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I am having really bad anxiety about getting rejected by unis

I havent even applied yet but i am about to. All my forms are filled out and everything personal statement is basically done. It's just im applying to German and International relations. I really wanna do German so bad. I did GCSE German but i was going through incredibly difficult circumstances which will be explained in my reference so im hoping mitigating circumstances gets me in as i only have a grade 4 in German (i missed a grade 5 by 1 mark or something stupid). I have really missed my German classes and i havent really felt the same since (ik that sounds stupid) which is how i realised i wanted to study it (a bit late ik). I am applying to Bath (i have an A in the discover bath programme) bc i thought i might as well i feel like i am going to be rejected from bath which idm its kinda expected. I am applying to exeter which has a grade 5 in german for the beginners programme which i thought easier maybe to get in? Royal holloway which does not have one, Cardiff and Portsmouth which all do not have a specific GCSE entry requirement for the beginners. II have obviously emailed all of them Exeter has not got back to me yet but Cardiff, Royal holloway and Portsmouth said if my personal statement is good i should apply. I thought i would apply to good unis and then go into clearance if i dont get in. Has anyone done this before? Do you think i am going to get rejected? How competitive is it? I am stressing out about it so much. Is German usually in clearing? Idm if its not w international relations.
I just kinda wanna leave next year if you know what i mean bc of my mental health and my home life is not the best. I havent really figured out what ill do if I don't go to uni next year. But you're probably right.
Reply 2
Original post by something_orphic
I havent even applied yet but i am about to. All my forms are filled out and everything personal statement is basically done. It's just im applying to German and International relations. I really wanna do German so bad. I did GCSE German but i was going through incredibly difficult circumstances which will be explained in my reference so im hoping mitigating circumstances gets me in as i only have a grade 4 in German (i missed a grade 5 by 1 mark or something stupid). I have really missed my German classes and i havent really felt the same since (ik that sounds stupid) which is how i realised i wanted to study it (a bit late ik). I am applying to Bath (i have an A in the discover bath programme) bc i thought i might as well i feel like i am going to be rejected from bath which idm its kinda expected. I am applying to exeter which has a grade 5 in german for the beginners programme which i thought easier maybe to get in? Royal holloway which does not have one, Cardiff and Portsmouth which all do not have a specific GCSE entry requirement for the beginners. II have obviously emailed all of them Exeter has not got back to me yet but Cardiff, Royal holloway and Portsmouth said if my personal statement is good i should apply. I thought i would apply to good unis and then go into clearance if i dont get in. Has anyone done this before? Do you think i am going to get rejected? How competitive is it? I am stressing out about it so much. Is German usually in clearing? Idm if its not w international relations.

Hi I’m in a similar situation, I have everything sorted I’m just putting off sending my application, getting rejected does worry me but we’ve just got to think that chances are that at least one uni will send an offer, and if not there’s always clearing which is reassuring. I don’t know if it’s the same for you, but for me knowing that someone else is in the same boat of being a bit anxious about rejection makes me feel slightly better. There’s probably other people all over the country that feel the same as us! I know we’ll both get through this and be so relieved after sending them off (I think I’ll send mine tomorrow to finally get it out of the way), good luck with your application, I know you can do it!
Original post by ek2003
Hi I’m in a similar situation, I have everything sorted I’m just putting off sending my application, getting rejected does worry me but we’ve just got to think that chances are that at least one uni will send an offer, and if not there’s always clearing which is reassuring. I don’t know if it’s the same for you, but for me knowing that someone else is in the same boat of being a bit anxious about rejection makes me feel slightly better. There’s probably other people all over the country that feel the same as us! I know we’ll both get through this and be so relieved after sending them off (I think I’ll send mine tomorrow to finally get it out of the way), good luck with your application, I know you can do it!

