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Re-taking a BA?

Hi! First post, so apologies if this has already been covered in another thread - I had a quick search and couldn't find anything.

I did a BA in English Literature ten years ago at Newcastle and I've always felt that I completely wasted my time at university and didn't take the opportunity to learn any new concepts or challenge myself to think really critically. I arrived with loads of enthusiasm for literature but pretty much immediately slipped into drinking constantly, taking loads of drugs, and going to less and less of my lectures & seminars until I was only turning up whenever I got a letter saying I was in danger of getting kicked off the course. I did all of my reading at home, wrote all my essays at the last minute, didn't discuss anything with the rest of the people on the course nor the tutors and ended up scraping by with a 2:2.

I'm now 31 and I've had a pretty successful career in IT since then but it still weighs heavily on my mind that I had an amazing chance to broaden my knowledge and didn't take it. I've been thinking about getting back into higher education in one form of another to rectify this. I'm not looking to change my career path, I just want to actually concentrate on academia at a university level and gain the knowledge I deliberately passed up on last time around.

I was just wondering if anyone knew:

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Are Universities able to allow students to re-take degrees that they've already received from elsewhere? I was thinking of re-doing my BA in English Literature part-time at Birkbeck and actually trying.

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Failing that, every English MA I've seen advertised lists "A good second-class degree" as a requirement. Does this mean that a 2:2 isn't sufficient?

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Finally, it's been ten years since I did any critical reading or essay writing - apart from Coursera, are there any good free or paid courses that I could join to practice these abilities?

I've literally only just decided to do this, so I'm sure I'll find a lot of the above through effective use of Google - but just wondered if anyone had any experience or knowledge that could point me in the right direction!

Cheers!

Reply 1

Klix88

Firstly, you should be aware that you can't get Student Finance for a second degree. You should be prepared to fund rhe entire effort yourself, including the £9000pa tuition fees.

Original post by pjpk

[*]Are Universities able to allow students to re-take degrees that they've already received from elsewhere? I was thinking of re-doing my BA in English Literature part-time at Birkbeck and actually trying.

No, you can't retake a uni qualification that you've passed.

You could do a second degree at Birkbeck. However, as above, you wouldn't get any funding. Also, it is common for unis to charge International-level fees for second degrees, so check this as a priority with Birkbeck and any other unis you may be considering.

[*]Failing that, every English MA I've seen advertised lists "A good second-class degree" as a requirement. Does this mean that a 2:2 isn't sufficient?

If you're considering Birkbeck, then they take applications from those with a less standard educational background. A friend of mine did an MA at Birkbeck as a mature student without having an undergrad degree at all (and with some pretty hairy and elderly A Level results. Other unis would normally expect a 2:1 minimum for a Masters, especially in popular subjects like English.

I think it would be worth dropping an email to the Admissions Office at Birkbeck now, to check all of these points. It might give you more facts to work from.

Reply 2

pjpk

Thanks very much for the reply. I think I may have used the wrong term - when I say 're-take', I mean I want to end up with two BAs, both in English Literature (rather than replacing my 2:2 with a better class). Would it be possible to do that?

Reply 3

Klix88

Original post by pjpk

Yes, in theory, with the above provisos (you need to pay for yourself and possibly at International fee rates).

However it would be up to the individual uni as to whether they would accept you, and some more conventional ones might not be sympathetic. Birkbeck certainly seems like a good choice in that respect.

Reply 4

pjpk

Thanks, much appreciated. I've emailed Birkbeck to see if they'd be willing to let me take the degree - fingers crossed!

Reply 5

pjpk

Good news from Birkbeck:

Thank you for your enquiry. I have checked regarding the regulations, and it’s absolutely fine for you to apply for another BA English degree here at Birkbeck (even though you completed one previously). I’m afraid that it does mean that we can’t accept any credit transfer, i.e. you would have to start from the first year, but I think that is what you were considering anyway. It also would mean that you would be liable for full fees, and I’m afraid that fees are now £6750 per annum over four years for the part-time, four year degree.

Thanks very much for the help & advice in this thread!

Reply 6

Klix88

Original post by pjpk

Good news from Birkbeck:

Fantastic! Thanks for the update - congratulations :smile:

Full steam ahead, then!

Reply 7

Assan

If you like other languages you could study Comparative Literature as a second BA, or Modern Languages at a school that has a heavy literature component :smile: