Hi Reddit!

I am at a lost and looking for some advice! For a bit of context, I completed my university degree in 2025, I gained a bachelor of arts in Early years and childhood studies. Now, the issue: I went for a job interview at a private nursery and got informed that they cannot find my qualification on the QAA (quality assurance agency) which means I would be classed as unqualified?!

Now, I had never heard of this before, so I did some research and I contacted my university, at first I was informed all courses are QAA approved, great! However, I then received information from my tutor that all courses are QAA approved, however, I completed the first two years of my degree on a primary education course, and changed to early years and childhood studies for my final year because I wasn't enjoying primary teaching and found my passion was in early years and I wanted to have a specific focus on this. Anyway, I have now been informed due to changing courses, my degree is not QAA approved. Meaning I would be classed as unqualified in an early years setting.

I cannot help but feel completely blindsided by this? I was never informed that a change of course would result in this. I am even more frustrated as I voiced that I wanted to focus in early years and now my degree which should be supporting me in this career, is now the reason I cannot get a job in early years?

Does anyone have any advice as to where I can go from here?

I posted this on some other subreddits but I thought it would be useful to people here too, especially those applying to university..

For context, I went to one of the worst performing secondary schools in the UK and had severe extenuating circumstances during my GCSEs. I rarely attended school throughout Years 10 and 11, had undiagnosed ADHD, and come from a disadvantaged background.

I also had a fairly unusual application to Oxford, which I think helped immensely. After my GCSEs, I took a gap year to complete an apprenticeship for a year, so by the time I applied, I had a lot of experiences to draw on and talk about in my personal statement.

I was predicted A\*A\*A in Maths, Physics and Chemistry, and my interviews went really well. Even then, I think I was very lucky to receive an offer. The average Earth Sciences offer holder in 2026 had 8.9 GCSEs at grades 8 or 9. I had just one, which was from resitting GCSE Maths, and yet I still received an offer. Although it’s worth noting that Earth Sciences isn’t an exceptionally competitive course. The applicant pool is small, extremely specialised (a lot of my cohort did A level Geology lol) and the intake is tiny, with only around 30-35 places each year. In terms of competitiveness, I’d probably put it in a similar ballpark to subjects like Chemistry, Materials Science and Geography (if we are looking at acceptance rates).

I’ve now finished my first year at Oxford and have done pretty well. I still haven’t met anyone on my course, or at Oxford more generally, who came in with GCSE grades even remotely similar to mine. However the fact that I got in shows it is not impossible.

I actually spoke to the head of undergraduates at my college about this because I was struggling with imposter syndrome. She told me that, occasionally, a tutor might take a gamble on a particularly unusual or promising applicant and give them an offer. I think I was probably one of those cases.

So I was supposed to be having a resit exam today at 9am, to get from here to my uni I need 2 busses. I planned the night before to be up and out for 6:30am and get there about 7:50am to give me time to print everything I need and get a bit more last minute revision in before getting to the exam perfectly on time

Here’s what actually happened:
- i got on the correct bus id planned to the night before at the right time
- it broke down 2 stops later
- the replacement bus we were told should be there 10 minutes later never turned up
- the next bus that would get me where I needed to go was nearly 15 minutes late
- because of the level of traffic I missed my 2nd bus by about a minute
- the next bus from there to my uni was 10 minutes late
- this bus also broke down
- i then had to just walk from where the bus broke down to my uni (roughly a 20 minute walk)
- instead of getting there over an hour early as planned I actually got there nearly 40 minutes late

I already emailed in to notify them that I’d likely be late explaining what had happened, and I also submit an extenuating circumstances claim fully explaining everything that happened. The thing is that it’s all so stupid Im worried they aren’t gonna believe me and although Im reasonably confident in how I did in the exam all things considered, Im worried that something so stupid and unpredictable and impossible to work around is going to cost me my degree. I can’t even just resit it because that was supposed to be the resit

Thoughts? Advice? Know any ways to break bad luck or curses?

