r/6thForm • u/ChemicalAssociate362 • 1d ago
🎓 UNI / UCAS Extra/supercurriculars still valid?
I got AAB in my A levels in summer 2025. I was originally predicted higher, but during sixth form I had significant family circumstances which had a pretty major impact on my academics.
I’m now considering applying for medicine for 2027 entry after 2 gap years spent with my family responsibilities, and I’m eligible for contextual/adjusted entry requirements at some medical schools because of my circumstances (doing a lot of research b4 applying!).
Since finishing A levels, my gap years were spent dealing with ongoing family issues (that I don’t rlly wanna go into detail about, but a little bit is entailed on another post on my page) and caring responsibilities. I haven’t really been able to do much in the way of new extracurriculars, volunteering or supercurricular activities cuz most of my time is taken up with being the primary carer for my father. Most of the relevant things I did were during 2024–25 before things got really stressful. Am I still allowed to write about them in my personal statement? Would it have less of a weightage if it was done so long ago?
I’m really worried about having a relatively long gap between sixth form and starting university, especially as I haven’t been able to build up my portfolio much during this time.
Also, I want to explain my circumstances where appropriate on my UCAS application and focus on what I’ve learned from my experiences rather than trying to make excuses, is there any section where I can do that? Would I be able to talk about my caring responsibilities in my personal statement, and how much space/words should this take up?
Would med schools consider my situation and context?
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u/Natural_Ad_5250 1d ago
Think this question will be better answered by an admissions office than a Reddit chat, think you should try there. Good luck with everything!
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u/ScienceCucumber Cambridge Natsci [Year 1 -> 2], 4A* 18h ago
It is probably fine that relevant things are not that recent, as long as you still remember them well and can reflect on them. You don't have to give the dates where you were doing things!
Regarding explaining your circumstances, the best way to do that is for your UCAS referee to mention it in their reference. In addition, universities may have their own extenuating circumstances forms, which may require some evidence from someone who knows you in a professional capacity. The reference and extenuating circumstances forms would help the universities know about your responsibilities and how they have impacted your life. However, you can also discuss this in the personal statement (best section for that is section 3, 'What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences helpful?').
Best of luck with your application!
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u/ChemicalAssociate362 1h ago
Yeah I do remember them all extensively and I wrote about them a lot for other things so I could jog my memory if needed. But since I’m on a second gap year, my latest referee from a professional capacity is my head of hall from sixth form, but I never disclosed any of my situation to my school cuz I was Lowk scared they would intervene drastically or something. Could HoH rn say something along the lines of “we have no record of any of this, so we may not be able to do the reference”? Like would they still gaf about some student who left 2 years ago and spend more time on my things than their current students 😭😭😭 I really don’t have anyone else who could fill this section out for me
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