A 'Student Survival Guide' Post Failing is never fun. No one likes to have their hopes and dreams dashed, or have all their hard work come to nothing. It is very rarely too late to rectify things however, and there are always new ways to look at life. By now, if you did sadly miss out on University for 2012/13, you'll have also perhaps battled and lost with Clearing and may well be truly down in the dumps.
Staying in bed with tea and a box set of the Big Bang Theory for the rest of the year may seem like an awesome idea right now but we're having none of that! YOU are far too awesome to just let it all slide. Dreams were not dreamt to be given up on. Instead, we need to be busy planning out your shiny blank canvas of a year! Do Not Give It All Up The disappointment you may feel at the moment does not mean you have to forget all about University and start working the 9til5 for the rest of your life instead. Your academic career is not over. It doesn't matter how slowly you go, so long as it's in the right direction. If you didn't get the A Level grades you needed If it was because you just didn't put 100% into it then you can just have another attempt. If it was the course or the college, look into what other colleges in your area offer qualifications that you'd be interested in. If you'd just never really thought about it Perhaps you had no intentions of ever going to University, but all of a sudden have stumbled across your dream job and whaddya know, they want you to have a degree. Never fear, even if you don't have many GSCE's or have been out of college for years, a community college will nearly always have something that they can offer you. Access to Higher Education courses were designed for you, but sadly are nearly always full time, which is a buggar if you also have to work.
Go back to college
When choosing what course to go for this time, don't immediately go for A Levels. If you didn't enjoy them the first time around, consider doing an Access to Higher Education course instead which might offer you more variety. BTEC and Foundations courses are also great if you're more creative than academic.
Get a job
No matter what your plans are, you will most likely need money to get you there. If you don't already have a part-time job, now is the time to start looking, just as so many people are off to University and leaving theirs. Apply for everything to start with, don't be picky. As soon as you have at least something you can start looking for something that really really floats your boat. Here's my guide to writing a CV that will get you noticed to get you started.
Think Against The Grain
Okay, so you screwed up, didn't quite make it, failed - whatever. It does NOT mean you are thick, stupid or unworthy of an education. It does not mean that you deserve to be ridiculed by other people who happened to hit the bullseye on the first go.
Do not tolerate people being unfair or unsupported of you. Anyone that tries to make you feel inferior has clearly not had the life experience of failing before. It's something everyone encounters at some point, so take solace in the knowledge that when they do - they sure will hit the ground with a bump. That's karma, folks!
So, what must we do:
- Make a list of all the things you'd like to do in the next year. Include travelling, college, starting a blog, you name it - just put pen to paper.
- Work out which order you need to get things done. Obviously getting a job will have to come before travelling, and finishing a college course.
- Start doing! Go around to your local college and ask to speak to admissions, write up your CV and start applying for jobs, and start pinning beautiful views to your Pinterest board for travel inspiration.
It is not uncommon to hear people say that when failure, catastrophe or nasty circumstances have messed up their former life plans, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Having more time to make decisions, and just live is honesty second to none in the long run. What are your plans for the next academic year? Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin' | Hellocotton | Pinterest | Tumblr