EDIT: to the people calling me xenophic/ racist, im literally ethnically CHINESE

i study medicine at a non-london uni, might i add, and i just went to see the international fee for fun.

im sorry but WHO is paying more than FIFTY THOUSAND POUNDS a year in tutition (for 6 years), while affording rent and living costs. and they pay out of pocket as they obviously don't get sfe.

my working class self cannot comprehend this level of wealth...

I rejected my place of psychology at uni of Manchester and decided to go through clearing. I did not pick a course however and would like to continue psychology at UoM. Is there any way I can get my place back? I contacted the psychology department and they said places are now full. What should I do please help🙏

hi everyone, i’m an international student from the US coming to study abroad in Bristol this academic year. i leave in 4 days and feel so unprepared. i am nervous of not fitting in or feeling “lost,” especially with the societal differences/norms. i’m also entering my third year so im not sure if freshers events are relevant to me.

does anyone have any advice on adjusting to life in the UK, as well as adapting to the schooling here? is there anything i should be aware of, or helpful things to know for when i arrive? any tips would be heavily appreciated!

for the first time (i know bad but i was scared so my brother always did it) i did my sfe form this year. i am going into my third year and my maintenance loan keeps coming out low. i dont know what to do. i am bad terms with my parents (whose forms i also filled out in a hurry since i dont talk to them). i keep asking them for a reassessment since my parents are poor but i am constantly being redirected. i dont know what to do. please help.

My timetable is out. But it says semester 1 and semester 2 isn’t available.

Let’s say I have a day free. Do I find a job where I can work the entire day I have free? Or is that risky in case next semester I don’t have it free and then I’ll have to change my job?
Or does everyone just play it safe by having jobs after like 5pm?

Thanks!

Freshers isn’t too long away now and I haven’t booked or planned to go to anything. All of my friends who are starting with me are so excited and booking events, paying for tickets etc and I am just avoiding it. I don’t want to go to any of the events, but I feel like I’m just isolating myself. I know a lot of people say you don’t keep the friends you make during freshers but does it make me seem weird if I just don’t go?
I don’t want to go to any of the day events. I was thinking of just attending the fair type event where societies are present and stuff to get used to the campus and maybe sign up to a society but other than that, I was just going to start the week after. Is that bad?

I don’t know how it happened because my family has never had issues with hair loss, my grandpa didn’t lose his hair entirely until his 90s and my dad still has hair in his 50s. Most of my life I thought it was fine and suddenly over the past month or something I noticed I genuinely do have hair thinning at the top of my head. Idk what to do, because I am about to move to uni and how do I check this with my local GP here if I can’t see them 2 weeks from now and if they are just gonna consult someone who I cannot see. I really want to get this resolved asap I am extremely scared and I’m also worried people will notice or if that is gonna destroy my social life or something I am super worried what do I do?!

I just got my final grades back & feel like I could throw up.

I struggled extremely hard through university .. things are clearly graded extremely different to what I’m used to but I put my soul into my final project & portfolio and didn’t achieve the feedback or results I had felt I achieved.

So how cooked am I with a 2:2 in visual communications job wise ?

Edit: turns out I was 4 points away from 2:1 🫩

Im about to start uni (studying civil engineering) and this is my uni timetable for the first 4 weeks coming up but it just looks less than I imagined is this complete?

I did make a post similar to this already, but I just want more advice on it.

My mother doesn't want to come to terms with the fact that I'm moving out for university on Saturday. She doesn't even call it "moving out" - she just says, "You're only going to university"... alongside multiple suitcases, duffle bags and boxes? I would describe that as moving out lol (even if it is temporary, it IS what it is). She also wasn't happy when she found out I got a job transfer. She really thought I was going to commute back home for a bloody retail job, when my new store is a 10-minute walk from my flat.

She wants me to be home every weekend, which I have told her numerous times is unrealistic, as I have a busy second-year schedule alongside work commitments, society events and also because I want space away from home for myself and individual growth. I want to make time for new friends, societies/clubs, going out etc. If I come home EVERY weekend, what is the point of me moving away?! How can I ever learn to be independent, separate my uni life and settle into a new routine if my mother is too afraid to let me go?

