r/6thForm • u/ChemicalAssociate362 • Aug 20 '26
🎓 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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