It’s so refreshing to hear someone talk about the scenario where it doesn’t go as planned! Would you recommend a gap year, I’m torn whether to do it or not and feel a bit stick Great video!!!
A gap year can defo be great, but if it isn't planned properly it can also be the opposite. Any idea if you wanna work, or travel, or a bit of both, or what?
I’m doing a gap year and I’m loving it so far but you have to be very intentional, I made a list of things I HAVE to do and want to do. So have to do is get a new job that gives me 30 hours at least, revising for biology resits for next summer which I’m doing, I have to save money and track how much money I’m saving. My want to do list is thongs like gym learn guitar , get better at swimming etc etc. It took me like a few days to sit down and sort things out I wouldn’t suggest just winging it
@@zoeschoolstuff6919 This 100%!!! I have just taken a gap year and it was amazing!! I got so much relevant work experience for my course, started creating a network of people within my profession and earned a load of money for uni! On the other hand- I had a friend who took a gap year and didn’t do anything really apart from play video games. You absolutely NEED a game plan and to remain focussed on your goals.
A-Levels this year are so weird. People either did ridiculously well or ridiculously bad like me. I feel like these grades aren't accurate and are just trying to fill a quota of getting a reasonable amount of good results rather than going off of genuine skill.
I felt the same with gcses, my music exam got dropped down and when asked for the breakdown, one of the elements that made up my grade said a 77% was a 5 which sounds ridiculous. I had three grades downgraded and the rest were as expected
I got ABE this year. I knew biology would do me dirty the science department purely used results POST lockdown which for obvious reasons was lower than before, whereas my other a levels psychology and sociology took everything into account, the string of As and Bs and dip in my grades AFTER the pandemic which I brought back up lol. But I wasn’t surprised really A LOT of me and my friends got slapped with Es so now I’m planning to do summer resits because autumn and working full time is unrealistic and hoping to app,y to uni to start 2022
Great to hear that you turned a setback into the situation you wanted man! Kind of eased myself as I’m applying to Cambridge this year and worried if I don’t make the offer after all the effort
thanks for this video, it’s really very inspiring to see someone like you working so hard even when things go off the rails. wish there were more videos like this. your offer was very well deserved and congrats! did you reapply to brasenose? I’m starting at oxford this october as well so maybe see you around (:
Clearing and/or re-sits are always an option :) hope it all works out. Speak to teachers as Clearing unis like royal holloway etc are still having vacancies.
Things will defo work out - the next video I made about "what to do with 'bad' results" might be useful, it's about all the options, check it out if you want!
But you might struggle a bit more than the A-level students once you get to university. But I'm pretty sure that if you put in the work with the btecs and when you get to university, you'll be just fine. Wish you the best! ☺️
@@Sam.Kramer That will be better but if your college/sixth form offers a 1 year course that will still get you into uni, you can do that but you're gonna have to work harder because you're doing 2 years content in one year. If you want to go for the 1 year course, I would suggest you only do one btec subject in the one year course and carry on with 2 A-levels from year 12.
i really needed this after hearing all the news about the majority of people getting into their firms and getting great grades but not being part of it despite usually being a great student. i'm slowly starting to get over it, it's only when other people start brigning it up again to me that i regret again but hopefully life will carry on and i can thrive at my new uni :))
Not just 'hopefully', life will definitely carry on and a few months in I bet you will not have been able to imagine yourself anywhere else!! Thanks for the comment :)
@@saraelh9724 My school allows us to take a of max 5 a levels, but its highly discouraged, a lot of us do 4, or you end up wrecking one or two of your subjects like I did. I think it just depends on the school really, but you should be able to ask your counselor if you want to take 5 but they only allow 3.
@@marylyn236 yes the uk system let you go for that but it is discouraged and they allow 3/4 max depending on your grades from your gcse’s.. I’m doing 3
Thanks for this video! I turned down UCL a few days ago in order to take a gap year & reapply to Oxford and I'm feeling quite panicked about planning a worthwhile gap year, and about potentially getting rejected again. It's good to hear that it does work out for some people!
The results are ass bruh. Remember last year when we all complained and they changed it in like a week or two. These results are ass bruh they better fix it
I don't know how I ended here, this appeared on my youtube feed. I'm not from the UK, have never taken A-levels or anything of the sort nor am I familiar with it, and I've already graduated with a bachelor's degree this year, meaning I am probably 4-5 years older than you. But I just want to say that you are so brave for posting this. "Failing" (please note the quotation mark) hurts, and it's gonna sting for a while, but just like you said, it's not the end of everything. I am wishing you ease in your future academic journey. Everything will work out. I can see that you're such a hardworking person. Hard work will pay off. in the long run, I am sure. I know this is probably really cliche and you've heard of it but I always repeat this quote like a mantra - "life is 10% of what happens you, and 90% of how you react to it". Fighting!
