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3 rejections down for my daughter - what next?

My daughter has been rejected from Bristol and Nottingham without interview plus Liverpool after an interview. Currently waiting on hearing from Edinburgh which I believe will not be till late March.
She's predicted 3 A's in Bio, Chem and Maths and has worked hard in attaining plenty of work experience.
Feeling very down about it!
Can anyone offer her advice on where to go next- she's expecting the inevitable from Edinburgh unfortunately.
Will her chances be improved for 2027 application with her three A's in the bag and a stack more work experience under her belt? Should she still apply to the above Uni's or look to Lancashire or Aberystwyth?
She's considering volunteering in South Africa if she gets another rejection and looking for recommendations on who to use to arrange this.
Any help most appreciated!

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Reply 1

Hi, there is also UCAS clearance, I can't remember exactly when, but if she doesn't get any offer she should definitely try to apply there.
Tell her to keep up with the good work, my friend was also predicted 3 A*s in the same subjects your daughter is doing, she only got 1 offer! she had to call universities on results day, and since not everyone gets the results needed for the course there might be able to fit her in, this is what my friend did and now she's in the uni she wanted.

Reply 2

Most 'volunteering' in South Africa is expensive. It can be a great experience but I wouldn't expect it to boost an applicant's chances as it is obviously not available to most because of the cost. My daughter did the 'vets go wild' program as part of her uni EMS and she loved it but there are simpler/better ways of improving an application. Grades in hand plus an additional year spent boosting her work experience would make her application stronger.

Reply 3

My daughter did the vet visions programme with world wide vets, and loved it fingers crossed for Edinburgh

Reply 4

Original post
by yew-tree-farm
My daughter has been rejected from Bristol and Nottingham without interview plus Liverpool after an interview. Currently waiting on hearing from Edinburgh which I believe will not be till late March.
She's predicted 3 A's in Bio, Chem and Maths and has worked hard in attaining plenty of work experience.
Feeling very down about it!
Can anyone offer her advice on where to go next- she's expecting the inevitable from Edinburgh unfortunately.
Will her chances be improved for 2027 application with her three A's in the bag and a stack more work experience under her belt? Should she still apply to the above Uni's or look to Lancashire or Aberystwyth?
She's considering volunteering in South Africa if she gets another rejection and looking for recommendations on who to use to arrange this.
Any help most appreciated!

Hi @yew-tree-farm,

I'm sorry to hear this. It can be so disheartening receiving rejections from university. I've definitely been there in the past. If possible, I would suggest asking for some feedback from the interviews or applications if possible. Often, individual feedback isn't given due to the amount of requests there are and admissions being busy with different intake applications and so on. But it is definitely worth a try! 🙂

I think getting more experience if not starting university this year is definitely a good idea. Our course is an immersive and practically-focused curriculum with clinical placements from Year 1. Our new way of teaching uses digital technologies to deliver innovative face-to-face teaching. This means we don’t rely on traditional lectures.

You can find out about our entry requirements on our course page here which your daughter's predicted grades are within. As our requirements are two science subjects and one or other or two science subjects and maths. On the above link, you can also find a breakdown of the requirements including the different groups the science courses must be from, which your daughters again suite our requirements.

I would also recommend your daughter checking out @unilancashire_vets on Instagram to get a flavour of our course, see some behind the scenes and it's there to direct message if she has any questions about vet med. If your daughter has any questions before applying she can also get in touch with our course enquirers team via [email protected] or by giving them a call on +44 (0)1772 892400 (Option 1)

Lastly, feel free to join us on Saturday 20 June 2026 for an immersive Open Day experience at the School of Veterinary Medicine. More information can be found here Veterinary Medicine Undergraduate Open Day June 2026

Fingers crossed for the last decision 🤞

Hope this helps,
^Zac

Reply 5

My daughter was in this position last year. She had 4 interviews and got 3 rejections and waitlisted for 1 (no offers). It was a tough year! She decided to take a year out and reapply. She’s working in a country store, doing a day a week at a farm and retaking chemistry. She also joined the young farmers association.
She has changed so much since September, she has again had 4 interviews, had an offer from Nottingham and Aberystwyth and waitlist from Surrey. She hasn’t yet heard back from sruc.

I thought that reapplying this year would not allow enough time for her to develop her interview skills, but it’s been amazing how quickly she has changed.

