Higher Education

Mobius

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Well I've been back in England for a few weeks now, since moving back to live with my grandmother in Maidenhead. My family are still in Oz...

Anyway, I've been reading up about getting back into education, since I realized as soon as I'd left just how much I missed it. I miss being around people my own age, and unbelievable as it sounds, I miss learning! Due to my emigration, I didn't manage to complete my Media Studies A level though, and well I haven't put the effort in for a while, and basically failed at everything I've attempted.

My current grades are 8 GCSE's at A-C level (Are GCSE's any use at all?) , C grade English Literature A level and a Media Studies As level.

How do I go about getting into a college or university? I missed all those UCAS meetings because I knew I was emigrating, and didn't think I'd ever need it. I've checked the website but it seems as if it only caters to people that are in education at the moment. I want to study something in the field of Literature, History or some form of film/television Media.
I'm prepared to take out a loan and relocate if necessary, and I realize I may have to take 1 year foundation course in order to be eligible for university. I could probably email my old 6th form and get a reference from my head of year, who quite liked me. Does this sound like its unattainable, or is it possible? I realize I'm fairly beneath the requirements for entry, but I'm prepared to work hard to succeed. The last few years of my life have just been a complete mess, and I think this is the route I want to take to get back on track.

If anyone has done something similiar or has any tips for me then let me know, because its all very overwhelming. I've got to move quite fast though, because chances are most courses are full, and my grades aren't exactly going to have people rushing to fit me in.
 

Sharma

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As i've found.

GCSEs are absolutely fucking pointless no matter how you look at it really.

I mean even if you screw up maths/it/english, you can still do the Key Skills (Just as pointless but they help).

From what i've found out recently, in all honesty if you're headed to a proper college you can literally get onto practically any course, I have people in my college doing Level 2 courses who came out of school with like 4 GCSEs that wern't even grade Cs.

I wonder why the curricculum even bothers.
 

Mobius

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Sharma said:
As i've found.

GCSEs are absolutely fucking pointless no matter how you look at it really.

I mean even if you screw up maths/it/english, you can still do the Key Skills (Just as pointless but they help).

From what i've found out recently, in all honesty if you're headed to a proper college you can literally get onto practically any course, I have people in my college doing Level 2 courses who came out of school with like 4 GCSEs that wern't even grade Cs.

I wonder why the curricculum even bothers.

Well yeah thats what people tell me. This connexxions/UCAS shite makes it all seem so complicated though, especially if you aren't currently in education. I'm thinking of just skipping that whole process and just contacting colleges directly, but because of my location (the only college within travelling distance is a college of Clinical Hypnosis) I'm going to relocate so its kind of a big decision, and I want to do something thats going to lead me onto uni eventually. :)
 

Sharma

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If you do relocate, is there not a local college tied in with the Universities?

I know that my college (Stockton Riverside) does Foundation Degrees which you don't exactly need a lot of stuff behind you to enter but get you on your feet with whats what. Usually these lead onto HNDs etc.

I do admit though, if your location doesn't permit that then it's a good idea to start having a look around, but from what I know, it's harder to actually move somewhere when you're at college since you can't get a lot of funding for it from the government like you can when at Uni.

Connexions I do admit are generally useless but they can help if you're in a tight spot.
 

tris-

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University of Teesside does extended degrees. meaning you do one year attaining the equivalient of 2 A levels, then if you pass you move onto the degree you want to do.
i only went in with 9 GCSE a - c and one out of two years of an AVCE in college. A levels sux, no one needs them!

im coming to the end of my extended year in about 5 days :)
 

Gumbo

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Do a course at the hypnosis place, then use it when you go to universities to 'persuade' them to take you on.

Job done :p

(seriously, best of luck with this :) )
 

Sharma

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tris- said:
University of Teesside does extended degrees. meaning you do one year attaining the equivalient of 2 A levels, then if you pass you move onto the degree you want to do.
i only went in with 9 GCSE a - c and one out of two years of an AVCE in college. A levels sux, no one needs them!

im coming to the end of my extended year in about 5 days :)


I guess i'll be seeing you often next year then, i'm going to Teesside Uni to start a BSc (Or HND) sept 2007. :)
 

mank!

