Poor AS grades, extenuating circumstances, top universities.

Okay, so, I had a lot of issues during my AS year which basically led to me being abused & victimised for something I hadn't actually done and long story short, I left the school two months before AS exams because I was sick of it and couldn't take anymore- at all. It was basically at the point whereby even if I chose to testify and prove my innocence, it wouldn't matter, because it had affected me to such an extent prior to that, between January and April.
My marks started off at consistently high A*'s and at parents evening my Geography and Philosophy teachers essentially said I was easily on target for A*'s at A2, whilst on target for an A in Politics.
When the mocks came round (my school was a private school so we did not do them at Christmas, but instead, in April- I actually left halfway through them) I was in no position to succeed, to be quite honest. I had been in a state for weeks and was more focussed on trying to keep myself from sinking back into the depression that I have in the past than do well in the mocks. However, when it got beyond too much during the mocks, I left. I hadn't been in school to finish the syllabuses for my subjects, nor get adequate exam practise and realised that because I had left, there were NO other schools (that I knew of at the time) that offered the same Philosophy course. Thus, I spent weeks unsure of whether I was even going to sit these exams, whether I'd be able to take Philosophy the following year and just kind of an absolute state about life. I have always aimed high and planned to go to top universities and I suppose it felt like I'd thrown it all away.
I was diagnosed with all sorts from stress to depression and my insomnia became a huge problem so I was just in no state to take these exams.

About a week before, we found a college that offered Philosophy which would allow me to carry on at A2 rather than resit a year, so I decided I may as well push through the exams, re sit them alongside my A2's and apply to uni based on my predicted grades.

Anyway.

I ****ed up those AS's. I'm pretty sure I'll have got something along the lines of BCCC? My new college is not the private school I am used to and you have to send your AS's there alongside predicted grades- I am sure my private school can support that I was on target for A*A*A, however, I find it unlikely they will predict me that.

I need A*AA for three of the universities I am applying to and AAA for the other two- to study Law. These are Durham, Kings College, Exeter, Sheffield and Leeds- the last two being insurance options because I don't really want to go to either.

My GCSE's were all A's and A*'s

However now I've gone and put myself in this position whereby I am confident with my resits, I can still achieve A*A*A, (as well as an A* in my EPQ which looks at determinism and the free will defence, investigating its relation to punishment in the court of law), I know it's a hefty workload re-sitting but I have already started reading well ahead of my A2, course, revising my AS's and I just know personally, it would not be an issue for me. I love my new college (I started post AS exams) and am so much happier so I know I can achieve but since they don't know me, I am scared my AS's and predicted grades won't reflect that?
The college are slightly aware of what's happened and know I had major issues which have prevented me from achieving.


I have great work experience, from work experience at one of London's top law firms with the country's best lawyer in his field, work experience with the local MP and also in the House of Commons.
I have plenty of things to boost my personal statement, from MUN, to Debating Society, to books I've read, to rowing at Henley Women's Regatta, to volunteering at two different rowing clubs with the juniors... I have many positive things to say there.

But then my AS's... I'm not sure if they will just make me look like an overly-ambitious dickhead?

I've always aimed for Durham or Kings, ever since I understood the system a few years ago, and because of what I've been through in this past year and how it has messed me up, I fear I may no longer be able to aim for them given my AS's... which is frustrating because I know they will not, at all, reflect what I can guarantee I will get at A2.

I just want to know what I can do? How I can stop this affecting my chances with these universities? I've always been academic, all my life, I've been one of the highest achieving in all my classes in the county's highest achieving private school- I'm clearly not as awful as BCCC- have I thrown it all away though? I just don't know what to do. Please do help :')

Thanks very much- I imagine this probably will be the option I go for. Obviously it's not ideal, haha, but I suppose one year is not that big an issue in the grand scheme of things!

I had CCC's after bad A-level results after an extra year and still ended up at Durham.

Hello there!

I'm really sorry about happened to you and I congratulate you for your hard work and motivation.

I don't really get how A level works since I did IB.

Nonetheless I presume that universities give much higher weight to A level exams than AS level. If you manage to get A*A*A I'm sure that it would outbalance, from a grades' perspective, your low AS level exams.

That said, I must insist on two things (other than grades) which are critical to a successful application. The first is your personal statement. You said that yours was good. It is crucial that you craft an astonishing PS and structure in such a way as to both justify your lower AS grades and to sell yourself and bring out the guy that they want in their university. This can be difficult. Take time and caution in the way you draft it. Don't sound too whiney and don't give a swift and unpersuasive excuse. Balance and structure are key.

Second is your LNAT score. This is extremely important for a person in your circumstances. You're basically telling these guys that you're good enough to join their university but the grades you had in AS level don't substantiate that. A level grades might not be enough in this instance since unis look for guy who are performant throughout their academic career. You must tell them through your personal statement that you're smart and you MUST show them through your A level grades and LNAT score. Aim for a 26 +.

If you get say a 27 on the LNAT and good A level scores don't bother applying to Liverpool, Sheffield and York, apply to KCL, UCL, LSE, QM, Bristol, and Warwick. Depending on how crazy your LNAT score and A level scores are you might as well apply to Cambridge while you're at it.

Don't get discouraged by a rough patch in your life we've all had one. Carpe Diem, and make sure you rock those A levels and LNAT.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!

not noticed again ;_;

To get straight to the point, I had extenuating circumstances at the time of my examinations which resulted in me getting BECD- despite being predicted four A's (all in respectable subjects: English Lit, Philosophy, Politics and Geog- have now dropped English (D)). I left my old sixth form prior to taking those exams and having proven myself to my new college and started preparing for resits in all aspects, of every subject (except one paper in the B exam), they are predicting me AAA with an A* in EPQ, whereby my topic is related to Law and Philosophy (lower than what my old sixth form would have predicted me- A*A*A (A* EPQ)- however that was private so they would not have had to declare AS grades, unlike my new college.)

