What can you do if you didn’t get the grades you wanted?

What can you do if you didn’t get the grades you wanted?

This week, teenagers across the country had the anxious wait for their A-level results.  But what can you do if you didn’t get the grades you wanted? Thomas Cavanagh, Academic Manager at Open Study College has some helpful tips on what you can do.

1) What you can do

Write a list of all the options you have, perhaps an alternative course or a different University.  You have options.

2) An alternative career path

There are many other choices open to you, such as apprenticeships, Open University or distance learning. 

3) Plan your future

Start to make a plan of the many options that are still open to you. For example, you could get offered a second option University course or your first choice university but another course and Universities and colleges will want to speak to you directly to understand why you want to study a particular course.

 4) Feelings, friends, and family

Disappointment is tough and that’s without the opinions of others.  Be open, be honest.  There is no shame in not getting the grades you need as there are lots of external factors which influence how well we do.  Some students don’t work well in exam conditions for example.  Your family will love you no matter what grades you get. It’s good to keep in mind that your life is your journey, just yours.  Make your plan and live your life for you.

5) What I would tell my younger self

Just remind yourself that exam results are not the end of the world and that your family may be annoyed for a short while but they will get over it.  At the moment it feels like this piece of paper is all that matters. 

Life has a great way of working out and sometimes the uncertainty of life leads to your biggest adventures – make your plan, stay positive and as they say, the future is yours for the taking. Whatever journey you choose it will be the right one for you.  In a few years, you won’t even remember what the piece of paper said.

Thomas Cavanagh is the academic manager at Open Study College and if you’re looking to take an alternative route to secure qualifications please ask us and we can help, 03300 563100.