Applying with an Access course isn't working :/

This is a bit of a general thread (rant?) about me trying to get into vet med.

So i did a pre-Access and then an Access course (GCSE and A-level equivalents) over a 2 year period. A while after completing the Access course i decided to look into vet med, but only 3 uni's will even vaguely consider taking Access students.

1-Liverpool gave me a very discriminatory response about Access students, but i applied there anyway because i had lots of blank slots left.

2-Nottingham, where i wanted to go and applied to the gateway course, turned me down because i don't have good GCSE results. It doesn't matter that i have an Access course under my belt or that my GCSE's were 15 years ago, the fact that they had 17 people apply for every 1 vacancy plus a few other things are against me.

3-Bristol...well i'm waiting to hear from them, i applied to the gateway course, but i'm not holding my breath considering the responses i've had so far from other uni's.


I was looking into getting home study A-levels so i could apply to more than a couple of uni's next time. I would need top grades in biology, math and chemistry to be considered. Though i am not aware of anyone that can provide home study chemistry as you need lab access.

Am i doomed to be a 30+ year old sitting in a classroom full of judgemental 17 year olds doing A-levels in a classroom? Oh to be alienated all over again! >.<

Does anyone know of somewhere that offers proper A-levels (not equivalents, i've had enough trouble with "equivalent" qualifications), especially chemistry?

Has anyone tried home study A-levels, and did you find them good enough to prepare you for the exams?

I'm basically just trying to vastly improve my chances of getting accepted into uni for vet med. I can't keep applying as Nottingham already told me i only have 2 more tries, and i'd be best not trying till i have A-levels in biology. chemistry and math, and GCSE's in math (unless i do A-level)and english.

Home study isn't actually a lot cheaper, not when you take into account the exam costs :/ A-levels are about £600 each, home study ones are £400, plus exam costs. Math has 6 exams over the 2 year course and they can be £50-100 each i was told

Any advice/question is welcome.

My course last year was AS in 6 months, and A2 in 6 months (so a year long program giving you both the FULL a-levels i.e. the complete qualifications enabling you to apply to the straight 5 year vet med degree). It was also part-time, 2 days a week, so there was still a massive element of self-study and motivation needed, but I feel gave me the basic knowledge and help I needed to even be able to get my head around chem/biology, so that I can really have a stab at it this year.

As you'd possibly be needing a further 3rd a-level perhaps this could be one which is slightly less intense than the 2 sciences, geography for example (it doesn't need to be maths) or just one which could be more eaily self-studied, especially if u do manage to find a place to sit both chemistry and biology in.
If this is any use to you I could foward you the details of the place where did my intensive 1 year study in chem/bio alevels last year.

I was under the impression a lot of top universities accepted access courses for architecture, but unfortunately they don't (even though they say they do). Therefore I'll be doing 5 AS-levels next year and will most likely continue 4-3 of them to A2 the following year.

Bummer! Did you actually apply to any uni's with your Access course, or did you not even bother? The impression i get is that they'll take them...but only as a last resort, which sucks. Also do you need to do so many AS/A-levels? I know for me (i'm 30) they'd cost around £600 per year, per subject, and i think i'm too old to get government funding with the cost. I think you need to be 19-25..or 28 :/

Also i thought they'd be more willing to take Access courses now that they get marked in a better way, with distinctions and such. I did mine on the last year it was a simple pass or fail.

Hi Carlito

I'm currently doing A levels in Biology and Chemistry by distance learning. I'm doing Biology with Oxford College/Oxford Distance Learning (same company) and using Edexcel exam board - there is no practical element, just coursework (an essay) that needs to be verified. However, it does cost a lot. I think to do the whole A level in a year costs about £350. On top of this there are 4 exams and 2 pieces of coursework - this is standard, since the year 2000 every A level is comprised of 6 modules. Each exam costs me £50 to sit and each piece of coursework £90. This is on top of the £350 mentioned above. The further cost is textbooks, revision guides etc. You can cut costs by finding a local school/college to let you sit your exams, often at a reduced rate. No schools near me would take me on for some reason, so i use Greene's Tutorial College in Oxford, who will take most people and have been excellent, but the cost is higher. (I'm pretty sure oxford college offer A level maths by distance learning as well).