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in my experience, you won't get into uni with solely gcse's, regardless of your grades.

i had trouble getting into college with only one gcse above a c grade, but i think it probably depends on what you intend to do.

most uni's i've looked at require a C or above in english and maths at least, some degrees vary though, psychology needs a C in biology/double-award sciences.

how old will you be by the time you apply to uni? if you'll be 21 or over, grades don't matter quite so much as the entry requirements are less strict for mature students.

anyway, i'd suggest looking for colleges in your area (can you drive?) or decide where to relocate and apply to colleges directly. i chose a college about 20 miles away from my house, because it was better than my nearest option. i applied to them directly by getting a prospectus, had an interview and that was that.
 

Damini

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Mobius, are you sure that you really want to do this though? You remind me a lot of Kenny, who has started a lot of courses, and yet never finished them, which is fair play, his perogative, but it's a lot of debt to get in if you don't stay the course. Hell, it's a lot of debt to get in even if you do stay the course. I'm about 20 grand in debt from uni, and a lot of my friends are in the same position, and not doing anything at all related to their degree. I'm not trying to be the token urine sample thrown on your parade, but I just wanted to say that if you aren't sure where you're heading, or what degree you even want to do, it might be wise to wait off uni a while until you have a little more direction.
 

tris-

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Sharma said:
I guess i'll be seeing you often next year then, i'm going to Teesside Uni to start a BSc (Or HND) sept 2007. :)

oh godz.

:p.

computing thingy right? i think your building is next to the students union, good luck trying to get to class when you pass that every time :D
 

TdC

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one more thing Mob: can't you go to a college and make an appointment with the resident Dean (or whatever those creatures are called these days) and ask advice?

After getting over the shock of being confronted by someone who wants to get on the learning boat I'm sure they'll be able to give you some handy tips or even put you in touch with a better source.
 

Cozak

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If you were still to apply through UCAS you still have plenty of time till the absolute final deadline (30 June) I only put my application in 1 week ago, and have heard from 2 Unis so far.. applied for 4 courses at Leeds Met and one at a uni somewhere in Manchester.
Got a nice postcard from the manchester one and a letter from one of the leeds courses telling me to fo :(

But the UCAS application really doesnt take too long to fill out, longest part is finding the courses you want to do. But, you have a very real chance to get in.
 

tris-

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cozak is correct. i didnt apply to UCAS AND the student loan/finance people untill about this time last year.
 

Chilly

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Doing a HND or a few A levels is relatively cheap (if you can live for cheap/free with your Gran) at a college. Once you have done those in a year you can decide where you want to go from there.
 

DaGaffer

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I'd think about doing a couple more A-levels first. It will give you more course options and a bit of time to think about what you really want to do. I think with one A-level and one A/S, yes, you'll find a course somewhere, but unfortunately not all degrees are created equal...
 

yaruar

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Mobius said:
Well I've been back in England for a few weeks now, since moving back to live with my grandmother in Maidenhead. My family are still in Oz...

Anyway, I've been reading up about getting back into education, since I realized as soon as I'd left just how much I missed it. I miss being around people my own age, and unbelievable as it sounds, I miss learning! Due to my emigration, I didn't manage to complete my Media Studies A level though, and well I haven't put the effort in for a while, and basically failed at everything I've attempted.

My current grades are 8 GCSE's at A-C level (Are GCSE's any use at all?) , C grade English Literature A level and a Media Studies As level.

How do I go about getting into a college or university? I missed all those UCAS meetings because I knew I was emigrating, and didn't think I'd ever need it. I've checked the website but it seems as if it only caters to people that are in education at the moment. I want to study something in the field of Literature, History or some form of film/television Media.
I'm prepared to take out a loan and relocate if necessary, and I realize I may have to take 1 year foundation course in order to be eligible for university. I could probably email my old 6th form and get a reference from my head of year, who quite liked me. Does this sound like its unattainable, or is it possible? I realize I'm fairly beneath the requirements for entry, but I'm prepared to work hard to succeed. The last few years of my life have just been a complete mess, and I think this is the route I want to take to get back on track.

If anyone has done something similiar or has any tips for me then let me know, because its all very overwhelming. I've got to move quite fast though, because chances are most courses are full, and my grades aren't exactly going to have people rushing to fit me in.

Best thing to do (from my experiance) will be to wait until clearing starts after exam results are out. Then decide what you want to do and places you can do it and start ringing around. Hopefully you will be able to meet up wtih a tutor or a course supervisor and talk to them about the course. I messed up my a-levels (C C D) and managed to get a place in a good university doing a course i wanted that way as the tutor liked me and thuoght the course would be good for me.
 

