BTECs and A Levels
Hey guys, firstly, apologies if this is the wrong forum to post in... there's a lot of them.
Ok, here's my situation:
I left mainstream schooling in Year 10 due to.. well, bullying. I wasn't happy at all at school, so my parents pulled me out after much... creative discussion. From then on I was home-schooled and it didn't turn out very well. I'd always done well in terms of grades at school, was in the top of most classes, but as soon as I took my GCSEs, everything went south. I ended up with terrible grades and I still kick myself about it now.
I took my Adult Literacy and Numeracy Level 2 tests a year after officially finishing school and passed both, which left me with an English and Maths GCSE equivalent of A* - C. I'm now going to college, after two years of thinking whether or not to go, to do a BTEC Level 2 in Applied Science, which if I pass, gives me four more GCSE equivalents of A* - C.
My predicament is, I want to go to University eventually to study Egyptology and Archaeology, which after looking around a lot, I need roughly ABB/AAB in my A Levels to get onto the undergraduate course. Now, will I be able to take my A Levels (I plan on taking four) with my BTEC and A.L.A.N Level 2 qualifications? In total, at the end of the 2014 academic year, I will have 6 GCSE equivalents of A* - C in English, Maths and Science. Is it enough? Or is it up to the college themselves whether or not to take those qualifications?
Any help would be appreciated and apologies if I've rambled on a bit. Thanks.
Ok, here's my situation:
I left mainstream schooling in Year 10 due to.. well, bullying. I wasn't happy at all at school, so my parents pulled me out after much... creative discussion. From then on I was home-schooled and it didn't turn out very well. I'd always done well in terms of grades at school, was in the top of most classes, but as soon as I took my GCSEs, everything went south. I ended up with terrible grades and I still kick myself about it now.
I took my Adult Literacy and Numeracy Level 2 tests a year after officially finishing school and passed both, which left me with an English and Maths GCSE equivalent of A* - C. I'm now going to college, after two years of thinking whether or not to go, to do a BTEC Level 2 in Applied Science, which if I pass, gives me four more GCSE equivalents of A* - C.
My predicament is, I want to go to University eventually to study Egyptology and Archaeology, which after looking around a lot, I need roughly ABB/AAB in my A Levels to get onto the undergraduate course. Now, will I be able to take my A Levels (I plan on taking four) with my BTEC and A.L.A.N Level 2 qualifications? In total, at the end of the 2014 academic year, I will have 6 GCSE equivalents of A* - C in English, Maths and Science. Is it enough? Or is it up to the college themselves whether or not to take those qualifications?
Any help would be appreciated and apologies if I've rambled on a bit. Thanks.
Original post by xapher19
Hey guys, firstly, apologies if this is the wrong forum to post in... there's a lot of them.
Ok, here's my situation:
I left mainstream schooling in Year 10 due to.. well, bullying. I wasn't happy at all at school, so my parents pulled me out after much... creative discussion. From then on I was home-schooled and it didn't turn out very well. I'd always done well in terms of grades at school, was in the top of most classes, but as soon as I took my GCSEs, everything went south. I ended up with terrible grades and I still kick myself about it now.
I took my Adult Literacy and Numeracy Level 2 tests a year after officially finishing school and passed both, which left me with an English and Maths GCSE equivalent of A* - C. I'm now going to college, after two years of thinking whether or not to go, to do a BTEC Level 2 in Applied Science, which if I pass, gives me four more GCSE equivalents of A* - C.
My predicament is, I want to go to University eventually to study Egyptology and Archaeology, which after looking around a lot, I need roughly ABB/AAB in my A Levels to get onto the undergraduate course. Now, will I be able to take my A Levels (I plan on taking four) with my BTEC and A.L.A.N Level 2 qualifications? In total, at the end of the 2014 academic year, I will have 6 GCSE equivalents of A* - C in English, Maths and Science. Is it enough? Or is it up to the college themselves whether or not to take those qualifications?
Any help would be appreciated and apologies if I've rambled on a bit. Thanks.
Ok, here's my situation:
I left mainstream schooling in Year 10 due to.. well, bullying. I wasn't happy at all at school, so my parents pulled me out after much... creative discussion. From then on I was home-schooled and it didn't turn out very well. I'd always done well in terms of grades at school, was in the top of most classes, but as soon as I took my GCSEs, everything went south. I ended up with terrible grades and I still kick myself about it now.
I took my Adult Literacy and Numeracy Level 2 tests a year after officially finishing school and passed both, which left me with an English and Maths GCSE equivalent of A* - C. I'm now going to college, after two years of thinking whether or not to go, to do a BTEC Level 2 in Applied Science, which if I pass, gives me four more GCSE equivalents of A* - C.