Such a nice comment, thanks so much! I made this video not really expecting anyone to see it, but I am so happy that a lot of people have resonated with it and have maybe taken some solace. I am sure in 4-5 years we will all look back and have been more than just fine in the end! Thanks again for watching
A*A and C in chemistry, school fucked me over lol. Missed both my offers, not sure whether to got York for econ or gap year and resit and go bristol etc
It's quite late to plan a gap year, if you do take one make sure you have a clear plan or it could get very boring/lonely. I have a few mates at York and they really like it but Bristol is also amazing. Hopefully quite a nice dilemma to have!
@@Sam.Kramer I have no on campus accomodation at York for the first year, I’d have to stay in private because they got overwhelmed despite me having a “guarantee” 😴. Seeing my friends at uni for a year will probably make me lonely I know but I’m not sure about York it’s such a hard decision to make honestly
Hello Sam. I really enjoyed your scenario with your studies. I used to teach students your age in a college. I'm sorry things didn't work out for you, but just watching you, you have an awful lot going for you and a lot of potential. You seem very confident. determined, willing to get to the destination you want to go. Have you not thought about becoming a mentor for students like your self or a student adviser, I believe if you've got the confidence and skills to make these very useful videos for students like yourself and I love the way you have re assured students like yourself to keep trying, then I believe you will do better than you ever thought possible. You would also be good either supporting or volunteering for an international or national youth charity or being an ambassador for a youth charity. Whatever you do, i wish you the best of success. Take Care Chris M
Hi Chris, thanks so much for the very kind words - that means a lot. I worked in a 14-19 college during my gap year and have also worked in a children’s chess summer camp and helped lead a children's residential summer camp after the school year finished, so I have done a bit of work with kids and always find it really rewarding. I do aim to make more videos and see where they take me - I completely agree with you that this has the potential to make large positive impact. I find it crazy that some of the big ‘youtubers’ have thousands (or more) real people listening carefully to what they say. What a great honour and privilege these people have!
@@Sam.Kramer Sam that is great. You obviously look out for people like yourself. When I was around your age I received my music A level result and even though I had passed (Just) I still felt the feeling of disappointment that I hadn't done better, but I did go to pass my grade 8 theory and practical in music and then an HND later at college. Your videos will give inspiring hope to those like yourself who will be waiting for those all important results to get into uni, only to get disappointed. Hey you could even hold some sort of advice shop or centre to give students advice on where to go next. Think you will do great though. Chris
I had an offer for Cambridge this year that required A*AA but I go A*AB instead. I'm taking a gap year and resitting my Chemistry in October which I got the B in. Hopefully things will go well and i'll get an internship to fill out my gap year and maybe go to LSE next year. It's really tough studying by yourself!
That's so tough :/ is it the same as last year where Cambridge guaranteed keeping places for students who missed their offer at first but then made them after the Autumn Series exams? It really is tough to motivate yourself for the Autumn Series alone but just keep reminding yourself of the bigger picture and that in a few months you will be free haha
@@Sam.Kramer nope they did not hold the offer :( but I’m okay with it - I feel like I’d fit in better at a london uni anyways! So maybe everything does happen for a reason
Hii thanxx for the video, I’m in a very similar position and this gives me hope. I just wanted to ask you that if I retake a subject in October will the unis take the result into consideration (eg Oxbridge) as the results come out in December?? Also could you please please advise on how to find a job or internship during gap year as I’m really struggling... thank youuuu☺️
Great question, as I did one Autumn series and kept two intact, I applied with two intact grades, and my third grade was a predicted grade (and they could see the original grade - and actually worst comes to worst I still had the minimum requirement for the course). My one Autumn Series result came out just after my interviews - so, depending on how soon after all interviews are finished they decide places, it's unclear to me if they had already decided before seeing my Autumn Series Grade (based off my Autumn predicted and worst case grade) or if they waited a few days to see it and then decide their places. Hope this makes sense
@@Sam.Kramer heyy thanks for replying, that makes a lot of sense! Could you please suggest some websites where to find work experience/jobs/apprenticeships for gap year students??
BestGapYear is a good place to start, I found it useful to at least work out more what I wanted to do from all the possible options, then I could research more specifically
Definitely agree that too many people go to uni these days. I thought university was right for me personally but I would also encourage more people to consider other options, especially if they are not 100% set on it
Hi um from sri lanka Iam bad at english But tell me how to enter university in ur country Its free or paid What if any student havent enough results to enter university ,and how to get digree that students In our country we have 3 attempts I did my als in biological stream biology physics chemistry I got ABB iwant to be a doctor but unfortunately um not selected that medical science In sri lanka we havent private med schools we have to go to overseas to get medical digree So my al results enough to enter pharmacy digree (b pharm) so sad nothing to do😢😢😢😢
Hello thank you very much for watching. University is £9250 per year for students from the UK. Students who come from other countries (like you would be) may pay a different amount depending on the country etc. You do need good grades, especially for medical subjects, but there are plenty of courses available that have different offers eg. Some courses may want CCC grades. Hope this helps
Do you have any advice on how to spend free periods during college. Should I spend all of them revising. Or leave some room for social life. Inside and outside of school hours too? Thanks in advance.
