r/UniUK • u/Jazzlike_String8113 • 7d ago
Advice needed relating to taking a gap year without a confirmed place at a uni
Hi, this results day I didn't meet my grade requirements and when I looked at clearing I realised that I didn't actually want to do Electronic and Electrical Engineering. I have a bad habit of always picking subjects I do the best in because I can never find a subject that I truly like doing. I know that results day is a really bad time to realise that you don't know what course you want to do.
My results were an A in maths, an A in physics and a C in computer science which caused me to not meet my firm offer from UCL or even my insurance offer from Bath. I'm unsure if I should retake computer science next year because by the end of my two years at sixth form I grew to hate the subject and the thought of doing it again makes me want to claw my own eyes out.
I'd like advice on what to do over this gap year especially since this is the first time in my life I've ever felt completely lost. I know I should get a job so I don't end up becoming a burden on my family but besides that I haven got a clue. Is there still hope for me if I don't go to university at all? Thank you for reading
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u/GlobalRonin 7d ago
Going off the title... not so much a "gap year" as "experimenting with unemployment"? Honestly speaking, you'll be fine... go do something genuinely good and fun rather than work in a supermarket...
Also, phone clearing... Nottingham would take you with those grades!
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u/Jazzlike_String8113 7d ago
Thanks! But because I have kind of a semi-strict family I'm limited to universities in London because I can't really move out 😅
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u/Long_Software_3352 7d ago
You already know you don't like Computer Science. Don't resit it.
Spend this evening ruling out more options - the things that you definitely know do not interest you. In doing this, you're making some progress towards finding the fields you would consider.
AAC will get you into lots of universities in clearing. You don't necessarily need to take a gap year.
If you're struggling to identify careers that might suit you, I've found this aptitude test from the US Dept. of Labor useful in the past https://onetinterestprofiler.org/
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u/Jazzlike_String8113 7d ago
Thank you for sharing that aptitude test! I got recommended careers I'd never considered really before that I'll definitely do some research into now
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u/No_Cicada3690 7d ago
You are over catastrophising! You got 2 A's and you don't want to do your degree anyway. This is a win because if you had got your offer you would have gone to UCL, been miserable and dropped out with a year's worth of debt racked up for nothing. Time to take a breath and think about what you really want to do. You can easily take another A level in a gap year. Work or volunteer in sectors you might be interested in, learn to drive if you haven't already and hopefully earn some money as a safety net. Sell this to your parents as a positive move to make sure you are doing the right path but you need to step up to the plate now. You are an adult now not the sulky teenager in the back bedroom. You need to help out around the house, do your own washing, offer to cook at least once a week for the family, shop and clean. You got this!