Will I still be able to get into a top University having slacked in lockdown?

Hi! So, I am aiming for Cambridge University however I am now becoming very worried about how I have used this time. The sudden lockdown threw me off guard, and if I am honest having no teacher student contact over the past few months has made me slack work wise. As things are now beginning to become normal again, I am worried that I have slacked too hard that I will not be able to catch up as I know many other students will be using this time much more productively. I have not revised and only done compulsory work set by my teachers, am I done for or what can I do to catch up or prep for uni? Help!

Hi! So, I am aiming for Cambridge University however I am now becoming very worried about how I have used this time. The sudden lockdown threw me off guard, and if I am honest having no teacher student contact over the past few months has made me slack work wise. As things are now beginning to become normal again, I am worried that I have slacked too hard that I will not be able to catch up as I know many other students will be using this time much more productively. I have not revised and only done compulsory work set by my teachers, am I done for or what can I do to catch up or prep for uni? Help!

Hi! So, I am aiming for Cambridge University however I am now becoming very worried about how I have used this time. The sudden lockdown threw me off guard, and if I am honest having no teacher student contact over the past few months has made me slack work wise. As things are now beginning to become normal again, I am worried that I have slacked too hard that I will not be able to catch up as I know many other students will be using this time much more productively. I have not revised and only done compulsory work set by my teachers, am I done for or what can I do to catch up or prep for uni? Help!

I am not in Year 12, but I can tell you through experience don't believe when people say they have spent the time super productive, everybody has had to adjust and you have obviously taken longer, but, does not mean other smart people have not taken as long. If I was you, I would not worry considering if you plan to go hard from today to September, it is very viable for you to not only catch the slack but also be able to have spent the time most productiTve. I know that means sacrificing holiday season but it really should not matter, you can still go out there and there.

BTW, for Cambridge, the external tests are extremely important and do yourself a favour by planning to start doing a test a week. You will regret otherwise. Follow what I said, AND you will be successful. If you don't, then you will be average.

If you've done the compulsory work your teachers have set, then it doesn't sound like you've slacked off too much? There's plenty of time to get back on track by next summer.

Do you think the work you've been sending your teachers during lockdown will be good enough to get you high predicted grades?

Let's put this into perspective....
This year's cohort will be going to Oxbridge... Without even having sat A levels....
Your teacher is likely just as disshelved about lockdown as we all are... This isn't specifically a problem that you've struggled with... The entire globe has...
This year's graduating class hasn't even sat proper exam's and we are all getting our degree (I'm one of em, though I've attended a University you would scoff at, Nottingham lol). We haven't worked very hard either much less than we would have... And got locked in results from previous performance...

Your teacher knows your clever, don't worry!

I feel like I have slacked off as many of my friends were doing lots of revision that I haven't been doing. My grades at the moment are a C and 2Bs when I need an A* and 2A's by the end of next year. I am just worried that I won't get them in time for next year as I have quite a big jump to take!

What are your current grades based on? This could be a problem for you in terms of predicted grades, unfortunately.

Doing extra work now isn't necessarily going to benefit you that much for exams next summer, although there are probably some things you could be doing, remember that your work rate needs to be sustainable for the next 11-12 months.

It might be that you have to consider options such as taking a gap year and applying post results, but this doesn't mean you can't get to a top university eventually.

My current grades are based on GCSEs and a mix of our November mocks as our mocks this year have not taken place due to corona.

Ah, I see. Do bear in mind that unfortunately if your GCSE grades aren't great, this may be a problem for getting into Cambridge.

If you're thinking of Cambridge, I would start talking to your teachers now about your goals, your predicted grades and what you can do to prove to them that you deserve high predictions.

Cambridge doesn't look at GCSE results for my chosen course which is English, and I got an 8 in both English GCSEs. However I am not math-sy at all, and ended up getting a 4 in maths which brings my predictions down a fair bit.

Cambridge doesn't look at GCSE results for my chosen course which is English, and I got an 8 in both English GCSEs. However I am not math-sy at all, and ended up getting a 4 in maths which brings my predictions down a fair bit.

Your maths grade shouldn't be taken into account when predicting a grade for English for university entry.

Although Cambridge might not have specific GCSE entry requirements, I think it's not true to say that they don't look at them. As far as I am aware, they will consider your overall academic profile for all courses, and if your GCSEs are weaker than those of other candidates, that may make you less likely to be invited to interview. I'm not saying this to put you off applying, but if you don't think you will have strong predicted grades as well, then I do think you will need to think about your other uni choices carefully as well.

I am also looking at applying for Durham, Cardiff, Leeds and St Andrews as back ups for if I don't get into Cambridge. Based off my GCSEs I did get into a Cambridge 3 day residential so they aren't the worst grades but they could be better. Thank you for your help though!