Oh gosh thank you. Yeah that is reassuring. My friends all either don't care or are really smart so i feel like i cant worry about it around them. My boyfriend has applied to Cambridge and is doing his admissions tests and hes applying to harvard so it doesnt really feel the same aha. I think the odds are pretty good like i have tried to apply to unis with reasonable offer rates. I am sending mine next week. Good luck :smile:
**** uni
Reply 5
hi! honestly even if you don't get any offers (which I'm sure you will !) there is always clearing :smile:
If you're not able to get quite up to standard grades there are also foundation years (again, you can apply to these in aug through clearing) which can also be very helpful :smile: a way to get out of the house to uni doing what you like (hopefully) if you weren't quite able to get what you were hoping for :smile:
Original post by strhythm
hi! honestly even if you don't get any offers (which I'm sure you will !) there is always clearing :smile:
If you're not able to get quite up to standard grades there are also foundation years (again, you can apply to these in aug through clearing) which can also be very helpful :smile: a way to get out of the house to uni doing what you like (hopefully) if you weren't quite able to get what you were hoping for :smile:

Ah okay are there foundation courses for languages? i'll look into it thank you it's something i haven't really considered. Yeah I am pretty desperate to leave and don't have the funds to do a gap year and i can't get a job bc of corona and bc i leave in a really small area w no jobs even crappy min wage jobs are hard to get.
Original post by something_orphic
I havent even applied yet but i am about to. All my forms are filled out and everything personal statement is basically done. It's just im applying to German and International relations. I really wanna do German so bad. I did GCSE German but i was going through incredibly difficult circumstances which will be explained in my reference so im hoping mitigating circumstances gets me in as i only have a grade 4 in German (i missed a grade 5 by 1 mark or something stupid). I have really missed my German classes and i havent really felt the same since (ik that sounds stupid) which is how i realised i wanted to study it (a bit late ik). I am applying to Bath (i have an A in the discover bath programme) bc i thought i might as well i feel like i am going to be rejected from bath which idm its kinda expected. I am applying to exeter which has a grade 5 in german for the beginners programme which i thought easier maybe to get in? Royal holloway which does not have one, Cardiff and Portsmouth which all do not have a specific GCSE entry requirement for the beginners. II have obviously emailed all of them Exeter has not got back to me yet but Cardiff, Royal holloway and Portsmouth said if my personal statement is good i should apply. I thought i would apply to good unis and then go into clearance if i dont get in. Has anyone done this before? Do you think i am going to get rejected? How competitive is it? I am stressing out about it so much. Is German usually in clearing? Idm if its not w international relations.

Most language courses dont get filled and end up in clearing. I do have some concerns of someone taking a degree where they only have a grade 4 at GCSE and havent taken the subject at A level. Are you planning sitting it in June to get a higher grade. It could be taken privately if necessary.

You dont mention whether you have A levels or any other level 3 qualifications as universities are unlikely to accept you without them.

UCAS has a system called extra which comes out every Feb. If you get all rejections you can apply through that instead of waiting for clearing.
Original post by swanseajack1
Most language courses dont get filled and end up in clearing. I do have some concerns of someone taking a degree where they only have a grade 4 at GCSE and havent taken the subject at A level. Are you planning sitting it in June to get a higher grade. It could be taken privately if necessary.

You dont mention whether you have A levels or any other level 3 qualifications as universities are unlikely to accept you without them.

UCAS has a system called extra which comes out every Feb. If you get all rejections you can apply through that instead of waiting for clearing.

I have A levels predicted AAB and i have done stuff over the last year basically. I can't really afford financially to sit them atm we r really tight on money like really tight and my college doesn't offer resits. I go to a pretty poor college and i live in a poor area and my mitigating circumstances are pretty good so im kinda banking on that as well as German being a pretty unpopular course. Yeah i am also thinking that unis are also gonna be concerned hopefully Portsmouth accepts me. My friend in the year above got a D in his french for AS level and then an E or something due to CAGs and they accepted him and he scraped a 6 or something at GCSE. It is a bit of an eek tho i really wish i didnt **** up my GCSEs. I might take a foundation course like someone suggested if clearing and UCAS extra doesn't work out. Thank you i didnt realise that UCAS extra came out that early or really what it was.
Original post by something_orphic
I have A levels predicted AAB and i have done stuff over the last year basically. I can't really afford financially to sit them atm we r really tight on money like really tight and my college doesn't offer resits. I go to a pretty poor college and i live in a poor area and my mitigating circumstances are pretty good so im kinda banking on that as well as German being a pretty unpopular course. Yeah i am also thinking that unis are also gonna be concerned hopefully Portsmouth accepts me. My friend in the year above got a D in his french for AS level and then an E or something due to CAGs and they accepted him and he scraped a 6 or something at GCSE. It is a bit of an eek tho i really wish i didnt **** up my GCSEs. I might take a foundation course like someone suggested if clearing and UCAS extra doesn't work out. Thank you i didnt realise that UCAS extra came out that early or really what it was.

