Got rejected from firm and insurance and feeling a bit disappointed
with my uni in clearing. Considering a gap year but seems like a bad idea
I am 20 and completed an access course and initially had Bristol and Exeter as my firm and insurance for computer science.
For context with the access course you take exams through out the year and not in 1 big month like with a levels.
This mean I knew what my grades were and was keeping track of my grades. I did well for most of the year but then I Covid and had some overdue exams I was completing other exams so those exams got got out on the back but I was doing well. Towards the end of the year my teacher mention that I need to pick dates to do them so I agreed and started tackling does exams every other week.
I did the first exam and got a distinction (A*) and then I was supposed to the exam next week. My teacher at this point was heavily pregnant and was due to leave for maternity. I got into class late one day and I was shouted for being late and then had given me these options either do the rest of the exams next week or be capped at a pass (D). This meant that I had to learn 4 units (each unit needing about a month) in 1 week.
This was because my teacher needed leave for maternity reasons which was fair…. But I kinda got really screwed over. I had to cover all of calculus. series and trig in a week and I ended doing terrible in 3 of them and ok in 1. (Differentiation)
We also finished 1 month and half earlier than other colleges….
I’m just abit upset about it all and now I’m going uni of Kent and ngl the uni has its positives it’s close to London, The course it’s self pretty decent, too
the buildings are modern and it seems all around pretty decent.
A friend has told me to take a gap year and redo the access course but except at his previous college. (My college was pretty dreadful) initially I thought this was silly but filled my head dreams of going to KCL and Bristol so now I just feel sad that I’m not going.
I considering it more and more each day but I know it’s probably a bad idea that I won’t do.
I’m scared that I’m starting uni too late and this will be perceived negatively and that it’s not worth another year out as well as parents pressure to go uni?
Tldr:
Is taking another gap year worth it to resit and go to top ranked unis(KCL Bristol), or do I just stay at uni of Kent
Sorry if this post comes off poorly
I am 20 and completed an access course and initially had Bristol and Exeter as my firm and insurance for computer science.
For context with the access course you take exams through out the year and not in 1 big month like with a levels.
This mean I knew what my grades were and was keeping track of my grades. I did well for most of the year but then I Covid and had some overdue exams I was completing other exams so those exams got got out on the back but I was doing well. Towards the end of the year my teacher mention that I need to pick dates to do them so I agreed and started tackling does exams every other week.
I did the first exam and got a distinction (A*) and then I was supposed to the exam next week. My teacher at this point was heavily pregnant and was due to leave for maternity. I got into class late one day and I was shouted for being late and then had given me these options either do the rest of the exams next week or be capped at a pass (D). This meant that I had to learn 4 units (each unit needing about a month) in 1 week.
This was because my teacher needed leave for maternity reasons which was fair…. But I kinda got really screwed over. I had to cover all of calculus. series and trig in a week and I ended doing terrible in 3 of them and ok in 1. (Differentiation)
We also finished 1 month and half earlier than other colleges….
I’m just abit upset about it all and now I’m going uni of Kent and ngl the uni has its positives it’s close to London, The course it’s self pretty decent, too
the buildings are modern and it seems all around pretty decent.
A friend has told me to take a gap year and redo the access course but except at his previous college. (My college was pretty dreadful) initially I thought this was silly but filled my head dreams of going to KCL and Bristol so now I just feel sad that I’m not going.
I considering it more and more each day but I know it’s probably a bad idea that I won’t do.
I’m scared that I’m starting uni too late and this will be perceived negatively and that it’s not worth another year out as well as parents pressure to go uni?
Tldr:
Is taking another gap year worth it to resit and go to top ranked unis(KCL Bristol), or do I just stay at uni of Kent
Sorry if this post comes off poorly
Original post by Disposable_user
with my uni in clearing. Considering a gap year but seems like a bad idea
I am 20 and completed an access course and initially had Bristol and Exeter as my firm and insurance for computer science.
For context with the access course you take exams through out the year and not in 1 big month like with a levels.
