A straight A student didn’t get a single offer from university, despite having dedicated the last four years of her life to her dream of becoming a doctor.

Meera Mistry, 18, scored three A*s and two As in her A-levels in maths, further maths, chemistry, biology and physics at Ashton Sixth Form College.

But despite being predicted her clutch of top grades and having spent hundreds of hours over the last four years volunteering at Tameside Hospital, Meera wasn’t offered a single place at the four universities she applied to for medicine.

Had she got through she would have been the first person in her family to go to university.

Meera said: "I’ve wanted to be a doctor ever since I can remember. I love the sciences so much and I want to do something that will make a difference in society.

"I’m hopefully going to take a gap year now and I’m going to apply for medicine again for next year. I’m going to do some research experience at Manchester University, get a job and maybe go travelling. I was told there was just so much competition this year, but you don’t get any feedback from the interview.

"I just wish the universities would give proper feedback if they reject you." Former Hartshead High School pupil Meera, who lives on Ashton’s Hartshead estate, got through to the interview stage at Cambridge and Leicester, but was rejected outright from Leeds and Imperial College London.

Meera’s dad, Vipin, said: "I’m very proud of her.

"She’s worked very hard and I can’t understand why she didn’t get an offer from Leeds out of all the universities. She got an interview at Cambridge and then didn’t get anything from there."

Meera’s college principal, Dr Janet Nevin, was equally dismayed. She said: "Clearly for her, the system has not worked.

"She is very conscientious, hard working, dedicated and very committed to medicine. She has done lots in terms of voluntary work and I feel extremely disappointed on her behalf.

"The government wanted by 2010 to have half of all young people going on to do a level four qualification, but obviously they didn’t think it through because they can’t afford it. The government has encouraged us all to raise their aspirations, which we have, and now all these young people want to continue learning and they feel like they’ve been knocked back."

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