Why Should you take a BTEC?
I have decided to put forward a review on BTEC’s to people who are thinking of studying them for their education. So why should you study a BTEC?
• Is it because you are stupid?
• Is it because you failed A levels?
• Is it because you failed your GSCE’s?
• Is it because you can’t get Job?
These are many misinterpretations of BTEC’s on www.thestudentroom.co.uk, (TSR) Therefore I’m going to give a rough guide; to show you want you can get from studying a BTEC.
BTECs are aimed at people, who do things physically; they are aimed at people who want to get specialized in their chosen career so they can gain skills at early age. Many of the BTECs also included qualifications from other major companies in their chosen industry like music, media, and IT.
Another major contributed in to choosing to do a BTEC is that there aren’t any exams; the course is designed for coursework. For that reason YOU determine how much research and effort you put into your work, bear in mind that the little amount of effort you put in now the harder it will be when you go to university.
Unfortunately, people on TSR believe that people who choose to study these courses shouldn’t go to university. Now in some respect I agree with them, however if you show motivation and determination to succeed then you should be allow to go on the course. I say this with respect because a lot of BTEC student don’t bother and will still get the highest grades. You can go to loads of good universities with a BTEC qualification. Such as:
1. Durham
2. UCL
3. Kings College London
4. Nottingham
5. Sussex
6. Manchester
7. RHUL
However I would like to remind people that the BTEC is not alternative for accessing university education like Oxford or Cambridge. Some university do not accept BTEC's and if you want to go for subjects that are highly regards for their subject then looking into doing A levels will be your best bet.
If university is not what you after than great; going into work will be far easier than A level students. The great thing about BTEC is that they allow you to gain loads of skills and experience by doing things which A level students don’t do (they prefer to sit and read a book). You will have far bigger advantage in an interview because your course is far more related to the job.
tl-dr are you taking A levels?
and i thought btec students couldn't read
For people who doubt you could get into Oxford, Please talk to the admission tutor at Oxford university who would kindly put you in your place
• Is it because you are stupid?
• Is it because you failed A levels?
• Is it because you failed your GSCE’s?
• Is it because you can’t get Job?
These are many misinterpretations of BTEC’s on www.thestudentroom.co.uk, (TSR) Therefore I’m going to give a rough guide; to show you want you can get from studying a BTEC.
BTECs are aimed at people, who do things physically; they are aimed at people who want to get specialized in their chosen career so they can gain skills at early age. Many of the BTECs also included qualifications from other major companies in their chosen industry like music, media, and IT.
Another major contributed in to choosing to do a BTEC is that there aren’t any exams; the course is designed for coursework. For that reason YOU determine how much research and effort you put into your work, bear in mind that the little amount of effort you put in now the harder it will be when you go to university.
Unfortunately, people on TSR believe that people who choose to study these courses shouldn’t go to university. Now in some respect I agree with them, however if you show motivation and determination to succeed then you should be allow to go on the course. I say this with respect because a lot of BTEC student don’t bother and will still get the highest grades. You can go to loads of good universities with a BTEC qualification. Such as:
1. Durham
2. UCL
3. Kings College London
4. Nottingham
5. Sussex
6. Manchester
7. RHUL
However I would like to remind people that the BTEC is not alternative for accessing university education like Oxford or Cambridge. Some university do not accept BTEC's and if you want to go for subjects that are highly regards for their subject then looking into doing A levels will be your best bet.
If university is not what you after than great; going into work will be far easier than A level students. The great thing about BTEC is that they allow you to gain loads of skills and experience by doing things which A level students don’t do (they prefer to sit and read a book). You will have far bigger advantage in an interview because your course is far more related to the job.
tl-dr are you taking A levels?
and i thought btec students couldn't readOriginal post by Oxford Computer Science Dept
Competition for places at Oxford University is extremely strong, and all courses are academic in nature. We are of course happy to see applicants with straight A*s at GCSE who captain the school netball team and play two musical instruments to grade 8. But they certainly aren't the only students we accept.
Academic qualifications such as A-Levels or any other academic equivalent are strongly recommended as the best preparation for any course of study at Oxford. However, we also recognise the achievements of students who hold vocational, professional or other qualifications. And what we look for goes beyond just qualifications.
