Feeling a bit lost

Dizzyblonde99

Dizzyblonde99

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Apologies, probably not the best place to put my ramblings. Sorry for bad grammer and spelling, in need of some sleep.

Hello, in need of a bit of advice or a slap!

Basically, got my AS results today and appear to have bogged up rather, 2 D's, B and a U. Not unexpected, just stupidly annoyed with myself. Without sounding too up myself, I know I'm not stupid I can get A's in tests with a little work I just completely bog up in exams.

Now wondering what to do really, I know my parents would be very disappointed if I don't go to uni, my brothers at Cambridge doing Vetinary which is a bit of a hard act to follow, and I don't have a clue what to do! I don't know whether to retake a year stuck in a mind numbingly boring college, somehow try and go into my second year and pass my A levels (gulp!) or maybe stop myself from wasting a couple of years and try to do something horsey? I had been doing Biology, chemistry (D's), Maths (U) and geography (B). I do enjoy geography and if I wasn't so bad at the whole exam thing might have hoped to have done it at uni, is there any point in doing some easier 'duff' subjects and going to a poorer uni and spending 9k in the process.... I’m not the most fantastic rider either can do a bit of everything nothing affiliated, don’t have any BHS exams so probably not the most attractive for a WP type position?

Deary me I've got myself in a muddle! Would appreciate some advice or a good slap around the face, thank you!

eta a pick of M as he hasn't shown his giant face here recently
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Sorry about your exam results.

If you were my daughter I would be asking what you really want to do.

Do you want to go to uni, if so A levels are not the only route. There are plenty of Level 3 Diplomas which only have course work, no exams.

You probably wont get into one of the top universities and even if you did the exam problem would raise its head again.

The other way would be to get some help on exam techniques. Have you asked your college about this.

With the cost of going to uni these days I dont think its worth it, unless you know what you want to do, and what the benefits to you will be in the long run.

Its a lot of debt to run up if you really want to muck out stables.
 
Honestly, I don't think you should go to university just to please your parents!

Decide what you want to do. If you go to university just because you feel it's expected of you, you might find it very hard to stick to it and end up dropping out. If you then ever did realise there's a subject you, really, really want to study, it will be harder to get back in.

Have you tried talking to your parents about your doubts and fears? You might find they understand more than you think, and that your happiness matters more to them than exam results. xxx
 
Have to echo the other posters. You will only ever be good at what you enjoy doing. Ignore what your siblings are doing, they are following their own path. Follow yours instead. Life is too short to be doing what you don't love. You will end up where you are supposed to be even if it takes a few wonky years, everyone does the same.

The steve jobs graduation speech should be shown to anyone who wobbles about what their job should be in life!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc
 
I dont know if this really helps but a friends sister just got accepted into a uni which requested B C C with B E E because they were really undersubscribed due to the raised fees. Im slightly in shock tbh, I knew there would be less students but thats quite a drop & not really sure if its something we should be encouraging (when born on the back of self admittedly doing very little work, rather than trying your hardest but just really struggling with exams), but for the sake of information sharing there it is! :).

Best advice -be honest with yourself; could you have put more effort into your prep both throughout the year and just before exams, and more importantly will you? If you could and would put in more work, then progress to second year and retake a few ASs in january, a B is a very good grade and the rest you could recover if its viable for you :). However if you worked your butt off and 2 of your subjects just really dont suit you I would think again and either restart with subjects you do better in whilst keeping your geog :) or think about alternatives. Doing a btec is a viable option, however I will say most of the people I know (did my a-levels at Ag/ equine college) who did a btec in equine and then left are either unemployed, working in entirely unrelated jobs eg shelf stacking, or struggled for work/ work they wanted and are now going back to uni to do their equine degree. However of the btecs some did stay straight on to do an equine studies degree which from what I can gather all are enjoying :), although again I dont know what their prospects would be after getting their degree compared to a traditionally academic degree (might be the same mainly I dont know havent researched it :)) but I would imagine better than those who left after btec generally. A degree like equine studies/ equine science/ equine business studies may also keep your parents happy whilst being something you enjoy? Another option at a small handful of unis is to do a joint degree with some type of equine. I started it and it didnt work for me, and I swapped to purely traditionally academic degree, but Im sure thats because of where I went rather than anything else. I *believe* nottingham offer that option to do a joint traditionally academic subject and equine science degree, so might be worth a look for ideas/inspiration? :)


Just my ramblings :) hope it helps a bit and doesnt make choices harder!
 
