Post results day - i don't know what to do

Hello,

So I guess my post is quite different to what I'm seeing with other people post results day plans. I'm in a pretty sad place with a lot of thoughts on my mind, questioning what my future will look like.

Firstly I am really happy with my A level results I managed to achieve A*AA (although one of my exams is under review since I was only one mark away from an A*) and as such I managed to secure an offer with my firm university (University of Birmingham). On results day I was very happy and relieved as was my family & teachers. However it all started to go downhill from today…

although I have secured a place at a strong Russell group university I'm very worried about a few things. The degree which I will be pursuing is low and I know the university does have good provision in place for this course but the financial side and the cost of going to university is very much on my mind all the time. I'm aware that I will have a lot to repay once I finish university and I also am aware that there is a lot of difficulty in terms of gaining a training contract and being able to secure a vacation scheme as a university student. This is really started to almost put me off going to university because I think it won't really be as valued for the amount of money and time I will be investing. The fact that I may not even become a solicitor really worries me I would hate to regret it when looking back in the future .

Alternatively I have started to look into degree apprenticeships and the fact that a solicitor apprenticeship is almost alleviating my concerns. The solicitor apprenticeship route encompasses all the elements you require to become a solicitor. Unfortunately I did not apply to any solicitor apprenticeships which is my own fault and I do regret it but if I could go back in time I probably would have applied to them.

Now the issue is that I'm not too sure what I should do. My family are generally very supportive of me in whatever I do but they are really encouraging me to go to university. I do generally see why they would think that they're saying that it will broaden opportunities for me in terms of allowing me to access a range of careers if I don't end up becoming a solicitor or change my mind and think law is not the right course for me and they have also reminded me of the effort that I've put in to get to this point and the determination which I had to actually be able to secure my University Place. I feel really guilty about all of this I would hate to be a burden for my family which consists of my grandmother, myself and my mother who is a single parent.

You can probably see why I'm worried about the cost of going to university and the potential debt I will be left with after I leave university I do come from a low income background and I do want to be financially secure in the future and in the present. However I've never been able to really secure a job , partially due to my studies and also as Im a young Carer, so my caring responsibilities. Therefore I myself am not very financially secure either. I've thought about taking out a gap year but I don't think my family will be very supportive of it. I'm open to looking for some work this year as well to try to establish some sort of financial security but haven't really had much luck.

I would really like to hear from individuals who may be at university have gone down the apprenticeship route or those who may have been in a similar position to myself with any advice because I do feel very down at the moment and quite worried about the future as I do not feel very optimistic.

Thank you in advance. '

If you don’t have an apprenticeship lined up as an alternative then it seems sensible to stick with your plan A.
If you find you’re unhappy or not enjoying university then you can always apply for apprenticeships while at university.
With a lot of things in life the only way to find out if it’s the right thing is to give it a go and see how you feel. Don’t let fear of trying something stop you - if you don’t like it then you can always change your mind.