For those doing A Levels we will normally make an offer of A*AA on three A levels including at least an A in Maths. The A* must be in Maths, Further Maths, Physics or Computing. For Maths & Computer Science students the A* must be in Maths or Further Maths.
For students taking the BTEC National Diploma, a conditional offer will normally be either: D*DD in the Diploma, or DDD in the Diploma and an A* at A Level in either Maths, Further Maths, Physics or Computing, and in both cases at least A in Maths A Level. As long as a candidate with this background does well in the other elements of the admissions process (see below) there's no reason they couldn't be interviewed, and ultimately offered a place.
Candidates who had done both of these sets of qualifications would of course be very welcome to apply to. But, these qualifications are just one element that we look at when deciding who to admit. We use everything we know about you. That includes:
*performance across a range of subjects at GCSE (or equivalent),
*qualifications to date (eg AS levels)
*your personal statement on the UCAS form,
*the reference (and estimated grades for future exams) on the UCAS form,
*your performance in the Aptitude Test that all our candidates take
*your performance in the interviews (if invited.)
We are looking for students with ability, potential and commitment. We are not looking for candidates with any specific knowledge about computers, but we do like to see an interest in computing and a curiosity about the way computers and computer programs work.
We explain what we are looking for in our students on our admission pages in more detail.
Hope that helps.
Academic qualifications such as A-Levels or any other academic equivalent are strongly recommended as the best preparation for any course of study at Oxford. However, we also recognise the achievements of students who hold vocational, professional or other qualifications. And what we look for goes beyond just qualifications.
For those doing A Levels we will normally make an offer of A*AA on three A levels including at least an A in Maths. The A* must be in Maths, Further Maths, Physics or Computing. For Maths & Computer Science students the A* must be in Maths or Further Maths.
For students taking the BTEC National Diploma, a conditional offer will normally be either: D*DD in the Diploma, or DDD in the Diploma and an A* at A Level in either Maths, Further Maths, Physics or Computing, and in both cases at least A in Maths A Level. As long as a candidate with this background does well in the other elements of the admissions process (see below) there's no reason they couldn't be interviewed, and ultimately offered a place.
Candidates who had done both of these sets of qualifications would of course be very welcome to apply to. But, these qualifications are just one element that we look at when deciding who to admit. We use everything we know about you. That includes:
*performance across a range of subjects at GCSE (or equivalent),
*qualifications to date (eg AS levels)
*your personal statement on the UCAS form,
*the reference (and estimated grades for future exams) on the UCAS form,
*your performance in the Aptitude Test that all our candidates take
*your performance in the interviews (if invited.)
We are looking for students with ability, potential and commitment. We are not looking for candidates with any specific knowledge about computers, but we do like to see an interest in computing and a curiosity about the way computers and computer programs work.
We explain what we are looking for in our students on our admission pages in more detail.
Hope that helps.
For people who doubt you could get into Oxford, Please talk to the admission tutor at Oxford university who would kindly put you in your place
(edited 12 years ago)
Scroll to see replies
Original post by ComputerTune
• Is it because you failed A levels?
• Is it because you failed your GSCE’s?
• Is it because you can't get Job?
• Is it because you failed A levels?
• Is it because you failed your GSCE’s?
• Is it because you can't get Job?
Those 3 apply to me, I identified my marks for the 3 A levels I did in 2009-2010 and I must have been doing well in the coursework area and exams were not for me apparently. Choosing a vocational course was the best choice I have ever made and will never regret it purely because it consists of large quantities of coursework.
GCSE's were really hard aswell but it was sort of the other way around, good at exams, failure at coursework. Even after my failure of GCSEs I moved on to BTEC First in Business and achieved my Merit in that, so that's another reason for me to choose the vocational path but also to do a retake in my failed English GCSE and still stuck onto a D grade (just hope my chosen Universities don't spot that).
I have never gathered the confidence to find a job to experience the world of work, and almost 20 yrs old, you might have thought I would have a job already as I have no benefits whatsoever. However the reason I don't have a job isn't affecting what course path i'm taking and would probably remain the same if I stayed on the academic route.