It feels so suffocating, and I know I'm not going to go home every weekend because I will never let her control me - it's damaging to anyone's individuality and growth. But mentally, it does get to me sometimes, and I just want to enjoy my university time without someone wanting something from me all the time. Anyone got any kind words? Thanks!

I registered to the university of birmingham literally on results day and my sfe is still saying my course registration is in progress? i’ve seen other people get confirmation of when they will receive theirs and I have had none of this, should I contact the uni to check if this is normal?

i’m going into my 2nd year, everything else is approved - except this extra section they’ve added on asking to see my proof of pip. i sent it over and they’ve said it didn’t show proof i’d receive it in 26/27 (i will be), and i’m going to try send more proof over but they did the same thing last year for something i did apply for that year, and they never accepted it

everything else is approved + reviewed, i’m just worried because uni starts soon and if this doesn’t get approved then am i just not going to be able to pay tuition?

Hey guys just wanted to share a resource with yall called Canary Wharfian with the recruitment season coming up. I know a lot of yall are gunning for London based internship or grad roles, and it's basically the #1 way to maximise your chances to go through applications. It absolutely packs a punch of features:

- It has an automated HireVue practice feature which will analyse both your verbal and non-verbal communication skills and can be used for any title. What is really effective about it is that the official HireVue assessments use the same metrics - a mix of verbal and non-verbal performance metrics, weighted differently but basically detecting the same signs and signals when assigning a score to answers

- It has an absolutely massive job board monitoring all the major AND minor employers job boards in finance

- HireVue games and psychometric tests are often mistaken as easy, while it one needs to really do some practice, even just a single round, to see if they'll be up to scratch when the actual one comes around. These might look easy on the surface, but in fact, more often than not it's graded relative to other test takers' score. That means even if you do well and get a high score, doesn't mean you will pass

- It has an automated networking source feature which will gather e-mail addresses and linkedin profiles of your alumni, so you can keep track of your outreach and don't waste time browsing. It also has a feature which will generate and post content on your LinkedIn on your behalf - boosting your visibility among your competition effortlessly

- It has an application generator which will generate high-finance compatible, draft cover letters and resumes, tailored to each opening

- Personalised feedback on a browser-based financial modeling Excel simulator, as well as consulting cases for those tryna break into MBB

Finally, it has lots of proprietary (non-AI generated slop) content (podcast, articles, company reviews!) written by actual industry professionals. It's basically the UK/EU version of WSO, but better!

people who dropped out of uni, what are you doing now, and do you regret it?

(my course is 4 years)
i am considering dropping out but i am scared i will regret it.

i have recieved a scholarship for my first 2 years, wow yes impressive,
but i hate the course, hate the place, hate the people, and hate what i am doing. also it is like the most unemployed degree (CLASSICAL music)

i feel like at first i did have the passion but going to uni ruined it. i think going to uni for arts isnt good anyway because it makes everything so pressured and stressful and less free

idk why i went, i guess i wasnt cood at anything else?!

i am 20, is it too late to restart and find something i like?

Hey so I was wondering what day we get our first payment?

I have just been approved for a loan of maximum amount but dont have the thing from SLC with the dates! Please help me stop stressing!!

Thank you

Hi,
SFE says online my payment date is 21st September, I only start the course on the 21st September? Am I likely to get it that day or will there be a delay?

Hi,

I’ve had an unconventional uni time at my current uni, I had to sit resit exams as a first attempt due to medical reasons, prior to my exams I was sat on an average of 62% before these 3 exams, the results were supposed to come out today and I got an email instead of results asking if I could meet later on in the week to discuss my exam results? What could this mean it’s giving me a lot of stress especially as my classification rides on this it’s 3 modules accounting for approximately 25% of my year, the remaining 75% is at a 2:1 already what could this mean? I’m just worried