I'm applying to:
Exeter
Sheffield
Leeds
York
Liverpool

I wanted to apply to Nottingham and Durham, desperately, however they seem pretty far out the window. That being said- I would LOVE to go to Durham- that was the goal.

I achieved all A's and A*'s at GCSE.
I have, according to many people (professionals included) an 'excellent' personal statement, which genuinely stands out. As well as this, work experience with the MP, also in the House of Commons and in a leading London Law firm- despite being your average Northerner.

I've rowed at Henley Women's Regatta, competed in MUN, Young Enterprise, Debating Society, complete Bronze and Silver DofE- all of this is mentioned on the PS too!

I'm taking the LNAT since I can at least apply through adjustment if needs be.

My circumstances (which I don't want to publicly discuss here, but are worthy of good consideration and were out of my control) have been explained in my reference, as well as justified reasons for my much higher predicted grades.

Basically, I know I can do an awful lot better than some of these universities and I don't want to have to apply to anything lower- I have worked so hard to get good grades for years and it would be a waste to go somewhere which won't offer me as high employability prospects as, in reality, a better university which I know I should be capable of getting into.

I have every confidence that I will get at least A*A*A (A* EPQ) next year, but obviously this would be too high a prediction from my EPQ. I score very highly in all LNAT past papers.

However- is it worth my applying? I want to get on a credible course rather than waste all my hard work and my future.
The alternative, I suppose, is to take a gap year but this is really the last resort.

If universities take everything into account, surely it should be okay... but we all know it doesn't always work like that.

Just looking for any advice really- what you think the outcomes may be?
Do you think it's worth applying to lower ones then applying through adjustment? If I don't get an offer based on my predicted grades but called up a university I had applied to but not got an offer from, e.g. Durham, if I apply there, on the day with A*A*A or similar, could I get in? Do you have to have gotten at least one offer to apply for adjustment? So many questions!

May I kindly ask you to avoid any negative/de-motivating comments please as well?

Your best bet is probably to concentrate on your heavy workload and, hopefully, achieve the grades you believe you are capable of. Then apply for 2017 entry with grades which would get you into the vast majority of unis,

If you want to apply this year then do so, but be prepared for rejections or offers only from unis you don't really want to attend. The adjustment route is possible, but can be a bit of a lottery and might mean you miss out on accommodation, which is important to some people,

Thank you. I'm happy to face rejection this year because I know my predicted grades are poor for such a competitive course- would it impact my future applications if I got rejected this year?

To get straight to the point, I had extenuating circumstances at the time of my examinations which resulted in me getting BECD- despite being predicted four A's (all in respectable subjects: English Lit, Philosophy, Politics and Geog- have now dropped English (D)). I left my old sixth form prior to taking those exams and having proven myself to my new college, they are predicting me AAA with an A* in EPQ, whereby my topic is related to Law and Philosophy- bear in mind I am resitting all AS's- (lower than what my old sixth form would have predicted me- A*A*A (A* EPQ)- however that was private so they would not have had to declare AS grades, unlike my new college.)

I'm applying to:
Durham
Exeter
Sheffield
Leeds
York

I achieved all A's and A*'s at GCSE.
I have, according to many people (professionals included) an 'excellent' personal statement, which genuinely stands out. As well as this, work experience with the MP, also in the House of Commons and in a leading London Law firm (am from the North).

I've rowed at Henley Women's Regatta, competed in MUN, Young Enterprise, Debating Society, complete Bronze and Silver DofE- all of this is mentioned on the PS too!

I'm taking the LNAT since I can at least apply through adjustment if needs be.

My circumstances (which I don't want to publicly discuss here, but are worthy of good consideration and were out of my control) have been explained in my reference, as well as justified reasons for my much higher predicted grades.

Basically, I know I can do an awful lot better than some of these universities and I don't want to have to apply to anything lower- I have worked so hard to get good grades for years and it would be a waste to go somewhere which won't offer me as high employability prospects as, in reality, a better university which I know I should be capable of getting into.

I have every confidence that I will get at least A*A*A (A* EPQ) next year, but obviously this would be too high a prediction from my EPQ. I score very highly in all LNAT past papers.

However- is it worth my applying? I want to get on a credible course rather than waste all my hard work and my future.
The alternative, I suppose, is to take a gap year but this is really the last resort.

If universities take everything into account, surely it should be okay... but we all know it doesn't always work like that.

Just looking for any advice really- what you think the outcomes may be?

May I kindly ask you to avoid any negative/de-motivating comments please as well?

I'm in exactly the same position as you. I got CDD, had extenuating circumstances, and now I'm worrying about getting offers, too. :/ I made a thread as well. It's awful when you know you can do better, but stuff out of your control happens. I want to know what people say.

Sadly enough, people on here tend to want to slate you and kill all aspects of hope :') I've concluded that it's probably better to apply to where we believe we should be, and deserve to be, then if we don't get in this year round, just reapply when we have the grades! What's a year in the grand scheme of things, I guess? I suppose its better to lose a year and have excellent graduate prospects than to just go with what is accessible right now and have average graduate prospects!

Whats so bad about the universities you want to apply to, aren't they all Russell Group? What universities would you apply to had you got the grades?

Sadly enough, people on here tend to want to slate you and kill all aspects of hope :' I've concluded that it's probably better to apply to where we believe we should be, and deserve to be, then if we don't get in this year round, just reapply when we have the grades! What's a year in the grand scheme of things, I guess? I suppose its better to lose a year and have excellent graduate prospects than to just go with what is accessible right now and have average graduate prospects!