Access to HE or Foundation Year, September 2020

Hey everyone, I am stuck between making a decision of whether to complete an Access Course this September or applying for a Foundation Year and, was wondering if anyone could offer any words of advice.

I completed my A2 Exams in 2018.

My circumstances during Sixth Form were not fantastic and unfortunately they did affect my final grades. I was very disappointed with my final grades, however, a couple of months prior to taking the Exams - I knew I was going to retake them anyways due to disruption caused by said circumstances.

(Side Note: Disregarding my 3rd A Level and my predicted and achieved grade for that - I was predicted A, A for both English Literature and Psychology but achieved C, E)

Past 2 years have been a lot better. I am very thankful to have come out of that low period but things have to kick start back up again.

This October, I was expecting to do retakes in these Exams (to gain higher grades for personal satisfaction and a higher chance at entrance to a Uni), however, over the past couple of weeks - I have been looking at other potential alternative routes (Thanks to the encouragement of a close friends mum).

These routes include taking an Access to HE in Humanities or taking a Foundation Year, to then enrol onto an English Literature Course at University.

I have contacted certain Unis asking if they would accept me on to their Foundation Courses this year. Despite UEA and Southampton saying no (I emailed other Universities but they have not replied yet, or no offence, weren't particularly helpful)- I found both of them very helpful in their responses of what I could do alternatively (The response from Southampton actually influenced me into looking down the Access to HE route).

With all that being said, my friends mum (irrelevant to mention: but she has just been so fantastic, encouraging, motivating etc with helping me contact universities and regaining confidence to go) suggested and said that UWE woukd accept me onto their English Lit Course.

My issue is that, as much as I would love to study for a Foundation Year this year, UWE wasn't a place I had in mind and - over the past week I was actually leaning more on the decision to take an Access to HE, so I could enrol onto a University that I preferred.

With all respects to UWE, I like the look of the University - just not for English Literature. During Sixth Form and now, I had Bristol and Southampton as my more ambitious options for their English Literature Courses (for their courses and location and reviews of their English schools) but I would be very happy to attend the English Schools at Surrey, UEA, Kent, Sussex or Royal Holloway.

I feel bad and don't want to be disrespectful towards UWE- I just hadn't took their course into consideration.

My question is basically: Should I just do a Foundation at UWE this year and enrol on to their English Literature Course September 2021 (if I work hard of course and achieve their entrance requirements) or, should I complete the appropriate Access to HE Diploma this year (in Humanities) and - with enough hard work and self study etc, gain the credits and distinctions, merits etc that will allow me on to my more preferred choice?

I know years and years down the line, maybe in my later 20s (I turn 20 in two days lol) - I'll look back on this and think that I shouldn't be as worried or as picky as I am being now but, I would just like to hear any other opinions.

Thanks so much for reading this post if you have. I hope you're doing well.

@999tigger I can't thank you enough for your advice/insight, honestly. I'm really taking your last paragraph on board and I think the Access Course if the likely path I will take. Apologies for the silly question but could you clarify what you mean by "MH firm". Thanks again, I really appreciate your response.