Question about University!

Mobius

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I'm in my 2nd year (which is meant to be your final year) of 6th form right now, and due to alot of messing around, etc, I will only finish with 1 A level and 1 As level. Due to this I'll probably stay on for another year and take up more courses. Either 2 more As levels, or take a lesson which will allow me to complete an A level in 1 year (Which I'm not sure is possible, but the teacher may allow it.)

I'm hoping to still go to uni, but probably not until next year. Basically I was wondering if this is possible. I'd probably be a year older than everyone else, and I'd only have 2 A levels and 2 As levels...I believe the minimum requirement is 3 A levels, but is there any chance of getting in without the exact requirements? I really want to go to uni this year, but its my own fault for screwing up. Since I got my result for the exam I retook (went from a U to a B) I've decided to actually try my hardest and grow up. I can make something of my life if I really try, even though I've wasted ages already.

Has anyone stayed on a 3rd year at 6th form? I imagine its probably quite humiliating being in a class of people 2 years below you. Is it possible to complete a 2 year (As and A level) course in 1 year?

Cheers.
 

tris-

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take a preliminary course at uni in what ever you want to do. i.e. if you want to do applied biology, you do a preliminary course in science and when thats done you go straight into the first year of your chosen subject
 

DaGaffer

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I went to University when I was 23, with a BTEC ONC and two A-levels I did at night school. Being a year older than everyone else is hardly a big deal (lots of people take a year out before or after Uni these days anyway), I was four-five years older than most of my classmates and it was great! (I always say I got to be a teenager twice ;)) And yes you can do a two year A-level course in year, that's what I did. You appreciate Uni more when you're a bit older; that's why I stayed on a did a masters. One of my mates who had a similar background to me (ex-apprentice, went to Uni at 23), didn't end up leaving Uni until he was 30 with a Phd.
 

Ormorof

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theres some people at my 6th form in their third year, you will have to pay for the courses and exams if you intend to study in college/sixth form for a third year though
 

Will

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DaGaffer said:
... didn't end up leaving Uni until he was 30 with a Phd.
Kirsty is still at Uni...she's 31, has three degrees, and is in the middle of her PhD. She did have a break for a while...she worked at a Uni as a technician. ;)
 

bigbb

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I'd always suggest you speak directly to the Co-ordinator of the course/Uni you'd like to attend. Enthusiasm can go further than UCAS points in my experience.
 

Mobius

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DaGaffer whats night school like?

I'm probably going to complete my English A level this year, and also my Media As level, and then next year finish my Media to get an A level and also take up another subject and do an As + A level in that in 1 year since it sounds possible. :D
 

DaGaffer

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Mobius said:
DaGaffer whats night school like?

I'm probably going to complete my English A level this year, and also my Media As level, and then next year finish my Media to get an A level and also take up another subject and do an As + A level in that in 1 year since it sounds possible. :D


I guess it depends on the school tbh. I did Business Studies and English Lit/Lang A level. They kind of expected you to be a self-starter (most people in the classes were working) and they did cram a lot in. The homework element goes up because the class time is less. Personally I probably wouldn't recommend it for a science-based course because I don't think you'd get enough class time, but for arts and social science type stuff that involve a lot of independent reading anyway, night school is fine.
 

SawTooTH

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Not for me either. I did my retakes at college and was a year older (like anyone can tell?) My sons now in a similar situation and he was told that as long as you pass in the relevant subjects, thats what matters.
I guess that means 2 A Levels are probably enough, but you need to talk to the Uni to find out for sure.
 

itcheh

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I also took a year off to retake a couple of A-levels and it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever.

In fact most of the friends I made in my first year were 3 or 4 years older than me!

So just relax, work out what you need to do to get on the course you want to study (i.e. how many points you need) an decide how to go about getting them. Doing an A-Level in 1 year is by no means an impossibility.
 