This mean I knew what my grades were and was keeping track of my grades. I did well for most of the year but then I Covid and had some overdue exams I was completing other exams so those exams got got out on the back but I was doing well. Towards the end of the year my teacher mention that I need to pick dates to do them so I agreed and started tackling does exams every other week.
I did the first exam and got a distinction (A*) and then I was supposed to the exam next week. My teacher at this point was heavily pregnant and was due to leave for maternity. I got into class late one day and I was shouted for being late and then had given me these options either do the rest of the exams next week or be capped at a pass (D). This meant that I had to learn 4 units (each unit needing about a month) in 1 week.
This was because my teacher needed leave for maternity reasons which was fair…. But I kinda got really screwed over. I had to cover all of calculus. series and trig in a week and I ended doing terrible in 3 of them and ok in 1. (Differentiation)
We also finished 1 month and half earlier than other colleges….
I’m just abit upset about it all and now I’m going uni of Kent and ngl the uni has its positives it’s close to London, The course it’s self pretty decent, too
the buildings are modern and it seems all around pretty decent.
A friend has told me to take a gap year and redo the access course but except at his previous college. (My college was pretty dreadful) initially I thought this was silly but filled my head dreams of going to KCL and Bristol so now I just feel sad that I’m not going.
I considering it more and more each day but I know it’s probably a bad idea that I won’t do.
I’m scared that I’m starting uni too late and this will be perceived negatively and that it’s not worth another year out as well as parents pressure to go uni?
Tldr:
Is taking another gap year worth it to resit and go to top ranked unis(KCL Bristol), or do I just stay at uni of Kent
Sorry if this post comes off poorly
I am 20 and completed an access course and initially had Bristol and Exeter as my firm and insurance for computer science.
For context with the access course you take exams through out the year and not in 1 big month like with a levels.
This mean I knew what my grades were and was keeping track of my grades. I did well for most of the year but then I Covid and had some overdue exams I was completing other exams so those exams got got out on the back but I was doing well. Towards the end of the year my teacher mention that I need to pick dates to do them so I agreed and started tackling does exams every other week.
I did the first exam and got a distinction (A*) and then I was supposed to the exam next week. My teacher at this point was heavily pregnant and was due to leave for maternity. I got into class late one day and I was shouted for being late and then had given me these options either do the rest of the exams next week or be capped at a pass (D). This meant that I had to learn 4 units (each unit needing about a month) in 1 week.
This was because my teacher needed leave for maternity reasons which was fair…. But I kinda got really screwed over. I had to cover all of calculus. series and trig in a week and I ended doing terrible in 3 of them and ok in 1. (Differentiation)
We also finished 1 month and half earlier than other colleges….
I’m just abit upset about it all and now I’m going uni of Kent and ngl the uni has its positives it’s close to London, The course it’s self pretty decent, too
the buildings are modern and it seems all around pretty decent.
A friend has told me to take a gap year and redo the access course but except at his previous college. (My college was pretty dreadful) initially I thought this was silly but filled my head dreams of going to KCL and Bristol so now I just feel sad that I’m not going.
I considering it more and more each day but I know it’s probably a bad idea that I won’t do.
I’m scared that I’m starting uni too late and this will be perceived negatively and that it’s not worth another year out as well as parents pressure to go uni?
Tldr:
Is taking another gap year worth it to resit and go to top ranked unis(KCL Bristol), or do I just stay at uni of Kent
Sorry if this post comes off poorly
If you really want to go to uni, and Kent is still pretty decent for your course and future career goals despite not being the uni you hoped for then it might be a good idea to go - I get what your saying 100% I was set on going to Bristol/bath and was desperate to get to a top uni, but all my grades were lower than I needed so got rejected. Got a place at Aston through clearing so after overcoming the feeling of being gutted about it all, I committed to it as i really want to meet new people/move out, and it’s still a good uni. Had the option to retake which I felt like I wanted to do as I knew I could get the grades as I’d achieved them in mocks, but I just didn’t think I could stick another year of that same routine. When did you accept the clearing offer? Aston gave me 14 days to withdraw my place after putting it through UCAS so it’s worth seeing how much time you have!
