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I have wasted 19 years of my life :( will any uni take me?

Hi guys

I'm 3rd year doing A-levels. Can I get into uni with grades CDE through clearing?
(edited 3 years ago)

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Reply 1
lol only the open university tbh
I think some Unis will definitely take you, its all passes after all. Some Unis might offer a foundation course at the start of the degree though, which can be annoying
Maybe do a foundation -> undergrad course if you really want to go now.
(I'd advise retaking your A-Levels tbh)
(edited 6 years ago)
It totally depends on what sort of university you want to go to, but your best options seem like the open university or retaking your A-Levels and applying to somewhere you'll love.
Some universities will accept your grades. Whether you want to to those universities is another thing.

Consider taking time our from education. Maybe work for a bit or possibly travel. You are only 19. There is nothing stopping you from doing an access course at some point in the future. Do well on it and a lot of universities will be willing to accept you.
Reply 6
Same here but I've currently got BDE and am now retaking my A2 exams. I'm predicting myself BCC though which is alright. I'd highly recommend going back to 6th form (or any 6th that will take a 18+ year old student) and redoing them! But there are unis out there that will take those grades but I doubt they'd be worth going to :/
You're not dumb. Your strengths are just not in academic study. If you are struggling with A-Levels you will have a miserable time at university as a degree is much more demanding and harder than A-Levels. What is it you want to study at university? If you know the sort of career you want to go into have you considered looking into apprenticeships or entry-level jobs?
While A levels/their equivalents are the most common route to university there ARE other paths that can get you there as well. I don't have any formal qualifications beyond GCSEs and I got accepted onto a degree course because of my passion for the subject and out-of-school experience. It depends on what you want to study though - if you're interested in medicine then it's going to be a challenge to get to where you want to be without good A levels, but if you wanted to work in - for example - journalism, then you could start a blog and write your own stories about things you are interested in. That can be enough to get you not only a university acceptance, but can actually be a direct route into working in the media industry. Sure it might take a bit longer but you could end up learning more than if you went through the traditional routes. I mean, I'm starting my course at the same time as the people i was in school with. I dropped out of sixth form early on, figured stuff out for myself, and I'm much happier for it.

One of my friends had to retake some of her GCSEs 3 times, tried (unsuccessfully) to get a college diploma, tried (unsuccessfully) to get a levels, and STILL she ended up being accepted into a pretty decent university to study a science-heavy course, because despite all of that she knew her stuff, and it showed in her interview.

My point is that, yes, not having those great A level grades might mean you're going to have to get creative, but it doesn't mean you automatically can't go to university. If that's what you want to do, then take a step back and reassess the situation. Is it feasible that, through your own independent work and getting involved in community groups related to what you want to study, that you can prove that you are knowledgeable enough to take on a degree? If not, do you want to retake your A levels in the hopes of getting better results that would get you into a university? or do you want to leave formal education and start working your way up, building a career that way? A family friend did that and she's now got a pretty important job in the MOD, so it's absolutely possible.

Different career paths work for different people. You'll figure yours out as long as you keep trying to.
depending on what you want to study you could do an access course, but that would take additional 2 years...the best bet would be to ring all the universities of the course you want to study and ask them what options are open to you, but doing a foundation year would definitely help.

I would suggest that you think about why you want to go to University, wouldn't it be better for you to do an apprenticeship or apply for jobs anyways instead of studying at University which does not guarantee you a job
If all else fails set up your own business
At the end of the day a degree is a degree regardless of where it is, obviously apart from the top ones such as Oxford and Cambridge
Maybe A-levels are just not the right thing for you, they are not right for everyone and you don't necessarily need them to succeed in life
Original post by JamieHarris1998
At the end of the day a degree is a degree regardless of where it is, obviously apart from the top ones such as Oxford and Cambridge


Very true
Some people are very snobby about unis. There are plenty that will take lower grades.
Hearing students insist that it has to be top 10/Russell group is getting boring. It doesn't
Yes. Someone at my school got into queen Mary to do engineering via clearing with CDD. You're only a grade below so I'm sure you can make it to a decent uni through clearing
Reply 15
Original post by 20320452
Yes. Someone at my school got into queen Mary to do engineering via clearing with CDD. You're only a grade below so I'm sure you can make it to a decent uni through clearing


Don't give up, you can do more alevels and choice a different career path! Maybe it just went the right time for you; there's so many options, clearing being one! Don't give up; you will go to university find something you're passionate about and really work at it. If you have to do another two years so what, you're so young ony 19. You can still do well; just whatever you decide to do make sure your heart it in it and give 100%! Good luck!
Reply 16
A levels the first time are tough but if you're literally doing the same thing for 3 years, its literally just a specification and past papers. How have you in three years still not managed to figure out how to succeed??

sorry if it sounds insensitive do you perhaps have a medical condition or something or is it just due to laziness
Okay then I would advise you to get yourself a private tutor to help you with exam techniques because that seems to be your problem.

For science a levels it's best to do all the past papers there are and really work on your exam techniques I can't stress that enough. Just knowing and understanding everything won't get you an A in science a levels you have to know how you can apply that knowledge and answer the questions they ask you.

For teaching there are different routes I think. One is where you need a degree in the subject you want to study so if you want to teach science at secondary school you will need a science based degree for that in order to apply for PGCE.

The other route is by becoming a teaching a assistant but I really don't know much about that.

My advice would be for you to speak to your careers adviser at your college. They can guide you in the right direction. All the best!


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Reply 18
Original post by Zaydy3
A levels the first time are tough but if you're literally doing the same thing for 3 years, its literally just a specification and past papers. How have you in three years still not managed to figure out how to succeed??

sorry if it sounds insensitive do you perhaps have a medical condition or something or is it just due to laziness


This is harsh.... not everyone is ready/ some people have limitations, one problems at home. Some people aren't passionate about science, maybe it was wrong for her to chose those subjects if you don't enjoy something you won't work at it! Not fair to say that, we are supposed to be supporting eachother and helping her out. you can do it, whatever you do. Make sure you chose the right path / if you do science again make sure it's what you want. You defo will get a clearing position!
Which degree?

2 grade Ds get you on a year's Foundation course with entry to a degree.on successful completion.

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