Just realised that sounds horrid to btecs and Im sure plenty of people have gone onto have the careers they wanted without a degree, just the small sample of people I know. So my experience could be entirely unproportional to the norm! Also to add some of my friends who are btecs have the jobs they wanted as working pupils, exercise riders etc but from what I can gather these jobs were gained more so from them being cracking riders rather than having their btec. though I could be wrong! * dons tin hat* in case of accidentally insulting people with various educations! Im terribly sorry if anything can be read in the wrong light, Im rather tired and worried Ive written somethint poorly! and I have friends with all different types of educations and all have their merits :)
 
I worked with horses on leaving school. I didn't even go onto do A levels. I did my AI, then got a job in Italy, where I found I picked up the language well. I decided that I wanted to study languages, but obviously needed A levels. I came back to the UK, got a job on a hunter yard and did two A levels at nightschool. I got into Uni with the two A levels (both Cs) and did my degree. I think I did much better at Uni because I really wanted to do it and was that little bit more mature..

I can never write a short post, but I was just trying to show that you don't have to do everything in life at the usual point...!
 
Honey08 said:
I worked with horses on leaving school. I didn't even go onto do A levels. I did my AI, then got a job in Italy, where I found I picked up the language well. I decided that I wanted to study languages, but obviously needed A levels. I came back to the UK, got a job on a hunter yard and did two A levels at nightschool. I got into Uni with the two A levels (both Cs) and did my degree. I think I did much better at Uni because I really wanted to do it and was that little bit more mature..

I can never write a short post, but I was just trying to show that you don't have to do everything in life at the usual point...!
Click to expand...

Completely agree with the above. It's never too late to have another bash at something. And it can also be too soon to decide on your future path. Why not take a year out and work with horses - or go abroad? Then regroup and move on from there. Also, you've done well to that B and to pass the others. Just look at it as work in progress. You'll get there. (Have son who is now 21 and only finally sorting himself out with A-levels and uni and life in general!).
 
What do you want huni? I've spent so long trying to be as successful as my dad it's just left me 32 and feeling like I haven't got there. My oh is desperate for babies and i'm like not till I get somewhere. Eventually I will have to admit i'm not getting anywhere or lose my chance to have my own family. Please don't get stuck on that path. Do something that makes u happy. Please.
 
Sorry about your results, but they may help you to make some choices about what you really want to do, not what is expected or you feel is expected of you.

I lecture at a uni and thankfully the degree I teach is vocational, like your brothers vet degree. Our graduates find work after but it's still a scramble for jobs at the end of the five years. I see lots of social science degree graduates unemployed or doing jobs they really didn't need a degree for. However that said, a degree can open doors for you.

My OH graduated in geography ten years ago and at that time there wasn't any work, he did call centre work for a few months and then was fortunate to get a surveying position possibly as he had the degree. He then did the further training by correspondence.

Think about the things you really enjoy doing and work out whether you can make a career around them or whether you need a good career to fund them! From there you will work out if you need a degree, if you do then it's back to school. I had to go to college and work on a year out after school as I missed my grades for uni first time.

Things generally turn out in the end. Write a list of things you are good at and enjoy and have a look online. See what sort of things would be available to you apart from uni. If you do go to uni choose a degree with transferable skills.

Best wishes, it's a hard time for you. Speak to your folks, especially about the pressure.

Ps there are lots of equine related vocations that although hard work pay well.
 
hiya,

I would say have a good think about what you want to do. Also get in touch with the advice team at your college/school, i'm sure you won't be the only one who hasn't done as well as expected and they should be able to help you. You may be able to restart, either doing the same or different subjects. Or you may able to 1st and 2nd year simultaneously. If you enjoy the subjects the B is good and the D's may be salvageable if you do some resits (often helps to do 1st year and 2nd year together) and that would give you 3 A levels which is fine.

