Right, so I failed my A-Levels. What now?

[Nope.]

Right guys. Here it is. Ive spent the last year working on my AS levels and should be (this term) doing my A2's. Well, I got my results rather late (My school didnt post them to me ) and I got 2 D's and 2 U's. Now, im not trying to make excuses but it has been a tough year. I lost my Granddad last year which hit me quite hard and that threw me off a bit, my mum had a dickhead living with her who only moved out a couple months ago and things have just generally been pretty weird considering my parents split up only 15 months ago. Apart from this I just havent worked hard AT ALL on my a-levels. BIG MISTAKE!

SO, basically, I want to go to university to do Computing and Electronic engineering. I obviously dont have the grades to carry on next year and I dont really want to go back to my school as I dont like it and dont get on with many people there (teachers included). What are my options? Yes, collages are an option but none of them seem to offer A-levels in anything I want to do. For reference, I took Physics, Computing, Economics and Business Studies. Are there any alternatives to A-levels which are just as useful for getting into university? Any tips on where to go from here? I guess im going to have to re-take the year as I dont think I would pass if I were to just re-take the exams.

So guys and gals of BCF, I put it to you, What should I do next?
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Former: Derbi GP1 50, Sachs XTC 125, Suzuki GSXR 400 GK73A, Kawasaki ZX7R, Suzuki DR250, Yamaha RD350
Current: 2011 Yamaha XT660Z Ténéré, 2003 Yamaha YZR-R1 5PW (In Build), 2009 Kawasaki ZZR1400

[Frost]

Uni's have rejected record numbers of people this year so there are plenty of people in your situation. You can either sign up to an National diploma / HNC / HND then go to uni from there (HNC / HND's tend to go into the 2nd year) or you can try and get onto a foundation degree.

[c_dug]

Get a job, save some money, go in as a mature student when you reach 21(23?).

I cocked my AS's up, I moved out of home in October 2008, I was 18 and a half. I'm doing ok but I've only really started to get on my feet financially in the last month or two.

I have no interest in going into uni, to me it has never seemed worth it when in my experience it has always been who not what you know that counts. I currently work in retail which I have always viewed as a dead end job and wanted nothing more than to get out of, but at the moment I have the opportunity to go into Harrods or Selfridges on Oxford street so things are perking up for me, I'm not bad at this retail lark, and something with a little more earning potential might do me alright.

Any sort of work experience will be a bonus after your degree, so use the couple of years wisely
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[Ariel Badger]

Resit and graft this time, do not take any course with the suffix "studies".
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Bikers make great organ donors, get 115 on your licence today.

[colin1]

collage
https://www.shapecollage.com/collages/collage-apple.jpg

college
https://bangkok.acg.ac.nz/international/files/imagemanagermodule/@random46d252fcd9501/ACG_Parnell_College_2_Titoki_Street_outside_w_students_best_shot_Oct_06.jpg
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[Frost]

Ferkin-ell. I know they start looking younger as you get older but that's just ridiculous!

[Charlie]

I study electronic & computer engineering at Leeds and from what I can tell, everyone who comes from an alternative route to A-levels struggle with the Maths. I managed to get on with just a C in A-level maths because I had an A in electronics at A-level, however I still found the maths hard. Spent LOTS of time in first year just doing the maths over and over until I got it.

If you want to do any form of engineering at university I highly recommend doing maths at A & AS level.

Try and find another college which does the courses you're interested in. And work hard at them this year.

Thats if you really want to go to university and work hard. It's going to £9,000 a year when you start
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Past: Honda x8rs, Honda City fly, Honda Hornet 250, Honda VFR750, Yamaha xt600e.
Current: Honda CBR929RR & Yamaha XT660Z Tenere

[trippz]

Trust me, i feel your pain. i went to a college enrollement the other day and SCRAPED in. i literally mean they said. we can see you have potential(looking at older tests) but you are lazy and have a lack of interest for your subjects. i now have a 2 year course doing computing.which covers web design program design games development. at the end of it i should come out with 3 different a levels
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Don't take what I say seriously, I'm a F&*cking idiot

[Rogerborg]

[Nope.]