Also depends on what you’ve been doing in your other gap years - if you’ve done work experience/employment in your chosen field etc and can prove to employers your motivated and a worker then the experience you have gotten can really help you out even if your not at a top uni. Depends how competitive the comp science field is though.
Gap years don’t do any harm as long as they’re productive, but as you’ve done two already it’s up to you whether you willing to keep sticking at it as you’ll have to keep working hard for the grades you’ll need. Kent sounds more favourable in my opinion provided it’s still ranked decent for your course - you’ll enjoy going to pretty much any uni, just make sure to take as many opportunities as possible
Again definitely check if you have time to decline your place, then you don’t have to make a rush decision when your feeling pretty stressed about everything.
IMO it depends on the career path you want to take. as an aspiring SWE, degrees help alot but aren't always needed. This is shown as companies such as Google or Facebook have hired from people who didn't even have a degree. Many careers in CompSci recommend experience over degrees etc so uni prestige doesn't matter as much. A prestigous Uni offers competition and good connections which help land a job a little bit faster and maybe better facilities. Other than that it really doesn't matter what Uni you go to for CompSci
Original post by Har210
If you really want to go to uni, and Kent is still pretty decent for your course and future career goals despite not being the uni you hoped for then it might be a good idea to go - I get what your saying 100% I was set on going to Bristol/bath and was desperate to get to a top uni, but all my grades were lower than I needed so got rejected. Got a place at Aston through clearing so after overcoming the feeling of being gutted about it all, I committed to it as i really want to meet new people/move out, and it’s still a good uni. Had the option to retake which I felt like I wanted to do as I knew I could get the grades as I’d achieved them in mocks, but I just didn’t think I could stick another year of that same routine. When did you accept the clearing offer? Aston gave me 14 days to withdraw my place after putting it through UCAS so it’s worth seeing how much time you have!
Also depends on what you’ve been doing in your other gap years - if you’ve done work experience/employment in your chosen field etc and can prove to employers your motivated and a worker then the experience you have gotten can really help you out even if your not at a top uni. Depends how competitive the comp science field is though.
Gap years don’t do any harm as long as they’re productive, but as you’ve done two already it’s up to you whether you willing to keep sticking at it as you’ll have to keep working hard for the grades you’ll need. Kent sounds more favourable in my opinion provided it’s still ranked decent for your course - you’ll enjoy going to pretty much any uni, just make sure to take as many opportunities as possible
Again definitely check if you have time to decline your place, then you don’t have to make a rush decision when your feeling pretty stressed about everything.
Also depends on what you’ve been doing in your other gap years - if you’ve done work experience/employment in your chosen field etc and can prove to employers your motivated and a worker then the experience you have gotten can really help you out even if your not at a top uni. Depends how competitive the comp science field is though.
Gap years don’t do any harm as long as they’re productive, but as you’ve done two already it’s up to you whether you willing to keep sticking at it as you’ll have to keep working hard for the grades you’ll need. Kent sounds more favourable in my opinion provided it’s still ranked decent for your course - you’ll enjoy going to pretty much any uni, just make sure to take as many opportunities as possible
Again definitely check if you have time to decline your place, then you don’t have to make a rush decision when your feeling pretty stressed about everything.
Yh I understand and honestly going kent is the smarter move but my heart isn’t to happy with it.
Honestly it’s not like I even love the course at Kent it’s just pretty good for clearing. Taking a gap year will be a bad idea and draining. Another reason why I want to go to a top uni too is to say to myself “I went here”
Which in all honesty is pretty stupid but still want that
Original post by Disposable_user
Yh I understand and honestly going kent is the smarter move but my heart isn’t to happy with it.
Honestly it’s not like I even love the course at Kent it’s just pretty good for clearing. Taking a gap year will be a bad idea and draining. Another reason why I want to go to a top uni too is to say to myself “I went here”
Which in all honesty is pretty stupid but still want that
Honestly it’s not like I even love the course at Kent it’s just pretty good for clearing. Taking a gap year will be a bad idea and draining. Another reason why I want to go to a top uni too is to say to myself “I went here”
Which in all honesty is pretty stupid but still want that
If you’re not happy about it then there’s really no harm in just taking that gap year. Just do it. I did a similar thing back in the day, my actual A level grades ended up being waay above my predicted grades and I just couldn’t be satisfied with my insurance choice anymore, so I dropped out early so I could reapply to my original top choices the following year. I got in easily that time and never regretted doing it, it definitely was a better course in the end with more dedicated co-students. The choice is yours though.
Original post by Disposable_user
with my uni in clearing. Considering a gap year but seems like a bad idea
I am 20 and completed an access course and initially had Bristol and Exeter as my firm and insurance for computer science.
For context with the access course you take exams through out the year and not in 1 big month like with a levels.
This mean I knew what my grades were and was keeping track of my grades. I did well for most of the year but then I Covid and had some overdue exams I was completing other exams so those exams got got out on the back but I was doing well. Towards the end of the year my teacher mention that I need to pick dates to do them so I agreed and started tackling does exams every other week.
I did the first exam and got a distinction (A*) and then I was supposed to the exam next week. My teacher at this point was heavily pregnant and was due to leave for maternity. I got into class late one day and I was shouted for being late and then had given me these options either do the rest of the exams next week or be capped at a pass (D). This meant that I had to learn 4 units (each unit needing about a month) in 1 week.
This was because my teacher needed leave for maternity reasons which was fair…. But I kinda got really screwed over. I had to cover all of calculus. series and trig in a week and I ended doing terrible in 3 of them and ok in 1. (Differentiation)
We also finished 1 month and half earlier than other colleges….
I’m just abit upset about it all and now I’m going uni of Kent and ngl the uni has its positives it’s close to London, The course it’s self pretty decent, too
the buildings are modern and it seems all around pretty decent.
A friend has told me to take a gap year and redo the access course but except at his previous college. (My college was pretty dreadful) initially I thought this was silly but filled my head dreams of going to KCL and Bristol so now I just feel sad that I’m not going.
I considering it more and more each day but I know it’s probably a bad idea that I won’t do.
I’m scared that I’m starting uni too late and this will be perceived negatively and that it’s not worth another year out as well as parents pressure to go uni?
Tldr:
Is taking another gap year worth it to resit and go to top ranked unis(KCL Bristol), or do I just stay at uni of Kent
Sorry if this post comes off poorly
I am 20 and completed an access course and initially had Bristol and Exeter as my firm and insurance for computer science.
For context with the access course you take exams through out the year and not in 1 big month like with a levels.
This mean I knew what my grades were and was keeping track of my grades. I did well for most of the year but then I Covid and had some overdue exams I was completing other exams so those exams got got out on the back but I was doing well. Towards the end of the year my teacher mention that I need to pick dates to do them so I agreed and started tackling does exams every other week.
I did the first exam and got a distinction (A*) and then I was supposed to the exam next week. My teacher at this point was heavily pregnant and was due to leave for maternity. I got into class late one day and I was shouted for being late and then had given me these options either do the rest of the exams next week or be capped at a pass (D). This meant that I had to learn 4 units (each unit needing about a month) in 1 week.
This was because my teacher needed leave for maternity reasons which was fair…. But I kinda got really screwed over. I had to cover all of calculus. series and trig in a week and I ended doing terrible in 3 of them and ok in 1. (Differentiation)
We also finished 1 month and half earlier than other colleges….
I’m just abit upset about it all and now I’m going uni of Kent and ngl the uni has its positives it’s close to London, The course it’s self pretty decent, too
the buildings are modern and it seems all around pretty decent.
A friend has told me to take a gap year and redo the access course but except at his previous college. (My college was pretty dreadful) initially I thought this was silly but filled my head dreams of going to KCL and Bristol so now I just feel sad that I’m not going.
I considering it more and more each day but I know it’s probably a bad idea that I won’t do.
I’m scared that I’m starting uni too late and this will be perceived negatively and that it’s not worth another year out as well as parents pressure to go uni?