Hello,
So I guess my post is quite different to what I'm seeing with other people post results day plans. I'm in a pretty sad place with a lot of thoughts on my mind, questioning what my future will look like.
Firstly I am really happy with my A level results I managed to achieve A*AA (although one of my exams is under review since I was only one mark away from an A*) and as such I managed to secure an offer with my firm university (University of Birmingham). On results day I was very happy and relieved as was my family & teachers. However it all started to go downhill from today…
although I have secured a place at a strong Russell group university I'm very worried about a few things. The degree which I will be pursuing is low and I know the university does have good provision in place for this course but the financial side and the cost of going to university is very much on my mind all the time. I'm aware that I will have a lot to repay once I finish university and I also am aware that there is a lot of difficulty in terms of gaining a training contract and being able to secure a vacation scheme as a university student. This is really started to almost put me off going to university because I think it won't really be as valued for the amount of money and time I will be investing. The fact that I may not even become a solicitor really worries me I would hate to regret it when looking back in the future .
Alternatively I have started to look into degree apprenticeships and the fact that a solicitor apprenticeship is almost alleviating my concerns. The solicitor apprenticeship route encompasses all the elements you require to become a solicitor. Unfortunately I did not apply to any solicitor apprenticeships which is my own fault and I do regret it but if I could go back in time I probably would have applied to them.
Now the issue is that I'm not too sure what I should do. My family are generally very supportive of me in whatever I do but they are really encouraging me to go to university. I do generally see why they would think that they're saying that it will broaden opportunities for me in terms of allowing me to access a range of careers if I don't end up becoming a solicitor or change my mind and think law is not the right course for me and they have also reminded me of the effort that I've put in to get to this point and the determination which I had to actually be able to secure my University Place. I feel really guilty about all of this I would hate to be a burden for my family which consists of my grandmother, myself and my mother who is a single parent.
You can probably see why I'm worried about the cost of going to university and the potential debt I will be left with after I leave university I do come from a low income background and I do want to be financially secure in the future and in the present. However I've never been able to really secure a job , partially due to my studies and also as Im a young Carer, so my caring responsibilities. Therefore I myself am not very financially secure either. I've thought about taking out a gap year but I don't think my family will be very supportive of it. I'm open to looking for some work this year as well to try to establish some sort of financial security but haven't really had much luck.
I would really like to hear from individuals who may be at university have gone down the apprenticeship route or those who may have been in a similar position to myself with any advice because I do feel very down at the moment and quite worried about the future as I do not feel very optimistic.
Thank you in advance. '

Ibr mate just talk to random people off the street that look young

Note that you don't start to repay "once I finish university". You start to repay once you begin to earn money.

Yes, I'm aware of that. Silly me for wording it in the wrong way. I feel like it will all gradually start to pile up leaving me in a very difficult position.

Yes, I'm aware of that. Silly me for wording it in the wrong way. I feel like it will all gradually start to pile up leaving me in a very difficult position.

Hello,
So I guess my post is quite different to what I'm seeing with other people post results day plans. I'm in a pretty sad place with a lot of thoughts on my mind, questioning what my future will look like.
Firstly I am really happy with my A level results I managed to achieve A*AA (although one of my exams is under review since I was only one mark away from an A*) and as such I managed to secure an offer with my firm university (University of Birmingham). On results day I was very happy and relieved as was my family & teachers. However it all started to go downhill from today…
although I have secured a place at a strong Russell group university I'm very worried about a few things. The degree which I will be pursuing is low and I know the university does have good provision in place for this course but the financial side and the cost of going to university is very much on my mind all the time. I'm aware that I will have a lot to repay once I finish university and I also am aware that there is a lot of difficulty in terms of gaining a training contract and being able to secure a vacation scheme as a university student. This is really started to almost put me off going to university because I think it won't really be as valued for the amount of money and time I will be investing. The fact that I may not even become a solicitor really worries me I would hate to regret it when looking back in the future .
Alternatively I have started to look into degree apprenticeships and the fact that a solicitor apprenticeship is almost alleviating my concerns. The solicitor apprenticeship route encompasses all the elements you require to become a solicitor. Unfortunately I did not apply to any solicitor apprenticeships which is my own fault and I do regret it but if I could go back in time I probably would have applied to them.
Now the issue is that I'm not too sure what I should do. My family are generally very supportive of me in whatever I do but they are really encouraging me to go to university. I do generally see why they would think that they're saying that it will broaden opportunities for me in terms of allowing me to access a range of careers if I don't end up becoming a solicitor or change my mind and think law is not the right course for me and they have also reminded me of the effort that I've put in to get to this point and the determination which I had to actually be able to secure my University Place. I feel really guilty about all of this I would hate to be a burden for my family which consists of my grandmother, myself and my mother who is a single parent.
You can probably see why I'm worried about the cost of going to university and the potential debt I will be left with after I leave university I do come from a low income background and I do want to be financially secure in the future and in the present. However I've never been able to really secure a job , partially due to my studies and also as Im a young Carer, so my caring responsibilities. Therefore I myself am not very financially secure either. I've thought about taking out a gap year but I don't think my family will be very supportive of it. I'm open to looking for some work this year as well to try to establish some sort of financial security but haven't really had much luck.
I would really like to hear from individuals who may be at university have gone down the apprenticeship route or those who may have been in a similar position to myself with any advice because I do feel very down at the moment and quite worried about the future as I do not feel very optimistic.
Thank you in advance. '

