Missed Out on Uni Place – Advice on Resits, Gap Year & Moving Forward

[RainWarning]

Hi everyone, I’m hoping for some advice or perspective as we’re a bit lost at the moment.

My DS received his A-Level results, A, A, and B in History (A in their EPQ). Unfortunately, he missed his offer to study Law at a great university by one grade. Understandably, he’s devastated as this was a course and university he’d worked hard for.

He decided not to go through clearing for Law, and with his current grades, he wouldn't get into other universities like Warwick, Nottingham etc as they all need AAA. His original backup plan was to take a gap year and reapply for History, but with a B in History, that doesn’t seem viable for competitive courses either.

So now he’s taking a year out, but his confidence and motivation have taken a big knock, and we’re struggling to figure out the best next steps. Options we’ve considered:

Resitting History to try for an A and reapply for Law
Retake the LNAT - again no guarantee of sucess and don't find out your scores until after you've applied...
Taking a new A Level (though this would be as a private candidate, with little teaching support and we have no idea about the issue of predicted grades).
Looking into alternative courses he could access with his current grades.

One concern is the uncertainty and pressure of resits and whether universities would consider a new A-Level taken in one year. Another concern is whether it’s better to move forward with the grades he has and explore different subjects/courses that interest him, even if it's not Law.

We’re also trying to make the most of the gap year. He has been offered part-time work 2 days a week, remote by a relative but this won't get him out of the house. I'd like to encourage him to volunteer too but he’s feeling so low right now that it’s hard to help him see this year positively. Also if he wants Law he should probably be trying to get some Law related work experience.

If anyone has experience with resits, reapplying, or making the most of a gap year after disappointment, I’d really appreciate your insights. Has anyone's DC, or themselves, been in a similar situation and come out the other side?

Thank you in advance — any advice or ideas would be very welcome.

Those are great results! He can reapply in sept and try a range of unis and see what he gets? He can def do law at some good universities.

one of our local good solicitors does a post a level apprenticeship. Can he try local companies for a job? Or as a temp to build office admin skills? That would set him above other candidates for law and be great for post uni.

Lancaster was in clearing for Law at AAB, Leicester at BBB.

Lots of other were too - RG unis included.

Or is he focussed on a specific uni?

Without being rude, I think he’s being a bit of a snob about which university he goes to. There are many good universities that will take him with those grades, probably including some that state AAA initially. If he wants a career in law, he needs to crack on with it - if he gets a good degree and has all the interpersonal and other skills needed, will it really matter which university he went to?

Aberdeen has law (inc English law) in clearing at AAB. As does UEA and Royal Holloway. If he wants to be a lawyer all of those will be fine for training contract offers. I would do that over retakes. Did he miss his insurance too?

Lancaster is great - lovely campus

he could then do a post grad year at another uni if he has one in mind?

Royal Holloway is where the lawyers from that tv show The Split trained - they did pretty well - beautiful campus well worth a visit

@RainWarning I am really sorry he's missed out on his first choice, that is definitely going to sting. I completely understand how he feels because I had to retake my History A level back in the day.

This may not work now or be relevant but what I did do was this - I contacted the dept where I'd had an offer and missed it with the History A level grade and asked if I could come and speak to the admissions tutor. They said yes, so I went and took recent essays (in the subject I was planning to study) and explained I'd be retaking the History and please could they carry my offer over (as a deferral) while I retook it. They agreed, I got the required grade and went to that university. It was not I might add, to study History.

What are your son's other A levels?
I don't think I'd take a whole new one, but possibly retake History and then reapply for Law / History where he would really like to go.

He can do much better than Aberdeen, UEA and Royal Holloway, just to add my tuppence worth. If you're in a Scottish university you'll be studying Scottish Law / History. UEA was once a fabulous place but has been sliding due to finances / accommodation issues and it's unfortunate but true. Royal Holloway is in the suburbs.

Lancaster is worth a go though.

I’m always amazed by the Lancaster love on MN. We looked at it last year and thought it was miserable - boring, small, felt a bit grotty and parochial. I’d much rather go to UEA if I was 18/19.

OP your son’s grades are really good - I think reaplly once he’s feeling ready and less pissed off, have a really good look around for somewhere else he can go with those grades and spend his gap year earning some money and maybe some travelling if he’s that way inclined? He WILL be fine. Good luck to you both!

@RainWarning I agree with lots posting here. He’s making a mistake not doing clearing. Lancaster and Leicester are not the best for law. If they were they would not be in clearing.

What matters is where he wants to work after graduating. The universities in the north tend to supply the northern firms. Others have grads that are more London focussed. So where did he think he might work? He will have the same issues next year and be careful about any uni wanting A levels taken at the same sitting. Not sure LNAT will get him in with below tariff A levels either. Out of the ones suggested, I’d look at Lancaster but it’s a bit remote! However I cannot see it in clearing. Leeds and Liverpool are. I’d look at Surrey too and Reading. Both close to London and that’s a big advantage. I think law is best studied where there are lots of law firms recruiting.