My advise would be don’t take up the back up uni option unless she really wants to, and brace yourself for another year of the emotional rollercoaster that is applying for vet med 😊

Reply 6

Original post
by emma808
My daughter was in this position last year. She had 4 interviews and got 3 rejections and waitlisted for 1 (no offers). It was a tough year! She decided to take a year out and reapply. She’s working in a country store, doing a day a week at a farm and retaking chemistry. She also joined the young farmers association.
She has changed so much since September, she has again had 4 interviews, had an offer from Nottingham and Aberystwyth and waitlist from Surrey. She hasn’t yet heard back from sruc.
I thought that reapplying this year would not allow enough time for her to develop her interview skills, but it’s been amazing how quickly she has changed.
My advise would be don’t take up the back up uni option unless she really wants to, and brace yourself for another year of the emotional rollercoaster that is applying for vet med 😊

Hi, did she resit the Chemistry or is taking a year to re do it, alongside working? Thanks 😊

Reply 7

Original post
by 123Sto
Hi, did she resit the Chemistry or is taking a year to re do it, alongside working? Thanks 😊

She got a B last year so she got conditional offers for A in chem. I think she struggled to focus last year with no offer to aim for.
She’s working part time and doing the a-level alongside working

Reply 8

Original post
by yew-tree-farm
My daughter has been rejected from Bristol and Nottingham without interview plus Liverpool after an interview. Currently waiting on hearing from Edinburgh which I believe will not be till late March.
She's predicted 3 A's in Bio, Chem and Maths and has worked hard in attaining plenty of work experience.
Feeling very down about it!
Can anyone offer her advice on where to go next- she's expecting the inevitable from Edinburgh unfortunately.
Will her chances be improved for 2027 application with her three A's in the bag and a stack more work experience under her belt? Should she still apply to the above Uni's or look to Lancashire or Aberystwyth?
She's considering volunteering in South Africa if she gets another rejection and looking for recommendations on who to use to arrange this.
Any help most appreciated!

There are plenty of people get just one offer, so fingers crossed for Edinburgh. She needs to focus on her current exams, so don't let this process derail that. The fact that she has not been successful in all her applications, doesn't mean there is anything wrong with her interview style or work experience, just that the process is ridiculously competitive. If she does take a gap year: 1) look at clearing options, 2) have something to look forward to (so a trip is a great idea) 3) get feedback from her interviews and spend this year boosting work experience and interview style, 4) reflect on what style of interview she liked and apply to uni's that have that interview format (MMI or traditional, virtual or in person or no interview). Good luck for Edinburgh, the wait is a killer and if she does need to reapply, that is perfectly normal and with additional time and not having the pressure of exams I'm sure she will do very well next year.

Reply 9

Original post
by emma808
She got a B last year so she got conditional offers for A in chem. I think she struggled to focus last year with no offer to aim for.
She’s working part time and doing the a-level alongside working


So she is resitting one A-level but also got offers. I thought universities would require 3 A-levels to be done at the same time. Does that not apply to any re-sits then and repeating just one A-level is acceptable?
Original post
by Cat7652
So she is resitting one A-level but also got offers. I thought universities would require 3 A-levels to be done at the same time. Does that not apply to any re-sits then and repeating just one A-level is acceptable?

Most unis are fine with just one resit.

Reply 11

Original post
by yew-tree-farm
My daughter has been rejected from Bristol and Nottingham without interview plus Liverpool after an interview. Currently waiting on hearing from Edinburgh which I believe will not be till late March.
She's predicted 3 A's in Bio, Chem and Maths and has worked hard in attaining plenty of work experience.
Feeling very down about it!
Can anyone offer her advice on where to go next- she's expecting the inevitable from Edinburgh unfortunately.
Will her chances be improved for 2027 application with her three A's in the bag and a stack more work experience under her belt? Should she still apply to the above Uni's or look to Lancashire or Aberystwyth?
She's considering volunteering in South Africa if she gets another rejection and looking for recommendations on who to use to arrange this.
Any help most appreciated!
Hey has she done an inteview for Edinburgh? If shes still waiting for a descision dont lose hope yet! She only needs ONE offer to get into med school. Wishing her the best of luck- shes got this! :smile:

Reply 12

Original post
by Cat7652
So she is resitting one A-level but also got offers. I thought universities would require 3 A-levels to be done at the same time. Does that not apply to any re-sits then and repeating just one A-level is acceptable?