I despise the negative reaction to BTEC students, I found secondary schools who tell students that they are 'too intelligent' to do a BTEC. It is a load of rubbish. People see the BTEC course as therefore education as an 'easy way out'. This is wrong, I did my BTEC in IT and you do get alot of work to do, but you should do the BTEC if you are committed, therefore you learn alot more than you otherwise would. I'll give an example; My course expectations were students have a basic understanding of primary programming concepts and can produce moderately complex programs by the end of year 2. Instead by being committed and self teaching most of us ended up knowing how to make complex programs in anywhere from 2 - 10 languages and more than 1 paradigm. In my college I saw A2-Level students studying for their final exam, They had a diagram of a very basic computer system with two labels. "OS" and "Hardware" They did not know what a kernel was, any types of kernels (e.g. monolithic) as well as the role of a Hardware Abstraction Layer.
I would suggest that whatever negatives people tell you about BTECs you ignore them, If your committed to that subject and you want to learn more then the BTEC will give you a MUCH better foundation to start from, where you can go onto self-teach. The BTEC programs teach much more valuable information than A-Level, You don't learn to pass exams, you learn important skills, such as researching skills, independent learning and a whole lot more than the A-Level counterpart.
I would suggest that whatever negatives people tell you about BTECs you ignore them, If your committed to that subject and you want to learn more then the BTEC will give you a MUCH better foundation to start from, where you can go onto self-teach. The BTEC programs teach much more valuable information than A-Level, You don't learn to pass exams, you learn important skills, such as researching skills, independent learning and a whole lot more than the A-Level counterpart.
Original post by xlizx
Original post by xlizx
Most of the people in my class had done well in there GCSE's and did a BTEC as they had been advised that it was a good route into nursing which it has been for most of us, 90% of my class have places to at uni for nursing and midwifery in september including me.
What btec course did you do?
Original post by Lonelyone
What btec course did you do?
I did health studies
to the OP you are VERY insulting.
There are quite a few BTECs that you can't do for A Level or GCSE and it allows people the option to do something they want to do. Actually people who are VERY clever are doing BTECs and you would be suprised how much work BTECs actually take.
Hate to point out to you ALL universities accept BTECs and they see them as the same level, which they are, as A Levels. So this myth about universities not liking BTECs is total crap.
EDIT: Before people give it a negative rating look DOWN.
There are quite a few BTECs that you can't do for A Level or GCSE and it allows people the option to do something they want to do. Actually people who are VERY clever are doing BTECs and you would be suprised how much work BTECs actually take.
Hate to point out to you ALL universities accept BTECs and they see them as the same level, which they are, as A Levels. So this myth about universities not liking BTECs is total crap.
EDIT: Before people give it a negative rating look DOWN.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by clareramos
to the OP you are VERY insulting.
There are quite a few BTECs that you can't do for A Level or GCSE and it allows people the option to do something they want to do. Actually people who are VERY clever are doing BTECs and you would be suprised how much work BTECs actually take.
Hate to point out to you ALL universities accept BTECs and they see them as the same level, which they are, as A Levels. So this myth about universities not liking BTECs is total crap.
There are quite a few BTECs that you can't do for A Level or GCSE and it allows people the option to do something they want to do. Actually people who are VERY clever are doing BTECs and you would be suprised how much work BTECs actually take.
Hate to point out to you ALL universities accept BTECs and they see them as the same level, which they are, as A Levels. So this myth about universities not liking BTECs is total crap.
Read the original post again. I think you should say sorry to the OP.
Actually no, not all universities accept the BTEC qualification.
In the top 20 universities for my chosen subject. 7 will not accept a BTEC at all. 7 require me to take an additional a-level. As well as my extended Diploma.
So this myth about universities not liking BTEC`s is not a myth at all.
In terms of a level 3 qualification, yes they are equal, but they are focused differently. Not in favor of academia.
You may have a good point but you didn't have to express it like that.
lol the people who did BTEC at my school were ostracised. We called them the BTEC crew. They all said BTEC was bs. 2 years on nobody who did it is doing anything useful as a result of it. They all just did it to fill time while they retook their GCSES. At my school I think they only did BTEC as somewhere to put people who failed GCSE. They only offered 2 BTECs.
However I don't think BTEC is bad. If you do a decent quality one at a higher education college or whatever then you can get the points to go uni. Just at my school they just did "timewaster" courses.