Regarding work experience - CAB or advice charities is a great place to start. Ask local solicitors if they can give any work experience. One did for my DD. Get into the local court. Ask about marshalling. Go to any open days. Eg check Inns of Court and Law Society for info days. Look at any reading lists published. Read relevant journals or newspaper articles. Read published law cases eg Supreme Court.

If he’s not going to try for one of these, what was his A star in? Is that a possibility for a degree? What other universities did he look at and did he miss his insurance offer too?

I’d be encouraging him to have a really good look at the remaining Clearing options before writing off the idea of university for this year. If not Law, for now, might he consider Ancient History, or combining History with Archaeology or Politics? There are still some very good courses available for a Sep 2025 start.

A gap year can be the making of a young person, but if unplanned it can also be very hard on mental health when peers are moving on with their plans. He might do best to find a new path and get going with it.

Just having a look now, the following which have not been mentioned yet, have clearing places for History degrees and most say "accommodation available"

Exeter
Cardiff
Leeds
SOAS
Reading
Hull
Sussex
Queens Belfast

Plus - UCL / Nottingham and Manchester

Are any of these places he'd consider attending?

University is a huge financial commitment and most of us will only do one undergraduate degree. So it's important that your son makes an informed decision and doesn't feel he should apply for a place/course just for the sake of it - his A level results are good so of course he could get on to a university course with them but if it's not the right one it's such a wasted opportunity.

Having said that, no course or university is perfect. So it's important not to get hung up on only wanting a very specific course to the exclusion of all others. Encourage him to be open minded.

Exeter is really good for History. They take a range of students, as they also do contextual for South West students, and it's in clearing. All of DD's friends were 3xA* so it's also not a place people just settle for.

The course structure is such that there are a wide selection of modules you can do, and across other departments. DD also did Theology and Language modules for example.

They were fictional though!

Exeter’s History courses are only in Clearing for their Falmouth/Penryn campus, not the one in Exeter.

A couple of DD’s friends did Law at Liverpool Uni and managed to get jobs in London ok (and are now solicitors).

@hellsbells99 If dc come from SE they often look for work in SE. However the northern universities are far more widely represented in the northern firms. Of course we can all find exceptions but surveys find strong regional links. M

Obvuiously history will require the conversation course and these are not cheap. Also there’s the issue of the extra year.

Bristol, surprisingly also has places in Clearing.
I think at this stage (2 wks after results) they are more than likely to drop their grade requirements in order to have a full set of new graduates in the dept. It is worth giving them a call.

You can do English Law at Aberdeen. Good dept too.

UEA is still a decent uni. Yes, they have had some financial issues - but name a uni that hasn't. They have plans in place, and are still investing in new facilities etc.They have plenty of accommodation too. They had an issue one year as they had RAAC problems just before move-in, but there is enough accommodation that they offer it to 2nd/3rd year students too.

I don't think you mentioned whether your son actually hopes to follow a career in law? Many people who study undergraduate law do not ever work as lawyers, and some work in law for a few years and then move to other jobs (I have several friends in that latter category). And then within law there is such a wide range of career options. A friend of mine studied law at Edinburgh and is now a very senior lawyer in London - so studying Scots law originally hasn't hindered her career as a PP perhaps suggests although that was 20 years ago so perhaps times have changed. And then some lawyers don't study law for their first degree, instead doing a later conversion course.

So it's worth your son taking time to think about what he hopes to get out of university study and what his aspirations are career wise. It's ok (more than ok!) not to know at his age, but it's important that where possible decisions made keep doors open rather than closing them.

(I teach undergraduates and degree choice regret is something some students really struggle with).

@flatchestedonce For home students it has neither History or Law. Not sure what you are looking at. It has sociology., arch and anth, ancient history and others but we don’t know what the A star subject was.

@RainWarning Your original post asked for positive stories about missing grades and gap years.

DD missed her offer to do East Asian studies at Sheffield - she spent two years out of education working for Costa and is now doing French and IR at Aberystwyth.

If she'd gone to Sheffield she would have had a degree at a more prestigious university.

But in compensation she now (all being well) might have the following to offer a future employer:

1. Two years valuable work experience which she can use to prove skills in customer service, teamwork etc.
2. Fluency (we hope!!) in a major European language (also has EU passport to enhance value)
3. She does things which many 21 year old wouldn't have the confidence to do - although doesn't realise this and I have to point it out.

Your son is understandably disappointed but there's no reason for this to derail his plans and it may well enhance them.

I'd probably suggest he prioritises getting a job at the moment - work experience is such a benefit!! His grades are good enough right now to give him great options so he can leave a resit decision till a bit later.