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retaking year 13- should i or should i not?
14
i have almost finished taking all my a-levels, but I have not left any of them feeling like it was my absolute best. I would like to retake because I know I could do much better.
Some context: At the beginning of year 12 just after lockdown, for the first term of A-levels I was doing really well i.e. getting As in all 4 subjects , 80%+ in all topic tests. My predicted grades were all A* (based on our GCSE results- how our school does it).
Then lockdown happened and I lost motivation, i fell behind, lost my momentum and became complacent. Therefore as I was not able to keep up i started doubting my self and having negative self beliefs, exams were also cancelled that year again but I managed somehow and got Bs and one A in bio.
Then year 13 came and I was so overwhelmed and my mental health was really bad as a result of the pressure and how I was not doing well academically. I am also a young carer for my mum and that has also been hard. I feel like I have let everyone down but more importantly myself as I know my potential, but the skills I have gained from this experience like how to study properly, managing my time and stress i discovered too late into y13 and despite researching a lot into studying, in my opinion have learnt a lot more from going through the experience of external exams.
My mental health i.e. anxiety and depression got really bad in like March so I filled out the CBT form online for therapy - but I was on the waiting list and I only got a reply last week.
The question is I don't know whether my school will allow me to redo year 13 - or the subjects I don't get an A in.
I also applied for Medicine this year which i got 4 rejections from that is why I need the As in my subjects I do bio,chem and psych. In my mocks I somehow got low As for bio and psych and a C in chem. Therefore depending on what I get in the summer i.e. if it is B in chem- do you think they will let me retake that subject only if I explain my situation?
I know Med schools in England mostly don't take retakes unless they have extenuating circumstances - would my situation qualify for that?
I have a fear that my teachers will think that I don't have a legitimate reason to retake.
My other option is to do graduate entry into Medicine.
Some context: At the beginning of year 12 just after lockdown, for the first term of A-levels I was doing really well i.e. getting As in all 4 subjects , 80%+ in all topic tests. My predicted grades were all A* (based on our GCSE results- how our school does it).
Then lockdown happened and I lost motivation, i fell behind, lost my momentum and became complacent. Therefore as I was not able to keep up i started doubting my self and having negative self beliefs, exams were also cancelled that year again but I managed somehow and got Bs and one A in bio.
Then year 13 came and I was so overwhelmed and my mental health was really bad as a result of the pressure and how I was not doing well academically. I am also a young carer for my mum and that has also been hard. I feel like I have let everyone down but more importantly myself as I know my potential, but the skills I have gained from this experience like how to study properly, managing my time and stress i discovered too late into y13 and despite researching a lot into studying, in my opinion have learnt a lot more from going through the experience of external exams.
My mental health i.e. anxiety and depression got really bad in like March so I filled out the CBT form online for therapy - but I was on the waiting list and I only got a reply last week.
The question is I don't know whether my school will allow me to redo year 13 - or the subjects I don't get an A in.
I also applied for Medicine this year which i got 4 rejections from that is why I need the As in my subjects I do bio,chem and psych. In my mocks I somehow got low As for bio and psych and a C in chem. Therefore depending on what I get in the summer i.e. if it is B in chem- do you think they will let me retake that subject only if I explain my situation?
I know Med schools in England mostly don't take retakes unless they have extenuating circumstances - would my situation qualify for that?
I have a fear that my teachers will think that I don't have a legitimate reason to retake.
My other option is to do graduate entry into Medicine.
Reply 1
Hello!
For the medicine side of things, is best to answer all those questions.
But as far as resitting goes, I'm in a very similar boat to you, my mental health declined and as a result, i don't feel like I did too well in my A levels so I'm thinking of retaking A level law, because I know I can do better.
As far as resits go, you don't need any reason to retake your exams, you can just retake them. I don't see why your school wouldn't let you if they offer students to resit at their centre anyways. And if they don't I'm sure there will be a centre near you you can sit them at. If you mean in terms of you sitting in the lessons (and so would retake the whole year) then that is up to your school, I know my college for instance won't let people stay an extra year part time (something to do with funding), so they make us stay full time. I don't think it's something anyone on TSR would be able to answer as it's up to the discretion of your school, and every school differs.
For the medicine side of things, is best to answer all those questions.
But as far as resitting goes, I'm in a very similar boat to you, my mental health declined and as a result, i don't feel like I did too well in my A levels so I'm thinking of retaking A level law, because I know I can do better.
As far as resits go, you don't need any reason to retake your exams, you can just retake them. I don't see why your school wouldn't let you if they offer students to resit at their centre anyways. And if they don't I'm sure there will be a centre near you you can sit them at. If you mean in terms of you sitting in the lessons (and so would retake the whole year) then that is up to your school, I know my college for instance won't let people stay an extra year part time (something to do with funding), so they make us stay full time. I don't think it's something anyone on TSR would be able to answer as it's up to the discretion of your school, and every school differs.
