Well, after reading TomUs access diary a couple of months ago, feeling really chuffed for him and having gained a place on an access course to start this monday(!), I feel like I should follow in his stead and create a diary to serve as future reference to anyone else in search of real life experiences of people on Access as I attempt to navigate the perils of an oxbridge application as a mature student doing an access course and two A2 levels
A little about me; Through parents moving about and bullying I'd been to six schools by the time of GCSE; I had pretty big issues to say the least but I managed to get an A*, 5As, 3Bs and 2Cs. I then went on to have a crack at a level, but I caught a pretty bad case of appendicitis which left me hospitalised for a bit, messing up the flow of my a levels. I cracked on and made it to the following year, but then my father's bankruptcy, combined with us having to move again, meant that I flunked out with two E grades.
I then moved house
again this time to another city, and spent a year out looking for a job in vain, and then managed to get a place at a sixth form college to try and do some retakes in one year plus do an extra a level, but a combination of issues due to medication I was taking, in addition to undiagnosed depression and the death of a close family member led to me not reaching the potential that I could have done (I was actually predicted AAAB in christmas of that year...and then it all went to nothing
)
So I managed to find a job at the end of that year, and worked for five months as a salesperson, but was then "let go" despite the fact I was the highest selling salesman in the company. I then sank into a very deep depression which I couldn't shake for five months or so, but in the last three months everything changed. I came out of the depressive state, applied for access, went back to doing sport and changed my diet, in the process losing three stone in weight, and proved to myself in a sense that that I could change myself if I wanted to. And it is with this spirit in mind that I'm going to smash this course and get 100% distinctions (hopefully)
But in any case, yesterday I had my induction day, where my tutor rushed through all the paperwork and gave us a brief breakdown of what the course was, how it was structured etc. My course is 45 credits at L3 and 15 at Level 2, but they said if we got through the work quick enough we could theoretically do more level 3 modules in case we needed certain merit or distinction levels for University. Also, I am released from English and Maths equivalency (yay
) but in space of those blocks I have A2 maths so to be honest, not much relief
They also gave us our first assignment! Which is...a study skills one but oh well...cracking on with it now as we speak :P First draft is due in Wednesday, but I'll try to get it in to her on monday so that I can get it done, handed in and marked as soon as possible.
Any questions, please don't hesitate to ask , and there is definitely more to come