Thank you. I've been very overwhelmed recently worrying about everything but your response has provided some reassurance.
You mention applying for an apprenticeship at university but I don't understand how that works? Wouldn't I still owe back my student loan if I chose to leave?

If you complete a year of a degree then in most cases universities will award you an early exit award of a CertHE.
You’d be liable to repay the loans for that year but only when you earn over the income threshold (which isn’t going to happen on apprenticeship wages)

Yes you would but you would only owe one year rather than the whole three, since you would have only borrowed one year.
Try not to think of it as a debt as such but more like a graduate tax. You will be borrowing for your course but only ever pay back a percentage of it depending on the size of your earnings, like a tax. For many, they will have the remainding debt written off as they apporach retirement.

Hello,
So I guess my post is quite different to what I'm seeing with other people post results day plans. I'm in a pretty sad place with a lot of thoughts on my mind, questioning what my future will look like.
Firstly I am really happy with my A level results I managed to achieve A*AA (although one of my exams is under review since I was only one mark away from an A*) and as such I managed to secure an offer with my firm university (University of Birmingham). On results day I was very happy and relieved as was my family & teachers. However it all started to go downhill from today…
although I have secured a place at a strong Russell group university I'm very worried about a few things. The degree which I will be pursuing is low and I know the university does have good provision in place for this course but the financial side and the cost of going to university is very much on my mind all the time. I'm aware that I will have a lot to repay once I finish university and I also am aware that there is a lot of difficulty in terms of gaining a training contract and being able to secure a vacation scheme as a university student. This is really started to almost put me off going to university because I think it won't really be as valued for the amount of money and time I will be investing. The fact that I may not even become a solicitor really worries me I would hate to regret it when looking back in the future .
Alternatively I have started to look into degree apprenticeships and the fact that a solicitor apprenticeship is almost alleviating my concerns. The solicitor apprenticeship route encompasses all the elements you require to become a solicitor. Unfortunately I did not apply to any solicitor apprenticeships which is my own fault and I do regret it but if I could go back in time I probably would have applied to them.
Now the issue is that I'm not too sure what I should do. My family are generally very supportive of me in whatever I do but they are really encouraging me to go to university. I do generally see why they would think that they're saying that it will broaden opportunities for me in terms of allowing me to access a range of careers if I don't end up becoming a solicitor or change my mind and think law is not the right course for me and they have also reminded me of the effort that I've put in to get to this point and the determination which I had to actually be able to secure my University Place. I feel really guilty about all of this I would hate to be a burden for my family which consists of my grandmother, myself and my mother who is a single parent.
You can probably see why I'm worried about the cost of going to university and the potential debt I will be left with after I leave university I do come from a low income background and I do want to be financially secure in the future and in the present. However I've never been able to really secure a job , partially due to my studies and also as Im a young Carer, so my caring responsibilities. Therefore I myself am not very financially secure either. I've thought about taking out a gap year but I don't think my family will be very supportive of it. I'm open to looking for some work this year as well to try to establish some sort of financial security but haven't really had much luck.
I would really like to hear from individuals who may be at university have gone down the apprenticeship route or those who may have been in a similar position to myself with any advice because I do feel very down at the moment and quite worried about the future as I do not feel very optimistic.
Thank you in advance. '