Reply 2
20
All you can do is ask your college / Sixth Form.
Just be aware that schools don't get an extra year of funding if you repeat Y13 and they may say no.
As above, they will usually allow you to use them as an exam centre even if you are not actually re-enrolled there.
The other question that you need to consider very seriously is that if your mental health is wobbly, is Med the right career for you.
Its a very pressured and stressful environment and the early Foundation years of the carerer have a very high drop out rate.
Think carefully about if another career area might suit you better.
There are hundreds of degrees/careers that put you at the forefront of medicine without the pressure of a clinical career - and the degrees are a great deal easier to get a place on than Med. Virology, Immunology, Neuroscience, Genetics, Cancer Biology, Cardiac Physiology, Pharmacology/Drug Discovery, Pharmacy, Natural Sciences (multi-disciplinary science program) etc etc.
Just be aware that schools don't get an extra year of funding if you repeat Y13 and they may say no.
As above, they will usually allow you to use them as an exam centre even if you are not actually re-enrolled there.
The other question that you need to consider very seriously is that if your mental health is wobbly, is Med the right career for you.
Its a very pressured and stressful environment and the early Foundation years of the carerer have a very high drop out rate.
Think carefully about if another career area might suit you better.
There are hundreds of degrees/careers that put you at the forefront of medicine without the pressure of a clinical career - and the degrees are a great deal easier to get a place on than Med. Virology, Immunology, Neuroscience, Genetics, Cancer Biology, Cardiac Physiology, Pharmacology/Drug Discovery, Pharmacy, Natural Sciences (multi-disciplinary science program) etc etc.
Reply 3
Original post by jubnatan
i have almost finished taking all my a-levels, but I have not left any of them feeling like it was my absolute best. I would like to retake because I know I could do much better.
Some context: At the beginning of year 12 just after lockdown, for the first term of A-levels I was doing really well i.e. getting As in all 4 subjects , 80%+ in all topic tests. My predicted grades were all A* (based on our GCSE results- how our school does it).
Then lockdown happened and I lost motivation, i fell behind, lost my momentum and became complacent. Therefore as I was not able to keep up i started doubting my self and having negative self beliefs, exams were also cancelled that year again but I managed somehow and got Bs and one A in bio.
Then year 13 came and I was so overwhelmed and my mental health was really bad as a result of the pressure and how I was not doing well academically. I am also a young carer for my mum and that has also been hard. I feel like I have let everyone down but more importantly myself as I know my potential, but the skills I have gained from this experience like how to study properly, managing my time and stress i discovered too late into y13 and despite researching a lot into studying, in my opinion have learnt a lot more from going through the experience of external exams.
My mental health i.e. anxiety and depression got really bad in like March so I filled out the CBT form online for therapy - but I was on the waiting list and I only got a reply last week.
The question is I don't know whether my school will allow me to redo year 13 - or the subjects I don't get an A in.
I also applied for Medicine this year which i got 4 rejections from that is why I need the As in my subjects I do bio,chem and psych. In my mocks I somehow got low As for bio and psych and a C in chem. Therefore depending on what I get in the summer i.e. if it is B in chem- do you think they will let me retake that subject only if I explain my situation?
I know Med schools in England mostly don't take retakes unless they have extenuating circumstances - would my situation qualify for that?
I have a fear that my teachers will think that I don't have a legitimate reason to retake.
My other option is to do graduate entry into Medicine.
Some context: At the beginning of year 12 just after lockdown, for the first term of A-levels I was doing really well i.e. getting As in all 4 subjects , 80%+ in all topic tests. My predicted grades were all A* (based on our GCSE results- how our school does it).
Then lockdown happened and I lost motivation, i fell behind, lost my momentum and became complacent. Therefore as I was not able to keep up i started doubting my self and having negative self beliefs, exams were also cancelled that year again but I managed somehow and got Bs and one A in bio.
Then year 13 came and I was so overwhelmed and my mental health was really bad as a result of the pressure and how I was not doing well academically. I am also a young carer for my mum and that has also been hard. I feel like I have let everyone down but more importantly myself as I know my potential, but the skills I have gained from this experience like how to study properly, managing my time and stress i discovered too late into y13 and despite researching a lot into studying, in my opinion have learnt a lot more from going through the experience of external exams.
My mental health i.e. anxiety and depression got really bad in like March so I filled out the CBT form online for therapy - but I was on the waiting list and I only got a reply last week.
The question is I don't know whether my school will allow me to redo year 13 - or the subjects I don't get an A in.