My predicament is, I want to go to University eventually to study Egyptology and Archaeology, which after looking around a lot, I need roughly ABB/AAB in my A Levels to get onto the undergraduate course. Now, will I be able to take my A Levels (I plan on taking four) with my BTEC and A.L.A.N Level 2 qualifications? In total, at the end of the 2014 academic year, I will have 6 GCSE equivalents of A* - C in English, Maths and Science. Is it enough? Or is it up to the college themselves whether or not to take those qualifications?
Any help would be appreciated and apologies if I've rambled on a bit. Thanks.
First of all I am going to ask you why you have chosen Egyptology and Archeology? I assume that you have done so because you are interested in knowing more about the subject rather that you want to become an archeologist?
If it is to do with becoming an archeologist I would suggest that before you worry about Btecs and A levels that you do some really serious research into the number of jobs available each year in that subject. I would expect you to find that there are not very many. If this is the case the difference between Btec and A level could become much less of a problem.
Original post by draghm
First of all I am going to ask you why you have chosen Egyptology and Archeology? I assume that you have done so because you are interested in knowing more about the subject rather that you want to become an archeologist?
If it is to do with becoming an archeologist I would suggest that before you worry about Btecs and A levels that you do some really serious research into the number of jobs available each year in that subject. I would expect you to find that there are not very many. If this is the case the difference between Btec and A level could become much less of a problem.
If it is to do with becoming an archeologist I would suggest that before you worry about Btecs and A levels that you do some really serious research into the number of jobs available each year in that subject. I would expect you to find that there are not very many. If this is the case the difference between Btec and A level could become much less of a problem.
I've wanted to study Egyptology for a long time and I do genuinely want to become an Archaeologist. Whether or not I become an Archaeologist is another matter, but it is not the only career path I can take from the course, I'm also interested in teaching, museum curation, research etc. As I said, there is not only one career path to take.
I personally would recommend going to college and having proper tuition - it sounds like home schooling didn't work out too well for you. Don't worry, lots of people will have come from small secondary schools and so know few people, so you will be able to make friends easily 
As to what qualifications to do - what do the universities you have been looking at require? You'll probably need Maths and English at GCSE grade B for most unis/ courses, but I don't know of any off the top of my head that require a certain number of GCSEs. What's an A.L.A.N. level 2 qualification?
You also need to think about whether you will be able to cope with the workload. 4 A levels is more than most, and without a thorough grounding in the subjects from GCSE you may find yourself initially behind everyone else at the beginning of your ASs. Trying to do the equivalent of 4 GCSEs and the other qualification may be too much.
If you are unsure, perhaps try phoning the universities you are interested in to ask about their GCSE requirements. You could also consider taking another year to do the Science BTEC and the A.L.A.N. qualification, and perhaps other GCSEs, before starting college the following year - check with your college whether they'll admit slightly older students first though.
It is probably up to the college what you're able to do if you go there. They'll have advisers who will help you decide what the best option is for you, although they may try to limit what you do remember they have experience of students in similar situations and know how much work you will have to manage.
As to what qualifications to do - what do the universities you have been looking at require? You'll probably need Maths and English at GCSE grade B for most unis/ courses, but I don't know of any off the top of my head that require a certain number of GCSEs. What's an A.L.A.N. level 2 qualification?
You also need to think about whether you will be able to cope with the workload. 4 A levels is more than most, and without a thorough grounding in the subjects from GCSE you may find yourself initially behind everyone else at the beginning of your ASs. Trying to do the equivalent of 4 GCSEs and the other qualification may be too much.
If you are unsure, perhaps try phoning the universities you are interested in to ask about their GCSE requirements. You could also consider taking another year to do the Science BTEC and the A.L.A.N. qualification, and perhaps other GCSEs, before starting college the following year - check with your college whether they'll admit slightly older students first though.
It is probably up to the college what you're able to do if you go there. They'll have advisers who will help you decide what the best option is for you, although they may try to limit what you do remember they have experience of students in similar situations and know how much work you will have to manage.
Original post by dragonkeeper999
I personally would recommend going to college and having proper tuition - it sounds like home schooling didn't work out too well for you. Don't worry, lots of people will have come from small secondary schools and so know few people, so you will be able to make friends easily
As to what qualifications to do - what do the universities you have been looking at require? You'll probably need Maths and English at GCSE grade B for most unis/ courses, but I don't know of any off the top of my head that require a certain number of GCSEs. What's an A.L.A.N. level 2 qualification?