Mobius

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I think thats the sort of thing I'll probably end up doing Tris. I'm 19 now, so I could be in university by the time I'm 20, if I complete a foundation year successfully.

I can't drive Mank, thats the problemo. :( I'm with my granny in Hurley at the moment, and its literally more than an hours walk along motorways, just to get to the nearest train station. My step grandad has a car but I can't expect him to be ferrying me around all the time. Plus this area is just no good for me, after living in London for 19 years. Its like Last of the Summer Wine here! So I'm going to try and get back to some form of civilisation. I do have 1 A level though, and an As...even though its not enough, at least its something I guess.

Looking at my grades and the requirements for most courses it seems a bit unrealistic to expect even a bog standard uni to accept me, so I'm probably going to be spending a year in college doing A levels or a foundation course, and during this time I'll be able ot choose a specific degree to aim towards. Does UCAS also control colleges or are those contacted directly?
 

Chilly

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ucas dont have much to do with A levels, just ring up a local college and ask about courses - they will know everything and tell you who to phone/send letters to etc.
 

Mobius

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Whipped said:
Apply to Luton Uni. They'll take anyone. Believe me! :)

Haha, I've emailed them. It looks really good. I don't really mind if I go to a below average college/uni because at the end of the day it all depends on what you make of it. I know someone thats going there as well actually. I saw a few good courses and have emailed them asking there flexibility, so I hope they reply soon!
 

Sharma

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tris- said:
oh godz.

:p.

computing thingy right? i think your building is next to the students union, good luck trying to get to class when you pass that every time :D

I have a slight hearing problem and selective vision.

Basically I have an IRL /ignore. :)
 

Frizz

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Oh, fair play Mobius. I hope you really push yourself at this, as I know first hand what it's like to be in your position. I never had the balls to make a thread like this (Male pride and all that), so it's quite interesting to read.

I need to get myself back into education also, as my current Mickey Mouse grades at GCSE and A level just don't cut it in the real world. Being afraid of rejection by my local Uni's, I never even bothered applying as my projected grades were low. I'm now working in a piece of shit job with a load of utter windowlicker ***** I never dreamed of working with as a youngster, as I was always ahead of the curve. Problem then being I was just lazy, and expected to do well without any revision. How wrong. I've considered apprenticeships, and HND's, but hadn't applied, as it cost too much at the time. But now is the time I feel, to return to education.
 

tris-

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going from my own personal experiences, i wouldnt recommend an apprenticeship even to the guy who rapes dogs down a back alley and licks their shit hole afterwards.
just not worth it imo.
 

Sharma

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I felt the burn of confusion and mis-direction up until the start of my current course last september, come out with 5 Cs and 3 Ds at my GCSEs, really nothing special, I screwed up my A_levels because of laziness and further maths made my head spin. After that I tried a modern apprenticeship to see what it was like, got fired from my placement since I kept falling asleep (Shit job anyway, testing black boxes all day).

When I joined Stockton Riverside on an AVCE ICT I was thinking it was along my lines, oh how wrong I was, more word processing and spreadsheets, I just turned off and blew the year over in a haze of marijuana smoke and alcohol. over the summer holidays I felt so confused and helpless over what to do, i'd failed 2 years in a row of my college, I should have been starting uni like most of my friends but sadly I couldn't because I cocked everything up.

I found my niche finally on this course, pure practical computing, so i'm rather happy now as I know which side of technology i'm on.

As you probably know, you won't always find what you want when you want it to, but perseverance is a virtue. :)
 

tris-

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AVCE ICT. rofl, i tryed that at middlesbrough college.

excel and how to use google ftw :/

gave up after a yr.

although i did enjoy programming VB and making a messenger program :D
 

Alliandre

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I ended up screwing up before I even went into my A-Levels. I did end up coming out with a C (Physics) and a D (ICT) at AS. I gave up after the first year and came to College. I'm now coming to the end of the second year of the BTEC National Diploma in IT (same as 3 A-Levels), but I'm pretty sure I'm not going to pass this course.

I was going to join the Navy as an officer if I passed the course. I could still join as a rating with my GCSE's. I think they may have a years course specifically for A-Level qualifications for joining at officer level. I don't know whether I should do that, or apply for something else. I need 140 UCAS points altogether to be considered for an officer in the Navy. My two AS Levels give me 70 points so far (and they do accept AS Levels). I could possibly do two AS Level courses to get my points up if I fail and work slightly more. My parents really can't support me for much longer. I really need to have a look around at my options when (if..) I fail this current course.
 

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