Thanks for watching! Definitely save time to chill - it is important in itself but you will also work harder the other times because of it. Work out if you would rather spend the free periods working and more time at home chilling or vice versa. In reality it will probably be a bit of both and you may find it changes week on week depending on when your deadlines are and you have to play it by ear. Hope this helps!
Sometimes you have to make the best of what you got. I wanted to study Economics at Glasgow but I didn't get the grades. Instead I got BBC, but because of the system at the time (2008) I could reapply to a different faculty at Glasgow and got in to study Geography. However, I ended up doing Geology, and went on to do a PhD in Environmental Geochemistry (my A levels were maths, geography, and economics). Point is, unless you're doing something like medicine/dentistry/ veterinary, your undergraduate studies can take you in so many directions :)
So true, thanks for sharing! People always find it weird that I am not sure what I want to do with my degree but I think it's slowly changing and people are starting to see the merit of less vocational degrees
I'm a 2021 graduate mechanical engineer with a 1st class degree, I've graduated from one of the top engineering university in UK. To everyone that didn't get into their choice of university don't be upset or take it to heart, it doesn't really matter which uni you graduate it from, at the end of the day it could either be top uni in the UK or the bottom uni in the list. You all come out with the same knowledge and degree. When it comes to working for a companies they don't actually care if your a Cambridge graduate or a Sunderland graduate. The degree basically shows the employer that you have the capability to learn something. Anyone planning on doing mechanical engineering at University, my advice would be don't go to uni unless you want to live a uni life, choose an apprenticeship route, your going to be in a far better situation financially, have real life engineering experience and knowledge, in the end a secured job. At the end you will go to uni and a degree without being in 50k debt because the company will pay for your education. All the best to everyone and good luck on your journey.
Congrats on the first! I have no idea about engineering but sounds like it might be very sensible advice - thanks for commenting it, hopefully people can find it useful!
something similar happened to me during igcse i was given b and c for most of my subject and it was all random i had to resit triple science and got 3 a stars and my other subjects were upgraded to an a
I freaked out after you mentioned about the government scraping the old policy on Aug 17 and I saw the upload date was 10th Aug. I'm an international student!
@@Sam.Kramer Hey man I attached the link of the article multiple times but the comment is getting deleted for some reason. You just google "almost half of pupils receive A* and A in A levels" and you will get countless of articles from dailymail etc. Inflation is sky high this year. Can you imagine the situation if around half of the country gets A and A*s? At this rate, I have a better shot of getting into Cambridge than the others cause Camb mostly focuses on the admissions test + interview.
For anyone upset, don't worry. It may be patronising, but don't worry. You worked hard, you tried your best. Don't balance you're worth on a university place. I left school in 2016. 4 GCSES. Went off to Sixth Form. Failed first year (I took 3 AS. Failed one subject) took the 2 AS to second year. Long story short, got my maths, got my Alevels, did a BTEC and received [equivalent alongside my 2 alevels] A*A*A*A* D. Breathe. Take your time. Trust the process
Thanks so much for sharing, great to hear another story of someone who went through this a few years ago and, with hindsight, can share that it truly is possible to turn everything into a massive success. Congrats on the insane grades of course haha
Sure would have loved my a levels to have been handed to me on a plate 😂 Save your time and dont bother with uni. Get an apprenticeship and get a trade behind you. Uni isnt worth it anymore
Great question, short answer is either they will have to find space for everyone or find ways to encourage people to defer a year and start in 2022. You might have seen that Leeds are offering some students in some courses £10,000 and free accommodation to defer - crazy money but shows how much some unis cannot physically take everyone at the moment
@@Sam.Kramer Yeah this literally fucks people applying this year. People in your cohort will be applying with achieved skyrocketed grades way above what is required for the course and you know what happens next. At this moment, it is just best to admit that everyone has fucked up, real bad and I mean everyone. I'm applying for 2022 circle and wished just someone would shoot me dead honestly.
@@Sam.Kramer Thank you Sam! Just had to check you out since it was in my recommendation. Btw, congrats for being accepted into Trinity College, you done yourself and your family proud😁.
@@Sam.Kramer a politician in my country claimed that he finished Special Diploma of Social Studies at Oxford University. May I ask is Special Diploma is quite similar to Bachelor's degree?
Are you talking about Bongbong Marcos? As I understand, it is not the same as a degree (and that he did not finish his degree). I found a CNN article about it called "Oxford group: Marcos received special diploma, no college degree"
I got a BCDE on my A-level results day, one mark lower than I was hoping for on everything (except chemistry, I still don't know how i ever passed that!) I'm now about to start my masters' degree in human nutrition at Oxford Brookes. One day is not the end of all things, and there will always be options available if you didn't quite make your first-choice. There's a big world out there, and somebody needs to keep it running. Go make it happen!
Great advice and a great comeback story, I hope people can take some solace from it. Thanks for sharing it and best of luck for starting your Masters of course!!
I didn't want to talk about specific grades as I knew there would be plenty of people who got way better or way worse, I just wanted to talk about rejection in A Level Results Day in general. Hope that makes sense