Tldr:
Is taking another gap year worth it to resit and go to top ranked unis(KCL Bristol), or do I just stay at uni of Kent
Sorry if this post comes off poorly
Hi! I am a student at Exeter but taking that out of the equation, I would advise you not to rush into a particular university if it doesn't feel right for you. If you're worried about being 'too old' or taking too long to get there - you're definitely not! I was 22 when I started at Exeter, and this was my second university as I went to a different one at 18 and dropped out. That previous university was ranked more highly, but that didn't matter to me because I'm much happier here, doing a course that I enjoy more. As a result I've been performing better academically and feel much happier and more stable in my uni life. Being a bit older than my peers hasn't made me enjoy it any less, and having taken more time out before coming to uni here meant that I am here because I really want to be, not because I felt rushed into making a decision and fitting a certain timeline.
My advice, drawing from my own experiences, would therefore be to really follow your heart - visit all the universities, look into the courses and modules, and aim for the one at which you think you would be the happiest. If you are drawn to Kent and you like the course, maybe go for it; it might be the case that if you're studying a course you enjoy you are able to get a better grade at the end of your degree than if you were at a higher-ranking uni that you don't enjoy so much. Equally, if you want to take more time to resit and go to a different university, go for it. You don't need to abide by certain timelines and you will get the most out of whichever decision you make as long as it feels like the right one for you!
Good luck with everything
Nina
University of Exeter Student Ambassador
Original post by ExeterStudentRep
Hi! I am a student at Exeter but taking that out of the equation, I would advise you not to rush into a particular university if it doesn't feel right for you. If you're worried about being 'too old' or taking too long to get there - you're definitely not! I was 22 when I started at Exeter, and this was my second university as I went to a different one at 18 and dropped out. That previous university was ranked more highly, but that didn't matter to me because I'm much happier here, doing a course that I enjoy more. As a result I've been performing better academically and feel much happier and more stable in my uni life. Being a bit older than my peers hasn't made me enjoy it any less, and having taken more time out before coming to uni here meant that I am here because I really want to be, not because I felt rushed into making a decision and fitting a certain timeline.
My advice, drawing from my own experiences, would therefore be to really follow your heart - visit all the universities, look into the courses and modules, and aim for the one at which you think you would be the happiest. If you are drawn to Kent and you like the course, maybe go for it; it might be the case that if you're studying a course you enjoy you are able to get a better grade at the end of your degree than if you were at a higher-ranking uni that you don't enjoy so much. Equally, if you want to take more time to resit and go to a different university, go for it. You don't need to abide by certain timelines and you will get the most out of whichever decision you make as long as it feels like the right one for you!
Good luck with everything
Nina
University of Exeter Student Ambassador
My advice, drawing from my own experiences, would therefore be to really follow your heart - visit all the universities, look into the courses and modules, and aim for the one at which you think you would be the happiest. If you are drawn to Kent and you like the course, maybe go for it; it might be the case that if you're studying a course you enjoy you are able to get a better grade at the end of your degree than if you were at a higher-ranking uni that you don't enjoy so much. Equally, if you want to take more time to resit and go to a different university, go for it. You don't need to abide by certain timelines and you will get the most out of whichever decision you make as long as it feels like the right one for you!
Good luck with everything
Nina
University of Exeter Student Ambassador
Yh thanks I’ve been reading everything and just considering it all.
In a vacuum I’d like to gap year it but there is this pressure to go uni.
Original post by Disposable_user
Yh thanks I’ve been reading everything and just considering it all.
In a vacuum I’d like to gap year it but there is this pressure to go uni.
In a vacuum I’d like to gap year it but there is this pressure to go uni.
The only pressure you need to be worried about is the pressure you put on yourself, nobody else’s expectations matter. If taking a gap year so you can go to a university of choice is going to make you a happier and more productive student, then the choice is clear. Part of being an adult is knowing when to ignore other people’s well meaning advice so that you can make a decision which is best for you, this is one of those decisions.
If it’s going to make you happy, then do it, else don’t.
(edited 7 months ago)
Original post by Disposable_user
Yh thanks I’ve been reading everything and just considering it all.
In a vacuum I’d like to gap year it but there is this pressure to go uni.
In a vacuum I’d like to gap year it but there is this pressure to go uni.
Don’t let the pressure be the reason you go though. Do your gut feeling, and if you don’t have a gut feeling, weigh up pros and cons. Wish you the best of luck 🤞
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