I also applied for Medicine this year which i got 4 rejections from that is why I need the As in my subjects I do bio,chem and psych. In my mocks I somehow got low As for bio and psych and a C in chem. Therefore depending on what I get in the summer i.e. if it is B in chem- do you think they will let me retake that subject only if I explain my situation?
I know Med schools in England mostly don't take retakes unless they have extenuating circumstances - would my situation qualify for that?
I have a fear that my teachers will think that I don't have a legitimate reason to retake.
My other option is to do graduate entry into Medicine.
I don’t know much about medicine but we’re you at a school or sixth form collage.
If it’s a school it’s fairly unlikely if it a collage almost definitely if you want to I’d cross that bridge when I get to it through you never know your results could be really good. I’d wait until results day.
The Graduate entry to medicine is prolly the best option but let’s see what results day brings. Good luck.
Reply 4
Original post by jubnatan
i have almost finished taking all my a-levels, but I have not left any of them feeling like it was my absolute best. I would like to retake because I know I could do much better.
Some context: At the beginning of year 12 just after lockdown, for the first term of A-levels I was doing really well i.e. getting As in all 4 subjects , 80%+ in all topic tests. My predicted grades were all A* (based on our GCSE results- how our school does it).
Then lockdown happened and I lost motivation, i fell behind, lost my momentum and became complacent. Therefore as I was not able to keep up i started doubting my self and having negative self beliefs, exams were also cancelled that year again but I managed somehow and got Bs and one A in bio.
Then year 13 came and I was so overwhelmed and my mental health was really bad as a result of the pressure and how I was not doing well academically. I am also a young carer for my mum and that has also been hard. I feel like I have let everyone down but more importantly myself as I know my potential, but the skills I have gained from this experience like how to study properly, managing my time and stress i discovered too late into y13 and despite researching a lot into studying, in my opinion have learnt a lot more from going through the experience of external exams.
My mental health i.e. anxiety and depression got really bad in like March so I filled out the CBT form online for therapy - but I was on the waiting list and I only got a reply last week.
The question is I don't know whether my school will allow me to redo year 13 - or the subjects I don't get an A in.
I also applied for Medicine this year which i got 4 rejections from that is why I need the As in my subjects I do bio,chem and psych. In my mocks I somehow got low As for bio and psych and a C in chem. Therefore depending on what I get in the summer i.e. if it is B in chem- do you think they will let me retake that subject only if I explain my situation?
I know Med schools in England mostly don't take retakes unless they have extenuating circumstances - would my situation qualify for that?
I have a fear that my teachers will think that I don't have a legitimate reason to retake.
My other option is to do graduate entry into Medicine.
Some context: At the beginning of year 12 just after lockdown, for the first term of A-levels I was doing really well i.e. getting As in all 4 subjects , 80%+ in all topic tests. My predicted grades were all A* (based on our GCSE results- how our school does it).
Then lockdown happened and I lost motivation, i fell behind, lost my momentum and became complacent. Therefore as I was not able to keep up i started doubting my self and having negative self beliefs, exams were also cancelled that year again but I managed somehow and got Bs and one A in bio.
Then year 13 came and I was so overwhelmed and my mental health was really bad as a result of the pressure and how I was not doing well academically. I am also a young carer for my mum and that has also been hard. I feel like I have let everyone down but more importantly myself as I know my potential, but the skills I have gained from this experience like how to study properly, managing my time and stress i discovered too late into y13 and despite researching a lot into studying, in my opinion have learnt a lot more from going through the experience of external exams.
My mental health i.e. anxiety and depression got really bad in like March so I filled out the CBT form online for therapy - but I was on the waiting list and I only got a reply last week.
The question is I don't know whether my school will allow me to redo year 13 - or the subjects I don't get an A in.
I also applied for Medicine this year which i got 4 rejections from that is why I need the As in my subjects I do bio,chem and psych. In my mocks I somehow got low As for bio and psych and a C in chem. Therefore depending on what I get in the summer i.e. if it is B in chem- do you think they will let me retake that subject only if I explain my situation?
I know Med schools in England mostly don't take retakes unless they have extenuating circumstances - would my situation qualify for that?
I have a fear that my teachers will think that I don't have a legitimate reason to retake.
My other option is to do graduate entry into Medicine.
Hey,
I am a current 3rd year student at the uni of Nottingham.
I think the best advice I could give you is if your heart is in medicine then retake and try and get in anywhere you can.
That being said it is always good to have a backup and you can always do graduate entry medicine if you decide that it is really for you.
I personally study natural sciences. Each uni runs it differently but at Nottingham you study 3 subjects in your first year then drop down to 2 in second and third year.
From your A levels you could study:
Biology
Chemistry
Psychology
Cancer sciences
Earth sciences
Ecosystems and environment
Archaeology
If it sounds like something you would be interested in I have left a link down below and if you have any questions just let me know,
Emily
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/naturalsciences/
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