Your A levels are really good and will probably get you into many courses. However going to take a subject with a 4 in GCSE and no A level is a concern. Have you thought of taking another subject and possibly doing additional German classes. It just seems you are taking a language that you weren't particularly good at.
Original post by swanseajack1
Your A levels are really good and will probably get you into many courses. However going to take a subject with a 4 in GCSE and no A level is a concern. Have you thought of taking another subject and possibly doing additional German classes. It just seems you are taking a language that you weren't particularly good at.

I have considered that. Like I said I had pretty bad circumstances. I have gone to Germany and stayed there myself and managed so I’m not as bad as my grade suggests. Prior to my circumstance I was predicted a grade 7 and was on track for an 8. I just got really stressed due to my circumstances and started having a mental health crisis which meant that I basically started hearing voices and stuff. I did well on the speaking it was just the writing and reading that went to ****. I’m thinking if I don’t get in I’ll do politics w it on the side. I just am really passionate about German.
I'm sure most universities that offer languages open their facilities to other undergraduates. My daughter read engineering at Cambridge and did a course in Japanese on the side. It was encouraged by the faculty and I'm sure it would be in an international relations degree too. She also taught herself German via free internet language sites as her now husband spent a year in Germany as part of his Masters. Your A level predictions are very good anyway so I can't see you being rejected and a ECF would help explain your gcse results. Good luck with your application.
Hey @something_orphic Just to add to what some others have mentioned- it depends very much on the individual university but if you've only got the GCSE and not an A Level in German this may potentially hinder you, but please don't let this demoralise you when it comes to applying! As you can see- you've loads of options and I'm sure you'll find one to suit :yep: You have UCAS Extra, Clearing, the option to go for a course and study German as an elective, or even take a gap year where you could consider living in Germany for a period of time? I studied languages at uni and I was an au pair in France- a massively valuable experience for my language skills which I didn't have to do loads of savings for as my host family paid me 'pocket money' every week :smile:

If you are determined to go to uni and study German next year- I'd recommend trying to pick up and maintain your language skills alongside your other A Levels (which are already great btw!). Obviously your priority should lie with working towards those grades you're on track to achieve, but in your spare time maybe consider reading in German? Or listening to music/podcasts/watching films in German? Then you'll feel much better prepared to undertake a degree in it come September.

There's loads of really positive advice in this thread and I hope you're feeling a bit better since posting! You've got lots of options and I'm a big believer in that everyone ends up where they are meant to be in the end. Part of studying a language and studying it well is having a real passion for it and clearly you've got that already. Stick with it and don't give up :biggrin:

- Caitlin :h:
Official University of Strathclyde Rep
Original post by University of Strathclyde
Hey @something_orphic Just to add to what some others have mentioned- it depends very much on the individual university but if you've only got the GCSE and not an A Level in German this may potentially hinder you, but please don't let this demoralise you when it comes to applying! As you can see- you've loads of options and I'm sure you'll find one to suit :yep: You have UCAS Extra, Clearing, the option to go for a course and study German as an elective, or even take a gap year where you could consider living in Germany for a period of time? I studied languages at uni and I was an au pair in France- a massively valuable experience for my language skills which I didn't have to do loads of savings for as my host family paid me 'pocket money' every week :smile:

If you are determined to go to uni and study German next year- I'd recommend trying to pick up and maintain your language skills alongside your other A Levels (which are already great btw!). Obviously your priority should lie with working towards those grades you're on track to achieve, but in your spare time maybe consider reading in German? Or listening to music/podcasts/watching films in German? Then you'll feel much better prepared to undertake a degree in it come September.

There's loads of really positive advice in this thread and I hope you're feeling a bit better since posting! You've got lots of options and I'm a big believer in that everyone ends up where they are meant to be in the end. Part of studying a language and studying it well is having a real passion for it and clearly you've got that already. Stick with it and don't give up :biggrin:

- Caitlin :h:
Official University of Strathclyde Rep

Thank you for responding to my thread. Yes i have already started studying it alongside my A levels here and there and have continued to immerse myself in the language via music and films etc but since reading this thread i'll probably ramp it up a bit as i am on top of my A levels. This has made me feel a lot better and i do feel like in some way my grade 4 in German was sorta meant to be in a weird way as has made me more determined to get where i want to be. :smile:

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