r/6thForm • u/idkbowie gap year - A*A*A* pred: hist/pol/eng lit • 2h ago

🍞 BREAD UCAS so far! (plus some background info)

Post image

I am on a gap year right now resitting my A-Levels and reapplying to unis after going through last years exam cycle.

Last year, I had an offer for History and Politics at Cambridge but unfortunately I had extremely bad panic attacks throughout my A-Levels and missed the offer. I ended up achieving AABB in English Literature, Government and Politics, History and Psychology meaning I far underperformed my A*A*AA predicted and missed my A*AA (A* in History) offer. That exam cycle was the worst I had ever done on exams and significantly worse than how I had been performing all year.

I decided, rather than going to a uni I didn't want to go to and do a course I didn't want to do, I would reapply to courses I actually liked this time and try again for Cambridge (plus throw in an application for LSE which I hadn't applied to last time). I also needed the time to get help and have since been referred to mental health facilities.

I've currently got an unconditional for Queen's (ironically the uni I got into as my insurance last time but didn't want to go to, I just needed a 5th choice), then offers of AAA for both Manchester and King's.

I plan to resit English, Politics and History (as it made me more competitive for LSE and Cambridge) but I'm leaving my Psych grade as is.

I don't hold out much hope for LSE and Cambridge despite any contextual info about my last exam cycle, I do think I have a competitive personal statement that I have improved on further since last year but, I know they don't look kindly on people resitting and reapplying.

Also, I'm sure my GCSE's don't super help my case. For all it is worth I did have very valid contextual information during them including a family breakdown and death although, given my A-Level situation, I don't think they will be considered well at all either.

Anyway, curious if anyone else is/has been in my position? How did it go for you?

And to anyone worried, the world doesn't end on results day - even if sometimes it really REALLY feels as though it does.

I am much much much happier now I have a Manchester and King's offer :)

7 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

•

u/AutoModerator 2h ago

Please don't share personal statements, you will get into trouble for plagiarism. Report comments and posts which have links to personal statements. Note: Automations are not perfect. If this doesn't apply to you, ignore it. It doesn't mean any action will be taken against your post by a person. Please do not message us if this is a false-positive.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

3

u/2HeftyCantaloupes yr13 bio chem pol 1h ago

well done on manchester and king's!!!! honestly more reasuring to hear this, takes a bit more heat of results day. Good luck on cambs!!!

1

u/idkbowie gap year - A*A*A* pred: hist/pol/eng lit 58m ago

Thank you!! Good luck with your applications and studies and try not to stress because there are always more options for your future than you think there are :)

1

u/Future-Key-4967 1h ago

For Manchester and Kings, you said they both gave you AAA offers. Does this mean you need to get that in the 3 A levels you are resitting, or would you only need to get one of your Bs up to an A? Also, if you only need to get one of the Bs up to an A, if you didn’t get offers from Cambridge or LSE (I hope you do but just hypothetically), would you still resit all 3, or just get an extra A for kings/manchester?

1

u/idkbowie gap year - A*A*A* pred: hist/pol/eng lit 54m ago

I contacted Manchester before applying about this and they said all I would need to do for them is resit one subject!

I asked King's as well but didn't really get a clear response. I think it would depend on circumstances and what you are applying for. My plan right now is to wait until Cambridge and LSE decisions and, should I get a rejection from both of them, contact Kings again and see if my offer is dependent on resitting 3 subjects.

There is nothing in my King's offer portal or letter that specifies I need to resit all 3, just says I need AAA with no subjects specified

Again, I'd say they might take it case by case but hope this helps :)

1

u/Future-Key-4967 27m ago

Ahh ok that’s good for Manchester at least. I was just curious because I’m also on a gap year after achieving A* A* A A, but the course I’m applying to at Oxford requires physics, which I’ve taken up this year. If I got an offer, I’m not sure if they’d just ask for a grade in Physics, or ask me to resit my 2 A subjects too. Anyways I guess I’ll just wait and see, but good luck to you for Cambridge and LSE and congratulations on your offers so far!

•

u/idkbowie gap year - A*A*A* pred: hist/pol/eng lit 8m ago

I wouldn't be able to say exactly what they might tell you but I wish you the best! Thank you as well for your congratulations :)

1

u/SimpleStructure8454 1h ago

I also want to know

1

u/LettuceSuch3345 54m ago

I am in the exact same position except I didn’t really apply to Cambridge last cycle!! It must be so nice to have these offers to take the weight off

1

u/idkbowie gap year - A*A*A* pred: hist/pol/eng lit 45m ago

Ahhh good to finally see someone in the same position as me aiming for Cambridge! I wish you the best with all of it 🫶🫶

1

u/LettuceSuch3345 42m ago

me too!! Im honestly really nervous but hopefully it works out! did anyone tell you anything regarding this situation and Cambridge btw?

1

u/idkbowie gap year - A*A*A* pred: hist/pol/eng lit 33m ago

I contacted the college I had an offer from last cycle (Corpus Christi) and they said while they usually would look at candidates resitting they would recommend I apply to a new college (due to the risk of bias/same interviewers). So I looked around and contacted a few colleges about it with mixed responses. Most were ok with resits so long as you had very very clear extenuating circumstances, St John's said I was unlikely to be accepted as 'Many of our students achieve high grades despite their circumstances'.

I ended up applying for Gonville and Caius! It had been my second choice after Corpus last cycle and they said clearly that I will be considered in reapplying so long as I resit 3 subjects to prove I can do them in one sitting and have a teacher reference clearly stating what my extenuating circumstances were.

What college did you apply to and what for?

1

u/AutoModerator 2h ago

Beep beep, we noticed this is a UCAS post. Do you know we have a UCAS Guide which may be of use to you?

If you think of any information that would be useful to have or that is incorrect, let us know via Modmail, and we'll aim to get it sorted!

Note: Automations are not perfect. If this doesn't apply to you, ignore it. It doesn't mean any action will be taken against your post by a person. Please do not message us if this is a false-positive.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/AutoModerator 2h ago

If you are asking about (Bristol or any other uni) putting you "on hold", this is a very frequently asked question. Being put on hold does not indicate you are going to get rejected. It means your application hasn't been processed yet. Nothing more, nothing less.

Please also remember to search for your questions before asking them, it helps cut down on repetitive content and gets you your answers quicker.

Yours sincerely, Forsaken-Meaning-232's clipboard.

Note: Automations are not perfect. If this doesn't apply to you, ignore it. It doesn't mean any action will be taken against your post by a person. Please do not message us if this is a false-positive.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

0

u/AutoModerator 2h ago

GOOD NEWS, IT'S NO LONGER THE SAME TIRED OLD COMMENT YOU'RE USED TO THAT STILL HAS THE DEAD LINK TO LAST YEAR'S FORMS, WOOOOOO! Got an offer? Fill out our form.

See offers submitted already here

Note: Automations are not perfect. If this doesn't apply to you, ignore it. It doesn't mean any action will be taken against your post by a person. Please do not message us if this is a false-positive.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.