However I don't think BTEC is bad. If you do a decent quality one at a higher education college or whatever then you can get the points to go uni. Just at my school they just did "timewaster" courses.
(edited 12 years ago)
I didn't read the other responses so they may have already covered this but I will post it anyway.
A key reason for people doing a BTEC is misinformation by teachers. A lot of the times teachers say that a BTEC is equal to A levels and people will take them. Unfortunately they are not as some Universities may not accept them.
This isn't me saying they are any easier as that is purely dependent on the individuals learning style some preform better in exams some by doing coursework.
Personally, I don't think BTEC's should be looked down upon. Not everyone learns the same way and with the traditional tests once a year your only testing how well their memory is and how well they are at learning the format of the exam (Exam Technique).
I'm totally against this and the fact that a growing numbers of schools has classes purely on exam techniques shows a huge flaw in the current system. I fear that this government is only going to exacerbate the situation by their attempts to reinforce this old outdated system.
What we need is a new system whereby students get tested on what they know and how they can apply it we need ideally a modular system where students are tested to see if they have a deep understanding of what they are being tested on.
As opposed to right now where they revise what is most likely to come up in the exam.
2am so forgive the spelling/grammar errors but I'm a BTEC student so It's expected right?
I'm afraid this isn't true for a small minority of Universities.
A key reason for people doing a BTEC is misinformation by teachers. A lot of the times teachers say that a BTEC is equal to A levels and people will take them. Unfortunately they are not as some Universities may not accept them.
This isn't me saying they are any easier as that is purely dependent on the individuals learning style some preform better in exams some by doing coursework.
Personally, I don't think BTEC's should be looked down upon. Not everyone learns the same way and with the traditional tests once a year your only testing how well their memory is and how well they are at learning the format of the exam (Exam Technique).
I'm totally against this and the fact that a growing numbers of schools has classes purely on exam techniques shows a huge flaw in the current system. I fear that this government is only going to exacerbate the situation by their attempts to reinforce this old outdated system.
What we need is a new system whereby students get tested on what they know and how they can apply it we need ideally a modular system where students are tested to see if they have a deep understanding of what they are being tested on.
As opposed to right now where they revise what is most likely to come up in the exam.
2am so forgive the spelling/grammar errors but I'm a BTEC student so It's expected right?
Original post by clareramos
Hate to point out to you ALL universities accept BTECs and they see them as the same level, which they are, as A Levels. So this myth about universities not liking BTECs is total crap.
Hate to point out to you ALL universities accept BTECs and they see them as the same level, which they are, as A Levels. So this myth about universities not liking BTECs is total crap.
I'm afraid this isn't true for a small minority of Universities.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Sam Walters
Read the original post again. I think you should say sorry to the OP.
Actually no, not all universities accept the BTEC qualification.
In the top 20 universities for my chosen subject. 7 will not accept a BTEC at all. 7 require me to take an additional a-level. As well as my extended Diploma.
So this myth about universities not liking BTEC`s is not a myth at all.
In terms of a level 3 qualification, yes they are equal, but they are focused differently. Not in favor of academia.
Actually no, not all universities accept the BTEC qualification.
In the top 20 universities for my chosen subject. 7 will not accept a BTEC at all. 7 require me to take an additional a-level. As well as my extended Diploma.
So this myth about universities not liking BTEC`s is not a myth at all.
In terms of a level 3 qualification, yes they are equal, but they are focused differently. Not in favor of academia.
I don't need to say sorry at all.
You do realise that uni's will soon have to accept BTECs as it has been argued strongly for years that they are equal, and several uni's who said they don't accept BTECs have had to accept students who took BTECs as they couldn't provid sufficent evidence for not accepting BTECs. You will find that requirements on UCAS aren't always 100% correct.
Uni's are being forced to change about BTECs and rightly so.
Original post by ComputerTune
These are many misinterpretations of BTEC’s on www.thestudentroom.co.uk
These are many misinterpretations of BTEC’s on www.thestudentroom.co.uk
Original post by clareramos
to the OP you are VERY insulting.
Original post by clareramos
I don't need to say sorry at all.
Uni's are being forced to change about BTECs and rightly so.