You also need to think about whether you will be able to cope with the workload. 4 A levels is more than most, and without a thorough grounding in the subjects from GCSE you may find yourself initially behind everyone else at the beginning of your ASs. Trying to do the equivalent of 4 GCSEs and the other qualification may be too much.
If you are unsure, perhaps try phoning the universities you are interested in to ask about their GCSE requirements. You could also consider taking another year to do the Science BTEC and the A.L.A.N. qualification, and perhaps other GCSEs, before starting college the following year - check with your college whether they'll admit slightly older students first though.
It is probably up to the college what you're able to do if you go there. They'll have advisers who will help you decide what the best option is for you, although they may try to limit what you do remember they have experience of students in similar situations and know how much work you will have to manage.
As to what qualifications to do - what do the universities you have been looking at require? You'll probably need Maths and English at GCSE grade B for most unis/ courses, but I don't know of any off the top of my head that require a certain number of GCSEs. What's an A.L.A.N. level 2 qualification?
You also need to think about whether you will be able to cope with the workload. 4 A levels is more than most, and without a thorough grounding in the subjects from GCSE you may find yourself initially behind everyone else at the beginning of your ASs. Trying to do the equivalent of 4 GCSEs and the other qualification may be too much.
If you are unsure, perhaps try phoning the universities you are interested in to ask about their GCSE requirements. You could also consider taking another year to do the Science BTEC and the A.L.A.N. qualification, and perhaps other GCSEs, before starting college the following year - check with your college whether they'll admit slightly older students first though.
It is probably up to the college what you're able to do if you go there. They'll have advisers who will help you decide what the best option is for you, although they may try to limit what you do remember they have experience of students in similar situations and know how much work you will have to manage.
I've completed the Adult Literacy & Adult Numeracy (A.L.A.N.) Level 2 qualifications, so I'll only be doing the BTEC Level 2 in Applied Science. I plan to take History, Applied Science, Sociology and a Modern Language at A Level, taking the first three to A2 and the Modern Language to AS. I know I can cope with the workload.
Also, the Adult Literacy and Numeracy exams are from Edexcel and are recognised qualifications, I was advised by my personal tutor to take the tests at the time.
http://www.bajr.org/employment/UKEmploymentDetails.asp?ID=8872 Have you seen this site, it gives a list of current jobs. Most need experience. There is a similar site for museum jobs, most of them need experience, some don't need a degree.
Original post by xapher19
I've completed the Adult Literacy & Adult Numeracy (A.L.A.N.) Level 2 qualifications, so I'll only be doing the BTEC Level 2 in Applied Science. I plan to take History, Applied Science, Sociology and a Modern Language at A Level, taking the first three to A2 and the Modern Language to AS. I know I can cope with the workload.
Also, the Adult Literacy and Numeracy exams are from Edexcel and are recognised qualifications, I was advised by my personal tutor to take the tests at the time.
Also, the Adult Literacy and Numeracy exams are from Edexcel and are recognised qualifications, I was advised by my personal tutor to take the tests at the time.
Check with the universities you are interested in that they also recognise the A.L.A.N. qualification - what GCSE grade is it equivalent to?
History (and possibly sociology?) is apparently very essay based - you will need to be sure that your English skills are up to scratch. I would definitely say do the BTEC Science as you are planning to continue with science to A level. However, you also need to consider how coursework based they are - this will increase the amount of work you will be doing throughout the year. Do you think you would be able to do a normal triple science GCSE, so you only have summer exams to worry about? Although if you are better at coursework than exams the BTEC science and applied science A level are possibly more suited to you...
Modern Languages are a big workload, particularly if you do not have a good GCSE grade in it. Are you fluent in one already, or does your college offer 'ab initio'?
Ok, I misunderstood, four ASs and then 3A2s is the normal workload. You should be able to do this and the BTEC science if you manage your time well
Original post by draghm
http://www.bajr.org/employment/UKEmploymentDetails.asp?ID=8872 Have you seen this site, it gives a list of current jobs. Most need experience. There is a similar site for museum jobs, most of them need experience, some don't need a degree.
Regardless, I have wanted to study Egyptology, Ancient History and Archaeology for a long time.
Original post by dragonkeeper999
Check with the universities you are interested in that they also recognise the A.L.A.N. qualification - what GCSE grade is it equivalent to?
History (and possibly sociology?) is apparently very essay based - you will need to be sure that your English skills are up to scratch. I would definitely say do the BTEC Science as you are planning to continue with science to A level. However, you also need to consider how coursework based they are - this will increase the amount of work you will be doing throughout the year. Do you think you would be able to do a normal triple science GCSE, so you only have summer exams to worry about? Although if you are better at coursework than exams the BTEC science and applied science A level are possibly more suited to you...
