helped me loads.




don't sit and say he isnt trying because he is.
If he didnt have a care in the world, he wouldnt be sitting on the student room posting a bloody topic


:smile:

im quite finished.

(good luck btw im sure you'll be fine) xx
leaaa

obviously you chose it because you thought it was going to be beneficial to you.. so why is everyone having a go at you ?


Because they're a load of stuck up little knob-ends who have no idea of the real world nor have any life experience who instantly see someone already down and take it as an opportunity to make themselves look big and clever.
Reply 19
tis_only_meee
Because they're a load of stuck up little knob-ends who have no idea of the real world nor have any life experience who instantly see someone already down and take it as an opportunity to make themselves look big and clever.

Now you're being a bit unfair, though. That may be true for some of the posters, but several people have been trying to help by making suggestions as to what he might do. A few others have pointed out that (at the moment at least), applying to "top 40" universities will be difficult for him - and they too were trying to be helpful by replying to his original question of "Do you think this uni or any other unis would now let me in?" How helpful that will actually be to the OP is another matter, of course, but as far as I can tell, the majority of people who have been posting in this thread wanted to help the OP by making him aware of the difficulties he may be facing rather than "make themselves look big and clever".
(And before you have a go at me for not offering any practical advice myself: I'd love to, but I can't. I'm an international student and have no idea of how access or foundation courses work.)