Chemistry is a whole different ball game. You have to have lab access because there is an assessed practical. Again, Greene's have an option to do your practical there, attending on saturday morning for 6 weeks. The rest I am teaching myself. BUT the cost of doing the practicals is high. Plus again all the exams. Another option is Pembrokeshire College who will let you do a week long residential course where you do all the practicals, for about £250.

It's certainly not a cheap option and it takes a lot of organisation, finding places to sit the exams etc. Also I have found chemistry much, much harder to self-teach than biology, because so much of it is equations etc, rather than just memorising diagrams or explanations.

One of the benefits of doing it this way is that you can take the exams whenever you want - for example I'm taking unit 1 chemistry in May and unit 2 next Jan, so technically in two different academic years. It's perfectly possible to do this, or to take all 6 exams in one year. Hope this helps and sorry for the essay!

Wow. That's very interesting. I was under the impression you had to take exams at certain times of the year, ie. January, as that's the month everyone mentioned so far when i talked to a number of the distance learning companies.

Are you able to take exams at any time you want, or do they just give you a choice of a select few dates throughout the year?

Hello All, I've just found this thread and I too am trying to find out which route to go down a levels at a centre (if I can find one), home study or access. Last year I had though about doing medicine and got accepted on an access to med course but didn't really have any work experience so turned it down as not much chance of getting in to uni. After a long think I realised I would be much happier doing vet med (like I origninally intended to do 14 years ago when I was doing GCSE's!). I have lots of experience and ultimately as a study option and long term career this is what I have always wanted, but I didn't think this was a mature student option!

I think the a level option is best but not sure if I am up to home studying or even a levels at all after such a long break. Should I do gcse re takes first to refresh my memory? As a mature student do you still need three A's at a level?

I think you're best off with A-levels. I phoned Nottingham (and will phone the others to know what they want, regarding qualifications) and this year they had 17 applicants for every 1 vet med course vacancy. I was basically told to go do A-levels and it'd be a waste of an application to try before then (too late, i already applied with an Access course! -_-)

I was told i need English and math GCSE, too :/ I have a D in English, and a GCSE equivalent in math...this is why i'll phone every uni to see exactly what they'll accept.

I feel the same way about studying at home after such a long break. I basically didn't do any work/study at school. I did do an Access and pre-Access course, but i've not much faith in them as they were complete crap. I've not done exams since my 15+ year old GCSE's.

I'd rather home study than have to attend college 2 hours one day, 4 hours another, etc etc. There's no chance of doing anything in the day (work, etc) when you have a 2 hour lesson right in the middle of it.

I'm looking forward to studying biology, but absolutely dreading chemistry....it just looks so fricking complex. Hopefully i get my head wrapped around it and find it an ok subject. Math...well i'll find out how many uni's want that at A-level...hopefully none!

I think you're best off with A-levels. I phoned Nottingham (and will phone the others to know what they want, regarding qualifications) and this year they had 17 applicants for every 1 vet med course vacancy. I was basically told to go do A-levels and it'd be a waste of an application to try before then (too late, i already applied with an Access course! -_-)

I was told i need English and math GCSE, too :/ I have a D in English, and a GCSE equivalent in math...this is why i'll phone every uni to see exactly what they'll accept.

I feel the same way about studying at home after such a long break. I basically didn't do any work/study at school. I did do an Access and pre-Access course, but i've not much faith in them as they were complete crap. I've not done exams since my 15+ year old GCSE's.

I'd rather home study than have to attend college 2 hours one day, 4 hours another, etc etc. There's no chance of doing anything in the day (work, etc) when you have a 2 hour lesson right in the middle of it.

I'm looking forward to studying biology, but absolutely dreading chemistry....it just looks so fricking complex. Hopefully i get my head wrapped around it and find it an ok subject. Math...well i'll find out how many uni's want that at A-level...hopefully none!