Scouse

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Find a uni which'll do a foundation year for you if you can. It may be tricky but there's a chance that some will if you show willing (try and find one with a large student population as far from home as you can get!) It's so much fun at uni that an extra year there is something to jump at :)

Don't worry about debt. Get yourself into fuckloads and get pissed, caned, whatevered for all 4 years and then apply for well paid jobs afterwards - too many students come out and then think accepting a job at £15k is good enough - fuck that shit. :D

University courses are a piece of piss nowadays anyway so unless you're a complete retard there shouldn't be a problem as long as you put a minimum of work in :clap:
 

Mobius

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Whats a foundation year? I was intending to do the extra A/As levels etc at my 6th form next school year, so I'd go to Uni in September of 2006.
 

Scouse

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Some universities let people in with less than their expected grade on the condition that they sucessfully complete a foundation year - which is basically a year that gets people up to speed.

You'd need to talk to someone who knows more about it - it's possible that it's only open to people who've had their prospective grades accepted and then fallen just short...

Or you could do what all the "proper" millionaires have done and fuck Uni and school off because all they teach you do is how to conform to certain norms and strike out on your own :)
 

Mobius

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That sounds awesome. Although I haven't fallen short of my grade as such. Basically I started 6th form and took ICT, Geography and English Literature. I quit ICT after 3 months, and by the end of the year I had a U in Geography and had quit that. In my second year of 6th form I picked up a Media course, and by the end of the year I hope to have an English Lit A level and a Media As...so I don't think I'd get accepted for that foundation thing, as good as it sounds. :(
 

KevinUK

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I went from school to college to uni so I thought everyone would have been the same age as me like they were at school and college but there were only a few of us who were 18, most were in their 20's and there were lots of 30+ people too so it doesnt matter what age you are. :D
 

leggy

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Hansmoleman said:
kind of dodgy question but can you get into uni with high NVQ levels? ^^

Not a university worth it's salt. no.You are looking for A level/Highers and up here an HND will sometimes get you past year 1.
 

Rubber Bullets

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Hansmoleman said:
kind of dodgy question but can you get into uni with high NVQ levels? ^^

Well yes actually, and possibly even one worth it's salt.

Of course it will depend on the course, the relevance of the NVQ and your age and experience.

I teach a radiography course at Exeter University and we accept students with health related NVQ level 3, as long as they fulfil other criteria, GCSE maths and English etc.

These are mature students of course, and as such will always have a slightly easier way into uni than school leavers.

RB
 

leggy

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Ok I appologise for my misinformation.

You just won't be able to do medicine :) (or engineering)
 

Tilda

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leggy said:
Ok I appologise for my misinformation.

You just won't be able to do medicine :) (or engineering)
or law ;)

I agree with what people have said, its easily possible Mob. I dont get why you'd want to get your 1 AS and 1 A2 this year and then get another one of each in the next year. Why not go for 2 A2's?
A lot will depend on the course requirements. If you book an appointment to see the admissions tutor far in advance (ie well before the september-december rush) you might be able to swing it. In some places i've been told if you go to an interview type thing and impress the interviewers they sometimes dont care what results you get.
If you decide to take up geography again, feel free to ask questions, I did it :D

Good luck in whatever you decide to do, uni is definatly worth trying your arse off for, its just such good fun!

Tilda
 

Mobius

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Tilda said:
I dont get why you'd want to get your 1 AS and 1 A2 this year and then get another one of each in the next year. Why not go for 2 A2's?

Well I'll be doing the 2nd part of my Media course next year, so that will become an A2, and then if I was to take 1 more lesson next year and complete the As and A2 of it in 1 year, that'd bring me to a total of 3 A levels. :) T'is all very confusing :D

Rubber Bullets, can you get me into that Uni? My future wife (she doesn't know it yet) is going there, and I want to stalk her. :( Shes the reason I'm changing my entire appearance! Hopefully I'll be able to go to Exeter in 2006, and we'll meet and it will be like a movie. :D
 

Rubber Bullets

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leggy said:
Ok I appologise for my misinformation.