Yes, the only uni that wouldn’t accept a resit was Edinburgh but we checked before she submitted her UCAS application

Reply 13

Original post
by emma808
She got a B last year so she got conditional offers for A in chem. I think she struggled to focus last year with no offer to aim for.
She’s working part time and doing the a-level alongside working

Thanks

Reply 14

Original post
by ainhoa.20
Hi, there is also UCAS clearance, I can't remember exactly when, but if she doesn't get any offer she should definitely try to apply there.
Tell her to keep up with the good work, my friend was also predicted 3 A*s in the same subjects your daughter is doing, she only got 1 offer! she had to call universities on results day, and since not everyone gets the results needed for the course there might be able to fit her in, this is what my friend did and now she's in the uni she wanted.

Thank you- if Edinburgh doesn't come up trumps, we'll def be looking at clearing though I hear only Lancs were on clearing last year!

Reply 15

Original post
by ReadingMum
Most 'volunteering' in South Africa is expensive. It can be a great experience but I wouldn't expect it to boost an applicant's chances as it is obviously not available to most because of the cost. My daughter did the 'vets go wild' program as part of her uni EMS and she loved it but there are simpler/better ways of improving an application. Grades in hand plus an additional year spent boosting her work experience would make her application stronger.

Thanks for advice- we have friends in SA and have visited before so it's a huge pull for her and quite honestly at this moment it's the driving force to getting those A's!

Reply 16

Original post
by vetincoming
My daughter did the vet visions programme with world wide vets, and loved it fingers crossed for Edinburgh

Thanks for the tip!

Reply 17

Original post
by UniLancashire
Hi @yew-tree-farm,
I'm sorry to hear this. It can be so disheartening receiving rejections from university. I've definitely been there in the past. If possible, I would suggest asking for some feedback from the interviews or applications if possible. Often, individual feedback isn't given due to the amount of requests there are and admissions being busy with different intake applications and so on. But it is definitely worth a try! 🙂
I think getting more experience if not starting university this year is definitely a good idea. Our course is an immersive and practically-focused curriculum with clinical placements from Year 1. Our new way of teaching uses digital technologies to deliver innovative face-to-face teaching. This means we don’t rely on traditional lectures.
You can find out about our entry requirements on our course page here which your daughter's predicted grades are within. As our requirements are two science subjects and one or other or two science subjects and maths. On the above link, you can also find a breakdown of the requirements including the different groups the science courses must be from, which your daughters again suite our requirements.
I would also recommend your daughter checking out @unilancashire_vets on Instagram to get a flavour of our course, see some behind the scenes and it's there to direct message if she has any questions about vet med. If your daughter has any questions before applying she can also get in touch with our course enquirers team via [email protected] or by giving them a call on +44 (0)1772 892400 (Option 1)
Lastly, feel free to join us on Saturday 20 June 2026 for an immersive Open Day experience at the School of Veterinary Medicine. More information can be found here Veterinary Medicine Undergraduate Open Day June 2026
Fingers crossed for the last decision 🤞
Hope this helps,
^Zac

Thank you for commenting - we'll certainly look at your suggestions.

Reply 18

Original post
by emma808
My daughter was in this position last year. She had 4 interviews and got 3 rejections and waitlisted for 1 (no offers). It was a tough year! She decided to take a year out and reapply. She’s working in a country store, doing a day a week at a farm and retaking chemistry. She also joined the young farmers association.
She has changed so much since September, she has again had 4 interviews, had an offer from Nottingham and Aberystwyth and waitlist from Surrey. She hasn’t yet heard back from sruc.
I thought that reapplying this year would not allow enough time for her to develop her interview skills, but it’s been amazing how quickly she has changed.
My advise would be don’t take up the back up uni option unless she really wants to, and brace yourself for another year of the emotional rollercoaster that is applying for vet med 😊

Yes- we do think that a year out would actually be beneficial for her in so many ways. We are a big 'Young Farmers' family, does kids the world of good to be part of the association.

Reply 19

Original post
by summertimes1824
Hey has she done an inteview for Edinburgh? If shes still waiting for a descision dont lose hope yet! She only needs ONE offer to get into med school. Wishing her the best of luck- shes got this! :smile:

Thanks so much- yes she interviewed for Edinburgh and loved every station! You're right - only need one!

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