Uni's are being forced to change about BTECs and rightly so.
Yes you do, clearly you skimmed the original post
Universities don`t have to accept BTEC`s at all. Simply put if the course doesn't prepare you for another then you shouldn't be able to get onto the second with the first.
Entry requirements on UCAS may not be 100% correct. But speaking directly to the admissions tutors is.
Original post by clareramos
Original post by clareramos
I don't need to say sorry at all.
sorry to butt in here, but 'Sam Walters' is clearly right - you skimmed the OP
after that list of insults it says: 'These are many misinterpretations of BTEC’s on TSR'
So the OP is for btecs, not against them...
Original post by clareramos
I don't need to say sorry at all.
You do realise that uni's will soon have to accept BTECs as it has been argued strongly for years that they are equal, and several uni's who said they don't accept BTECs have had to accept students who took BTECs as they couldn't provid sufficent evidence for not accepting BTECs. You will find that requirements on UCAS aren't always 100% correct.
Uni's are being forced to change about BTECs and rightly so.
You do realise that uni's will soon have to accept BTECs as it has been argued strongly for years that they are equal, and several uni's who said they don't accept BTECs have had to accept students who took BTECs as they couldn't provid sufficent evidence for not accepting BTECs. You will find that requirements on UCAS aren't always 100% correct.
Uni's are being forced to change about BTECs and rightly so.
Yeah you kind of do.
I'm respectful of BTECS, but you need to understand BTECs and A-levels serve different purposes.
I did skim read it. as I was trying to actually organising the logistics of a new BTEC course whilst looking on here. Sorry to the OP.
Under new plans universities will have to accept BTECs, if current plans go through, may take a few years though.
Dippy Dip, I do understand the difference, I very much understand the difference.
Under new plans universities will have to accept BTECs, if current plans go through, may take a few years though.
Dippy Dip, I do understand the difference, I very much understand the difference.
Original post by clareramos
Under new plans universities will have to accept BTECs, if current plans go through, may take a few years though.
I can see Universities pushing exam boards to make BTEC's harder then.
Original post by adam271
I can see Universities pushing exam boards to make BTEC's harder then.
they have no power to and can't anyway as specs have only recently been updated.
They tried with geography moaning about the new style for A2, and didn't win.
Universities are quite within thier rights to decline entry for BTEC students on the basis that the BTEC does not appropriately prepare the student for the degree.
Because honestly, what would be the point if they are likely to get half way through the first year and drop out?
Its eff all to do with inteligence, but the fact of the matter is the delivery of the BTEC course is not "acedmic". I wouldnt say they need to adjust the content in terms of how advanced the courses are but add in more Acedemic elements. Ie the odd exam here and there.
Because honestly, what would be the point if they are likely to get half way through the first year and drop out?
Its eff all to do with inteligence, but the fact of the matter is the delivery of the BTEC course is not "acedmic". I wouldnt say they need to adjust the content in terms of how advanced the courses are but add in more Acedemic elements. Ie the odd exam here and there.
Original post by Sam Walters
Universities are quite within thier rights to decline entry for BTEC students on the basis that the BTEC does not appropriately prepare the student for the degree.
Because honestly, what would be the point if they are likely to get half way through the first year and drop out?
Its eff all to do with inteligence, but the fact of the matter is the delivery of the BTEC course is not "acedmic". I wouldnt say they need to adjust the content in terms of how advanced the courses are but add in more Acedemic elements. Ie the odd exam here and there.
Because honestly, what would be the point if they are likely to get half way through the first year and drop out?
Its eff all to do with inteligence, but the fact of the matter is the delivery of the BTEC course is not "acedmic". I wouldnt say they need to adjust the content in terms of how advanced the courses are but add in more Acedemic elements. Ie the odd exam here and there.
BTECs are pure coursework for a reason. There should be no 'exams' as such but they should have tests just so the teacher is aware they know the knowledge. Putting exams in BTECs would be a mistake and make them like Applied A Levels.
More people with BTECs actually stay in comparison to people who do A Levels odd fact someone told me recently.
could be argued A Levels don't prepare you for univeristy anymore as it is going down the number that have coursework in.
also some uni's say as long as you pass a BTEC your in and don't care about a levels.
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