You just won't be able to do medicine :) (or engineering)


Hi Leggy,

It wasn't really misinformation, my answer was a hurried one and probably not the whole story.

The type of people we get with NVQ3 applying for Radiography are, on teh whole, those that have done the qualification whilst working in an X-ray department as radiographer helpers. This means that they have a good idea what the job entails and how the departments work. They are usually keen motivated and mature students.

That said the jump academically from NVQ3 to 1st year degree is a big one, and many of these people haven't done any maths/science for many years, if at all. Some really struggle.

A preferable way in is to take a Health Science access course, which combines a good chunk of anatomy with physics, chemistry, psychology and sociology etc which will help them through the first year.

I have no doubt that other courses and other universities will have thier own view on NVQ3 and many may not accept it, though the mature student thing is very important. They tend to be far more focussed and not at uni just to get pissed and have a good time :p they will tend to get in with far less in teh way of pure academic qualifications.

RB
 

Milkshake

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Hey bud :)

Good for you. Uni isn't for all, but at least you are giving it a shot. I hated school, didn't really work hard, but Uni is totally different. I was given deadlines but no angry-bitch teacher breathing down my neck to get it done...and I've flourished.

From being the only person in my family to go to Uni, there's talk of me being able to stay on to do a Masters!

How did I get into Uni? Clearences. Apply through UCAS to the courses and Uni's you want to go to, follow the normal route. But once the UCAS thing is finished, I *believe* around September, you can basically phone up Universities and talk to the head of the department and get into the course you want to do.... exam results or not.

Of course, if the course you wanna do is over-subscribed, there's no more free places. If, however, not many people wanna do the subject, the Unis will take anyone, and I really mean *anyone*, to fill up the spaces and get the money coming in....a bit like Cinemas I guess :D

Be sure to look at what the course entails, and if you've got any questions mate, PM me.
 

Mobius

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Milkshake said:
If, however, not many people wanna do the subject, the Unis will take anyone, and I really mean *anyone*, to fill up the spaces and get the money coming in....a bit like Cinemas I guess :D.

Sounds good to me. :D

I'd like to do something in the Literature field, or Media...but then again I'm not to fussed. The great thing about Uni is the wide variety of choices compared to school/6th form. I'd happily take a whole new course and work my arse off on that. Always wanted to do history or something, but my teacher persuaded me to take Geography instead (****)

But its impossible for me to get into Uni this year isn't it? UcAS etc deadlines have passed haven't they? I'll have to wait till 2006 I guess.
 

Milkshake

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Even if you've missed the UCAS, it means you won't get first dibs at the courses, but you can get in through clearences.

I'll find more info for you.
 

Rubber Bullets

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Mobius said:
Rubber Bullets, can you get me into that Uni? My future wife (she doesn't know it yet) is going there, and I want to stalk her. :( Shes the reason I'm changing my entire appearance! Hopefully I'll be able to go to Exeter in 2006, and we'll meet and it will be like a movie. :D


Hi Mobius,

I could help you get on the Radiography course :)

Beyond that my influence doesn't stretch very far.

I wouldn't mention the stalking thing at interview if I were you...

RB
 

tris-

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just to explain more on what i said earlier. as long as you passed an AS level or completed 6 units of a VCE and got maths/english grade C then you can go on a preliminary course in most things. i quit after 1 year in college on a 12 unit VCE, i got a merit for the first 6 units, so it counted for me :)
 

SilverHood

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Just be positive and enthusiastic when going through clearance.

Remeber when choosing to go to Uni, or do another year at college - University fees are changing for the 2006/2007 academic year. It is getting a lot more expensive in the long run, but more managable while at uni, since you're not blowing one third of your student loan on fees every year.

When picking a course / university, open days might be a good idea. Even if it's not about the course you're doing, you still get shown around and get a good feeling for the place. Otherwise you can usually turn up at most universities and wander around and have a look.
 

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