Exams are nobody’s idea of a good time. But opening a set of disappointing results can be one of the hardest moments you’ll ever face. However, it doesn’t need to be the end of the story. There are still lots of options available to you, even if your exam results have taken a plunge down a U-bend.
Contact your university
If you have an offer from a university but have missed the grades, it may well be worth getting in touch with the admissions office to see if they might accept you anyway. Although competition on many courses can be fierce, the cap on how many students a university can recruit is being lifted, meaning universities have more room to take on students.
Also, if you had mitigating circumstances (your parents separated, you were ill, you were recently bereaved), they may take that into consideration. It’s worth a shot.
Look into your second choices
Although you’ve missed out on your first choice, it may still be possible to take up your other offers. If your grades tally with their offer then this is very simple, but even if they don’t, it’s worth getting in touch with the Admissions Office to see if they’ll still offer you a place.
You may want to go through clearing
Clearing is, basically, a way to find places on courses if you’ve applied late or missed your grades. You can visit the UCAS website and search for vacancies using the Search Tool. Rather than seeing clearing as the losing option, be open to the idea that you may find a course and university that suit you just as well, or even better, in the long run.
You can do retakes
If you’re dead set on a certain grade, course, university or qualification then you may need to do retakes. You can find out all about how on the CIFE website. It explains how long you study for before retakes, where you can re-sit the exam, how much it will cost and what it will involve.
University isn’t the only option
There are lots of ways to carry on your education without going to university. Firstly, there ’s further education – a range of courses including technical level qualifications and applied general qualifications that can lead to a recognised occupation or further study. Visit the government website to find out more about further education courses and funding.
Alternatively, you may want to look into alternative courses through an organisation like Hyper Island or Arts Awards.
If you think remote access learning may suit you better then the Open University is already advertising courses for this October.
You might not actually need a degree
The list of successful people who have reached the top of their field without an academic qualification is longer than the M1 and far more heartening. Entrepreneurs don’t need degrees. Artists don’t need degrees. Chefs, business owners, writers, designers, builders and Einstein don’t need degrees. So maybe you’re going to take another path.
You’ve messed up your A levels. You haven’t messed up everything.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.