Tell us about a time things didn't go to plan but it turned out better than expected

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

It's exam time at the moment, lots of you will likely have had your first exam, or maybe more than that!

To keep everyone motivated, I'd love to have a discussion where we share times where things didn't quite go to plan - but turned out alright in the end.

If you have received results in the past and they weren't quite what you wanted but you've ended up on a path you're happy with - could you tell us a little bit more? :smile:

Reply 1

LJMUStudentReps

Official Rep

Hi everyone,

For my GCSEs, I took Combined Science, English Language, English Literature, Maths, Geography, French, and Drama. I was predicted mostly 7s and 8s, so I was a bit surprised (and disappointed) when my results came back: one 7 in Science (probably my weakest subject alongside Maths), a bunch of 6s in the subjects I felt confident in, and a 4 in Maths—which I had kind of expected despite lots of revision.

What really stung was English. I’d always been strong in both Language and Literature and consistently got 8s, but I misread the clock during one of the exams and had to rush through the ending.

Still, those grades were enough to get me into the college I wanted. I started with English Lit, French, Geography, and an EPQ. I ended up switching French for Media Studies, which felt a bit disappointing at the time since I chose the college specifically because they offered French (my sixth form didn’t). But in the end, it was the right move for me.

Fast forward: I achieved A*A*AA. With Covid and adjusted grade boundaries, I’m not sure what I’d have got under normal circumstances—but I’ll take it!

I went onto study Business Management at university (I couldn’t take it at college because I didn’t have a 5 in Maths), won the undergraduate subject prize at my graduation, and then went on to do a master’s in Urban Studies. Now I’m in the process of applying for PhD scholarships and looking for graduate jobs.

Despite a bit of a rocky start and some setbacks, things worked out better than I could have expected. If you’re not where you hoped to be right now, just know that it doesn’t define where you’ll end up 🙂

Megan (LJMU Postgraduate Student Rep)

Reply 2

LancashireRep3

Official Rep

Original post

by 04MR17

It's exam time at the moment, lots of you will likely have had your first exam, or maybe more than that!
To keep everyone motivated, I'd love to have a discussion where we share times where things didn't quite go to plan - but turned out alright in the end.
If you have received results in the past and they weren't quite what you wanted but you've ended up on a path you're happy with - could you tell us a little bit more? :smile:

Hi, I love the idea of this thread. I’m currently studying medicine, however, things didn’t go to plan when I was applying for this.

I was originally holding 4 medicine offers. However, on results day I didn’t get the grades that I needed for either my firm or insurance choice and I ended up in clearing. I had never heard of clearing before and had no idea what to do. I went into college who were really supportive, and one of my tutors told me about a course that was not guaranteed to get me onto medicine but could help me get there.

I started studying on foundation entry medical sciences and during my first year, I applied to MBBS. This gave me a second chance to get onto a medicine degree, and the offer was made based on my medical sciences foundation year, rather than my A-level grades. I still had to do an interview and pass the other requirements. However, after working hard in this year, I ended up with the results I needed and was able to go in onto study medicine.

I am now about to graduate as a qualified doctor, but would never of got here if it wasn’t for someone telling me about alternative options.

My best advice is to look into clearing early on, so you have an idea of what this is and how it works and also have a good insurance choice that doesn’t have the same grades as your firm choice (which is what I did 🥲). I hope this helps somebody else and gives people the hope that not everything always goes to plan first time.

Rebecca University of Central Lancashire ambassador

Reply 3

flowersinmyhair

Volunteer Section Leader, Clearing and Applications Advisor

I did not get the grades of my offer to study at my university of choice, but they still gave me a place! I wasn't sure whether I wanted to study biology, I have studied it for a year now and can say it isn't what I want to do but it has allowed me to become a member of St John Ambulance which I know will really help me become a paramedic.

Reply 4

UniofReading

Official Rep

Original post

by 04MR17

It's exam time at the moment, lots of you will likely have had your first exam, or maybe more than that!
To keep everyone motivated, I'd love to have a discussion where we share times where things didn't quite go to plan - but turned out alright in the end.
If you have received results in the past and they weren't quite what you wanted but you've ended up on a path you're happy with - could you tell us a little bit more? :smile:

Good Evening,

Absolutely — and this is such a great idea for staying motivated during exam season! 😊
I'll share a story that many students can relate to:

I remember me and my friend had our heart set on getting into our first-choice university which was Reading. She worked incredibly hard, but when results day came, she missed the grade by just one mark in one subject. She was devastated at first — it felt like everything had fallen apart. We planned to study the same subject of business management as well and it seemed like we weren't going to go to the same university.

But here’s the twist: she went through Clearing and found a place at the university but with a different subject which was economics that she hadn’t even considered before. It turned out to be exactly what she needed. She ended up loving the course, made incredible friends, and even discovered a new passion that led her into starting up an economics society at the university too!
Now, she always says even though we aren't studying in the same course shes very happy to still be in the same university and excelling even more than what she believed.

If you have any questions, please let us know, and we will be happy to help.

All the best,
Ronnie
BSc Business & Management

(edited 9 months ago)