Universities are working hard to find solutions to welcoming students back to campuses in the new academic year, but what are students, whose lives have been disrupted first by the cancellation of their A-levels, and now by big shifts in their options for next year, planning to do as they leave school?

Matt Payne, who was student body president at Hereford Sixth Form College, has decided that he would rather get on with his university life than defer and take a gap year.

“I have a plan and had never considered taking a gap year,” says Matt.

“I have a timeline in my head – I want to do a law degree (Cardiff is his first choice, with the University of Birmingham his insurance choice), followed by two years training in London and then I want to practise in London, where I have family who are lawyers.”

At this point both his universities of choice are saying that they will try to go for starting as normal in September, but however his university life starts, Matt is ready. “If you let it affect you too much, it will stop your life, and I don’t want that to happen. I have a plan and life moves on.”

Meanwhile, Erica Morgan, 18, was hoping to start at Cambridge in October, studying natural sciences, but is now hoping instead to be able to defer.

Erica began to sense that her first year at university might not be the one she imagined when articles began appearing about bars and clubs closing, "and then I heard that Cambridge would be putting lectures online for the whole year, although they said they would adapt that if possible."

Recognising that this would mean her first year would be very different, with no freshers week and a reduced opportunity to socialise and make new friends, she decided to ask if she could defer.

"That's not the experience I want," she says, adding that in normal times it is very hard to defer a Cambridge place, and she won't know until August if it will be possible.

If so, Erica says she will probably continue with her job in a supermarket and hope that travel may become an option at some point next year. "I was also thinking about trying to get an internship, but I doubt any interns will be taken on."

Another former Sixth Form College student whose plans have been dealt a blow is Sophie Ball.

Realising prior to the pandemic that the university course she had applied for was not the one she wanted, Sophie decided to take a gap year instead.

But, having thought she would apply to do something similar to a previous voluntary placement in Kenya, coronavirus now means that it is highly unlikely she will be able to travel.

While she waits for the world to settle into the new normal, Sophie is continuing to "keep up my work ethic" – taking an online Spanish course – "I always wanted to do it, and I hope it will come in useful," and extending her reading.

Upset about the cancellation of her A-levels – in Biology, Chemistry and English Literature – "I know that my teachers will make sure my results reflect me as much as possible, but I won't have the solid evidence."

After her gap year, Sophie plans to pursue her ambition of working on the cutting edge of scientific research, "biomedics possibly".