Trying to take my first step..

Hey! Im new here and wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction..

Im 25 and work full time. Ive decided id like to study GCSE psychology. Ive found many online courses such as ICS and Oxford Open something or other, all seem to have poor reviews on actually being worth while!

What do i do?! I cant find any night schools for GCSE psychology in my area (Oxford) and i dont want to pay for online courses that have outdated study materal and tutors that dont get back to you.

Is it possible to find the relevant study material myself for the exams in Summer 2017?? Is this a silly idea? If no then where do I start.

I'm feeling so deflated. I didnt realise it would be so hard to get back into eduction.

Any advice or leads would be really appreciated right now!

Reply 1

_Sinnie_

15

Original post by TinksWinks

Hey! Im new here and wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction..

Im 25 and work full time. Ive decided id like to study GCSE psychology. Ive found many online courses such as ICS and Oxford Open something or other, all seem to have poor reviews on actually being worth while!

What do i do?! I cant find any night schools for GCSE psychology in my area (Oxford) and i dont want to pay for online courses that have outdated study materal and tutors that dont get back to you.

Is it possible to find the relevant study material myself for the exams in Summer 2017?? Is this a silly idea? If no then where do I start.

I'm feeling so deflated. I didnt realise it would be so hard to get back into eduction.

Any advice or leads would be really appreciated right now!

What is your current education level? Have you completed GCSE's, A-Levels or a degree? If you have completed GCSE's in the past and feel broadly confident with your academic abilities, my thought would be to skip the GCSE and do the A-Level. GCSE Psychology is bog basic and probably not worth the money you'll pay to do it. Someone else might have a different opinion in jumping straight to A-Level if you've been out of education for so long though.

What do you want to study it for?

Reply 2

TinksWinks

OP

Original post by _Sinnie_

What is your current education level? Have you completed GCSE's, A-Levels or a degree? If you have completed GCSE's in the past and feel broadly confident with your academic abilities, my thought would be to skip the GCSE and do the A-Level. GCSE Psychology is bog basic and probably not worth the money you'll pay to do it. Someone else might have a different opinion in jumping straight to A-Level if you've been out of education for so long though.

What do you want to study it for?

I did my GCSEs in secondary school. I didnt do as well as I could have as I missed a lot of my last 2 years due to poor mental health.

I feel confident enough that with enough hard work I could do A level. Im just not sure on the steps to take.

Psychology interests me. For understanding myself but also other people. Id like to work with people, possibly as a support worker. I know I can start this work without qualifications but id love to study and I thrive on learning, plus I'd like to start building my future and opening pathways to multiple options

Reply 3

Findlay6

19

AQA is nice and easy and they've just started a new specification this year so lots of resources are being made.

Have a look at my studyblr (in sig.) for the types of things being taught. I'm sure you can enroll yourself and be able to teach yourself content.

Reply 4

TinksWinks

OP

Original post by Findlay6

AQA is nice and easy and they've just started a new specification this year so lots of resources are being made.

Have a look at my studyblr (in sig.) for the types of things being taught. I'm sure you can enroll yourself and be able to teach yourself content.

Im sorry what is "studyblr"?

Reply 5

Findlay6

19

Original post by TinksWinks

Im sorry what is "studyblr"?

A blog dedicated to studying on the website tumblr.

It's almost like a community. There's loads of 'studyblrs' for different subjects. Some people post useful infographics or advice others post aesthetic notes and writing styles.

Iteachpsych.tumblr.com

Reply 6

_Sinnie_

15

Original post by TinksWinks

I did my GCSEs in secondary school. I didnt do as well as I could have as I missed a lot of my last 2 years due to poor mental health.

I feel confident enough that with enough hard work I could do A level. Im just not sure on the steps to take.

Psychology interests me. For understanding myself but also other people. Id like to work with people, possibly as a support worker. I know I can start this work without qualifications but id love to study and I thrive on learning, plus I'd like to start building my future and opening pathways to multiple options

If you feel broadly confident in working at an A-level standard, then I'd skip the GCSE.

If you're learning for pleasure and there is no particular requirement for you to have certain amounts of knowledge or qualifications, then the A-level would be a fine(-ish) place to start. My recollections on the A-level are that on the whole, you will learn lots of theory with a battery of standard studies but it doesn't really provide all the much 'real world' insight - much of the content misses out the nuances in how it all applies to actual people in real situations.

In terms of opening future pathways, a Psychology degree will do that, an A-Level will not.

I suppose it comes down to what you ultimately want to achieve, how much you can afford and what time pressures you have. If you want to learn for fun, to inform your knowledge a bit and have the potential to explore options in the future, then the A-Level will likely suit you. If you're looking to in-bed Psychological knowledge into your work and potentially pursue a Psychological career, then you want the degree.

Bearing in mind, the quicker route for you to obtain a degree is likely to be doing an access course rather than A-Levels.

As a support worker, the A-Level will add very little to your practical work, but will give you some background knowledge and will fulfil your thirst for learning. You'll likely be completing the NVQ (Health and Social care or somesuch) as part of the role any way.

Reply 7

Elivercury

16

Are you looking to study full time or part time? The Open University has a pretty good reputation and while typically excluded from league tables due to not really fitting the traditional undergrad structure, in the handful or surveys/tables I've seen that in, it has typically been in the top 3rd, which is on par with many respectable universities.

Might not fit your needs, but I wouldn't rule it out.

Trying to take my first step..

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