[stinkwheel]

Isn't 4 A-levels a bit much?

Maybe things have changed since I went to school. You only needed 3 A-levels to get into vet school when I went in, and that was pretty much the hardest degree to get a place on. Only super-geeks took 4 A-levels (general studies doesn't count as a valid A-level).

This being the case. Drop business studies, try again. Work harder this time.

Some national certificates count for more than an A-level in terms of UCAS points and put the emphasis on coursework and continual asessment rather than relying on the final exam. Maybe this would suit you better? Worth looking into.

Or even a slight change of subject. I did badly in my physics higher and took technology higher the following year. Turns out technology was like applied physics and made a whole lot more sense to me. I pretty much walked it.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[blurredman]

I took 3 A levels when I was in college.

At the end of the two years I had two D's in A2 and two U's in AS.

I'm doing third year uni next year.

I just scrapped in. Thank god for the welsh baccalauriate.
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CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S, 1979 MZ TS150.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 18k, 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 10k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (295cc) - 40k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 51k.

[Charlie]

You mostly take 4 AS levels in your first year (not including general studies) and drop one in your second year, finishing with 3 A levels and 1 AS level.
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Past: Honda x8rs, Honda City fly, Honda Hornet 250, Honda VFR750, Yamaha xt600e.
Current: Honda CBR929RR & Yamaha XT660Z Tenere

[angryjonny]

[Frost]

What mechanical stuff was on a comp sci degree?
It's mostly stats, the whole field of AI is basically just stats. I sailed through it all no problem despite having no maths A-level and it being 5+ years since GCSE maths.
Then i went straight onto a PhD in mechanical engineering... THAT had some serious fucking maths in it. Jesus was it extreme. First lecture i went to was an Msc Advanced dynamics lecture, so i skipped the A levels and the Bsc and went straight into the masters Needless to say, it didn't go well.

Actually comp sci has some linear algebra in it if you go into graphics & games or computer vision.

[Reid]

I had a similar situation - screwed my A levels up (twice), worked for a couple years in the field I was interested in and then went off to uni once I was old enough to be a mature student.

Take a couple years to earn some cash, get some experience and the like. Try and get a job in the field you're interested in, even if it's admin work or for shit pay. Convince them your passionate about it and work your fucking ass off when you find a position. Shit, work for free for a while if you have to.

If you really can't bare to resit your A levels at your school then going into work for a bit is the only real choice aside from going to a college and spending two years re-doing A levels or just signing on for the rest of your life.

[iooi]

[Rogerborg]

[angryjonny]

[Charlie]

[Redoko]

[Oldie]

I left school with next to nothing. My old man made me go to night school until I had enough to get me into college. Got my BSc and became a surveyor. Stick at it mate

[crazymotorbik...]

Hey,
If i'm being honest i'd say uni is the biggest waste of time there is. You spend 3 years racking up large amounts of debt then come out with a qualification that means jack sh*t as you have no experience.

Its a catch 22; you can't get the job because you have no expereince but you have no expereince because they won't give you a job.

If i were you i would do a modern apprenticeship. Be a plumber, electrician, fabricator etc Don't waste your time with uni.

Thats where i went wrong. I went to uni to do computing. When i finished with great grades, top of my course, i just couldn't find a job. No one would give me a start. 4 years on things have changed that much my qualification means jack. If i had done an apprenticeship i would be time served now in a trade.

Although i'm now in a job i love and earn rather good money doing i only got it through 'Who i knew'. As has been said thats what its all about. If it hadn't been for someone putting a good word in for me i would still be at Morrisons on minimum wage working in there admin department.

Any way thats just my 2p,
Cheers,
Shaun.

[Visitor Q]

Head for the arches child...

https://keetsa.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/mcdonalds1.jpg
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From September 2014 to January/February 2015 I will not be using any English, nor reading any. As such, I won't be on here. PM at will, but I won't be checking/posting unless in emergencies. Certainly not for the first couple of months. Please berate me savagely if I break that rule...

[iooi]