If you choose to go to uni remember although normally your AS grades go on your ucas form you could always take a year out and apply once you have your A2 results.

To be honest yours is quite a common problem as a lot of people find it a big jump up from GCSE's and especially if students don't do January exams they don't realise quite how much work they need to do and/or how much they need to improve exam technique.

Everything more or less always works out ok in the end though so try not to fret too much!
 
I was in your position - didn't really work for my A levels and got three Es. I did go back and got better grades second time round (ADD) and went to Nottingham uni to do Animal Science which I got a first in. I would not have missed the experience of uni for anything and am glad I went. In my experience A levels were the hardest studies I ever did ( and I went on to to a Postgraduate qualification).
I agree with the comments about doing what you want but if you want uni go for it - study hard for the next year and go. I had a brilliant time (and not just because of the partying, I'm not really a party person. If you decide you don't want to go there are lots of options for further study else where or work based.

Good luck whatever you decide
 
paddi22 said:
Have to echo the other posters. You will only ever be good at what you enjoy doing. Ignore what your siblings are doing, they are following their own path. Follow yours instead. Life is too short to be doing what you don't love. You will end up where you are supposed to be even if it takes a few wonky years, everyone does the same.

The steve jobs graduation speech should be shown to anyone who wobbles about what their job should be in life!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc
Click to expand...

The best advice, ever...:)
 
I cocked up at O levels (I was a punk at the time), largely due to undiagnosed MH issues. I look back now, and know I could have been at Uni if I had tried. I regret it to this day, but que sera sera and all that. I would have adored being a vet. And with a sis who was at Oxford, and now a consultant paediatrition (sp)...

Anyhow, ended up an air hostess and an RSPCA Inspector so had two good careers - it can be done !

Do think very carefully - one year retaking may just give you the options to do what you want in life. Horses will always be here waiting.

sm x
 
I don't have much time as on way out so will try be brief.

I am a former headteacher in a secondary school and my best advice to you at such a relatively young age (its all relative and you may not feel very young) is to keep your options open.

In your case I would try and improve your results, another year (effectively nine months with summer holidays and a real focus) will enable you to consider your goals and decide whether FE/HE is your chosen route.

Talk to EVERYONE you meet about their work and why they chose it, try and make the next year one in which you get a good feel for what interests you and be prepared to spend time deciding and don't worry about getting it wrong. I didnt have a clue at your age and spent years faffing but I DID have good results behind be which kept doors open.

Decent A levels will help you regardless of whether you choose the degree option or not and if you can put a convincing case to your school for getting into Year 2 of Sixth form your school should be sympathetic (provide you do show up and have a reputation for being sensible).

If your school/college is resistant to you coming back to go onto A levels (and remember you can re-sit modules) then get your parents to help - maybe even your sister.

A levels do still count more than vocational qualifications to many people and if you can get the results try some exam prep work to help you with technique.

There are many tutors offering this as well as support you should find in school.

Ask politely but loudly enough and you will find teachers are really supportive. Many of them have been there.

HTH is v rushed.
 
i had no A levels...ive done a degree and landed a management job.

not soemthing i actually want to do now :o but had been accepted into doing a masters in law (which frankly is solid)...


so depending on what you want to study then you CAN get into uni..


dont do something you dont want to do though! i did after uni and now regret it
 
My AS exams didn't go at all to plan either, I'm going to do an extra year at college, as I'm not giving up on veterinary.

It seems like so many people had a bad year!

You will figure out what you want to do, and if your grades don't make it possible - keep going until they do!

Thats my plan anyway, no idea if it will work!
 
My AS exams didn't go at all to plan either, I'm going to do an extra year at college, as I'm not giving up on veterinary.

It seems like so many people had a bad year!

You will figure out what you want to do, and if your grades don't make it possible - keep going until they do!

Thats my plan anyway, no idea if it will work!
 
Don't do what you think someone wants you to do. I nearly went to Uni because I felt it was expected of me and I know I would have hated it. My parents were (unbelievably) understanding and I am sure yours will be too.

Decide what you really want and go for it.

I'm a shepherd. :D
 
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