Would i be able to study at university?

Hi there,

I was thinking of studying at uni, however i didnt stay on at 6th form to do my A levels. I left school and did an apprenticeship in travel and did an nvq level 2 & 3. now i know level 3 is worth 2 A levels, and i also have my GCSE's, i have keyskills in maths, grade C at gcse in English Language, Litriture, German, and a D for disniction in ICT.

Ive had life and customer service experience for nearly 4 years, and im now 20years old, i emailed Derby to see if they would accept my qualifications, but i was just wondering what you guys generally thought, do you think they would consider me?

many thanks

Reply 1

Militantbuthopeful

Depends where you want to go and what you want to do, somewhere will take you I'm sure.

Reply 2

Bslforever

Not once they see that you like to type in large purple font.

Reply 3

ilovepolska

if you want to start university in september this year, you better hurry up. the deadline is the 15th of january.
and yes, i'm sure they will accept you somewhere.

I hope not.

It depends on two things: what sort of career path you intend to follow and the universities you intend to apply to. If you can give some idea of university and/or career aims, that would be helpful :smile:

P.S. If you want any info on German as a degree (or part of a degree) let me know.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 6

josh_v

Where have you read that NVQ 3 counts as 2 a-levels?

I think its very unlikely with your qualifications if im honest. You would be better doing an Access course and applying for 2012 entry if you were serious about it.

Reply 7

Planar

I can't help but think that Barney the purple dinosaur wrote that

Reply 8

behindthescenes

Don't listen to the naysayers. If you believe you can you will. After this it is only a matter of belief, hard work and perseverance. True you may have to wiggle around to find a way in (i.e. access course) but it is possible.

Remember, the only limitations we have in life are those that we place upon ourselves.

Be lucky and work bloody hard.

Reply 9

josh_v

Original post by behindthescenes

The question wasn't if i do an Access course will i get into uni, it was regarding the current qualifications.

If a university arent willing to accept you based on your grades, it doesnt matter how much you believe that they will, they still arent going to accept you.

Its not fair to just mollycoddle these people and tell them that 'of course you can go to uni, just wish really hard' when what they need to do is get organised, get some decent qualifications, make a decision on what course they want to do and set about achieving some decent work experience and a standard of education that will get them there.

Reply 10

j0nnn

it depends what you want to do. i imagine for some degrees you will be accepted. i seriously doubt you would be accepted onto a science/maths/engineering degree with those qualifications though.

i would reccomend you to top up your qualifications, perhaps, before applying. saying that, if you have the drive then go for it. a lot of unis do take into consideration experience, etc. remember that you will be diving in at the deep end though. expect it to be difficult, especially after being a few years out of education.

edit: sorry if i came off a bit sceptical, just trying to give you honest advice from personal experience. being a mature student and having work experience will certainly work in your favour!

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 11

kristinaalovesu

Yes of course, some universities may consider you but don't expect too much though.

Reply 12

Joinedup

Derby need to see evidence of successful study at NQF level 3 (i.e. your NVQ 3's) but they are likely to be flexible on UCAS points for a mature student.

Travel/tourism is taught at the Buxton campus which is quite distant to the main site in Derby town centre. any questions about Buxton you can ask on the derby thread (midlands universities)

Can't say if they'd take you straight into a degree or ask you to do an access course tbh - give them a phone, I reckon you can probably sell yourself better on the phone with your work exp.

good luck!

Reply 13

Aspiringlawstudent

Original post by missbecca

Reply 14

ChrisJsy

I'm not 100% sure but I believe you need a level 4 NVQ to be accepted into a university, also at 20 years old i'm not sure you will be considered "Mature". I believe thats 21 and over? anyway, the deadline is tomorrow therefore I suggest you talk to your local college about an access course (like I am currently doing) if you succeed and work hard you will open yourself up to better options in regards to Universities & areas of study!

Reply 15

Joinedup

Original post by ChrisJsy

That's incorrect A level are NQF 3 and NVQ 3 is also NQF 3

NQF 4 is usually equivalent to completing the first year of a three 3 year degree course - or an NVQ 4

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/QualificationsExplained/DG_10039017

I entered Derby as a mature undergrad by direct application in 2009 and they definitely wanted to see documentation showing I'd succeeded at NQF3.

Reply 16

helentinkletoes

Oh goodness TSR snobs out in force.

An NVQ 3 is definitely 2 a-levels and just because someone took this route does not make them "unworthy" of a university education. It's actually really hard to get an NVQ 3 and takes a lot of independent thought and hard work.

Secondly have none of you ever made a typo? So what if one word in a post is spelt wrong or someone chooses to express them self in purple font. Maybe they have difficulty reading and writing, are you trying to say that every dyslexic should be stopped from going to university? (if so i'll tell my profoundly dyslexic Cambridge graduate best friend).

Best thing is to go to the university and ask them to suggest what courses you could do to meet the entry criteria. You might find that they're happy to accept you with another a-level. Ignore some of the narrow minded attitudes here.

Reply 17

Aspiringlawstudent

Original post by missbecca

Christ, I hope not. :facepalm2:

You do realise that people struggle to get in nowadays with AAA in their A-levels? If you can't spell literature or distinction university is probably not for you.