Modern Languages are a big workload, particularly if you do not have a good GCSE grade in it. Are you fluent in one already, or does your college offer 'ab initio'?
Ok, I misunderstood, four ASs and then 3A2s is the normal workload. You should be able to do this and the BTEC science if you manage your time well
History (and possibly sociology?) is apparently very essay based - you will need to be sure that your English skills are up to scratch. I would definitely say do the BTEC Science as you are planning to continue with science to A level. However, you also need to consider how coursework based they are - this will increase the amount of work you will be doing throughout the year. Do you think you would be able to do a normal triple science GCSE, so you only have summer exams to worry about? Although if you are better at coursework than exams the BTEC science and applied science A level are possibly more suited to you...
Modern Languages are a big workload, particularly if you do not have a good GCSE grade in it. Are you fluent in one already, or does your college offer 'ab initio'?
Ok, I misunderstood, four ASs and then 3A2s is the normal workload. You should be able to do this and the BTEC science if you manage your time well
Adult Literacy Level 2 is equivalent to an English GCSE Grade of A* - C, the same as a BTEC Level 2 Diploma. Adult Numeracy Level 2 is equivalent to a Maths GCSE Grade of A* - C, again, the same as a BTEC Level 2 Diploma. I personally feel my English skills are sufficient for essay-based subjects. As for Science, coursework doesn't bother me, in fact, I prefer it.
I'm still thinking about whether or not to take a Modern Language just yet. It's not a requirement for the degree, just preferred.
Original post by xapher19
Regardless, I have wanted to study Egyptology, Ancient History and Archaeology for a long time.
Adult Literacy Level 2 is equivalent to an English GCSE Grade of A* - C, the same as a BTEC Level 2 Diploma. Adult Numeracy Level 2 is equivalent to a Maths GCSE Grade of A* - C, again, the same as a BTEC Level 2 Diploma. I personally feel my English skills are sufficient for essay-based subjects. As for Science, coursework doesn't bother me, in fact, I prefer it.
I'm still thinking about whether or not to take a Modern Language just yet. It's not a requirement for the degree, just preferred.
Adult Literacy Level 2 is equivalent to an English GCSE Grade of A* - C, the same as a BTEC Level 2 Diploma. Adult Numeracy Level 2 is equivalent to a Maths GCSE Grade of A* - C, again, the same as a BTEC Level 2 Diploma. I personally feel my English skills are sufficient for essay-based subjects. As for Science, coursework doesn't bother me, in fact, I prefer it.
I'm still thinking about whether or not to take a Modern Language just yet. It's not a requirement for the degree, just preferred.
When you say 'A*-C' does that mean it is equivalent to a GCSE grade C or A*. I suspect C, in which case you may need to be careful with entrance requirements for university as many require a minimum of GCSE grade B.
You see, I prefer exams... Coursework is too much like hard work! My coursework marks always let me down :'( Different people are good at different things though.
Does you college do a 'taster day'? We had the option to go to one where we tried five or six subjects, to help us decide which ones to pick. This might be helpful to decide if you should take the language. Which language is it anyway?
A GCSE Equivalent of A* - C is basically a C grade if it were GCSEs, however, it is a level 2 qualification (as is an actual GCSE grade A*, A, B or C). D and below is a level 1 qualification and A Levels are level 3 qualifications. I've never actually seen Universities requesting GCSE grades for applications, it's usually A Levels and A Level equivalents, I assumed they weren't as important, especially if you have impressive A Level grades.
The College I'm going to does do "taster days", but I'm going to give them a miss. I know which subjects I enjoy, what I want to do with my life and what qualifications I need to get there. If I were to pick a Modern Language now, it would be German, as it's probably the easiest language to learn (from my perspective anyway), but as I said, I'm still on the fence about the whole idea, I may take one on part time over two years to take it to AS level, but the College I'll be going to doesn't offer language courses at the campus closest to me and where all my other classes will take place, so it may be something just on the sidelines.
The College I'm going to does do "taster days", but I'm going to give them a miss. I know which subjects I enjoy, what I want to do with my life and what qualifications I need to get there. If I were to pick a Modern Language now, it would be German, as it's probably the easiest language to learn (from my perspective anyway), but as I said, I'm still on the fence about the whole idea, I may take one on part time over two years to take it to AS level, but the College I'll be going to doesn't offer language courses at the campus closest to me and where all my other classes will take place, so it may be something just on the sidelines.
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