Advice Regarding Access Courses

Hiya,I'm just wanting a bit if advice please I am currently working part time and I am a mother of an eight month only baby.next year I am wanting to go t uni t study nursing.i currently have no gcses and was wondering if there is a course at uni that can help you get onto the nursing course as I want it to be quicker than college can somebody reply ASAP please so I can apply for uni

Does anyone know anything about doing an access course to go to university to do another degree?
Ive already completed 1 degree but ive been told as ive been out of education so long I may have to do an access course to then go back to university?
However im unsure if my nvq can be classed as the type of education the universities may be after.

Posted from TSR Mobile

I'm wondering what points I actually have... B in English A Level and C in Art A Level, both studied in 1996.
I got an F in Business Studies AS Level - thats no points is it?
Currently studying one HEFC as advised by Northumbria and Sunderland, both requiring 300 points to apply for Primary Teacher Training next Sep, just wondering if I don't get the DDD grade in my HEFC will any offers I may have had be automatically rejected?
Sorry if that's obvious.

Does anyone know anything about doing an access course to go to university to do another degree?
Ive already completed 1 degree but ive been told as ive been out of education so long I may have to do an access course to then go back to university?
However im unsure if my nvq can be classed as the type of education the universities may be after.

Posted from TSR Mobile

I am a term into my Access to HE diploma and I'm concerned about the pace (especially after reading this thread!) My worry is that we're not getting through the work quickly enough

We have what I believe to be the standard 3 choices plus comms and misc. elements at level 3, while maths and IT are at level 2. I'm studying Psychology, Sociology and Counselling. So far we have completed;

Level 3
* 2 assignments for sociology (with one to complete over the break)
* 2 assignments for psychology
* 1 assignment and 1 exam for Comms
* 1 assignment for counselling
* 1 mini independent research project for the Misc. element

Level 2
* 1 maths exam
* 3 IT assignments

While nothing is worth more than 3 credits, I believe some of the above are only half of the unit, therefore only worth 1.5 credits. The intensity of the course is okay at the moment, but I am really concerned that we're not keeping up with other Access courses, which would result in a tonne of work to do at the end of the year.

Would you please give me an indication of how far along your access courses are?

Thanks in anticipation

Comparing other access courses to your access course is not important.
I'm sure your college would have run a course before and will make sure that you get the relevant things done so you get your results.

Hope some of you can offer some wise words here. I have worked in adult mental health for about 18 years. Have an open degree from Open University (not a great mark!) but also have an MA from the Institute of Development Studies MA thesis was looking at Global mental health and that got a high merit.

Have applied for MA in social work and also the conversion Msc to follow on to the Phd as a Clinical Psyche (prefered choice by far). It all depends on which one accepts me as to which route I take.
I feel from talking to many other HC professionals that SW is predominately law focussed now and so with all my experience I would also be better off following the CP route.

My concern is mainly that my undergrad is not 2.1 or first so is that going to hold me back from anything further related to a professional qualification. AND YET!? I have been offered a place to research global health via a PhD study which makes me think surely id get accepted then....
I would really like to hear any thoughts on it all thanks!

Sorry that I have already posted this in another thread, however I am sure most people would benefit from this post on a new thread, if they do not get to see it elsewhere.

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Hi,

All the advise I am about to give you, is most likely what you will not want to hear however it is probably the most honest answer.

Access courses are rewarding, and are great, ONLY if you are consistent, work hard and want to achieve. They are not their for a quick short cut to university, if you want to go to university to study anything less academic grades required (Not medicine/dentistry/health), then I would suggest studying a BTEC level 2/3, in which you can have plenty of help from the teachers and trying to get many distinctions to get to university.

If your still reading this post and thinking, I am dedicated, motivated and I am willing to work hard throughout the year, then please read on.

I will give you the example of myself, I am studying an Access course this year and have applied to university for September. I think I read, that you wanted to apply for Law at university, so this will be most relevant to yourself, seeing as I have also applied to study Law at university.

In my college, they're are 27 units that are taught across from September to July (we finish in May, and if you are up to date, in which you should be). They're are 3 credits per unit. 27 units x 3 = 81 credits in total. 23 of them units are taught at level 3, and 4 units at taught at level 2 (maximum grade is level 2).

Some colleges have 6 credits per unit, or even 9, however in them colleges, not every unit will amount to them high amounts of credits, best way to think about it, the more credits, the harder the work (even though you still have to study really hard to get distinctions/merits at 3 credits a piece).

To pass an access course, you will need 45 of them credits at level 3 (15 units, if we are going by my college), and 15 credits at level 2, minimum. Anything less and you will not pass the access course. Units can come in the following grades, : Referral (Fail), Level 2, Level 3 (Pass, Merit, Distinction). To get a level 3 Pass, you just need to attend college and pay attention/understand the work and finish your assignment. To get a level 3 Merit, you need to do all the things for a Pass INCLUDING Extra research, working in depth or breath. To get a level 3 Distinction, you need to do all the things for a Pass & Merit INCLUDING all extra sources of information, working in depth AND breath, knowing all the various types of cases out their and to work beyond the call of duty.

SOME university courses, require you to only have a pass and that is fine. However you can still get an offer for a pass from a university and then aim for Merits & Distinctions to put on your CV, maybe for a bursary at that university.

Law LLB, depending on where you want to study WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE at university just on a pass. Some university's ask for a pass INCLUDING 18 credits at Merit (6 units at Merit). Then you will have the redbrick/ Russell group university's such as University of Birmingham asking for a pass INCLUDING 30 credits at Distinction (10 units at Distinction) and 15 credits at Merit (5 units at Merit).

To put the University of Birmingham offer into context, a typical offer for Law LLB last year with A levels was AAA, and this year it has stayed the same. Last year's Law LLB offer for access courses was, 24 credits at Distinction (8 units) and 15 credits at Merit (5 units). If we call them grades an equivalency of AAA. This year's offer is, 30 credits at Distinction (10 units) and 15 credits at Merit (5 units). Then the equivalency of these grades to A level will probably be A*AA?. All this is not even accounting to the LNAT test which is required to receive an offer from 10 redbrick/Russell group universities.

It is very TOUGH. When we started off the year, there was 35+ people in our class and there was a 2nd list of people who were substitutes in case people dropped out. 6 weeksish we have left and we have only 6 people left. Seriously, it is tough.

Many of my friends have applied to University of Birmingham like me, (staying in Birmingham because of family/work commitments as usual mature students), and they have offers like 30 credits at Distinction (10 units) and they currently have only 12 credits at Distinction (4 units). Because it is too late towards the end of the year, they have wished they could go back and redo work to the best of their ability.

If you are still going to apply to an Access Course, here are some top tips for you guys.

TOP TIPS

1)Make a list of all the courses you wish to do
2)Ring all the universities you wish to attend and inquire about their courses
A)Ask them, If I am studying an Access course in .... (Combined Studies?), then how many credits, grades will I require to study my chosen degree?
B)Ask them, Will I be required to take any external exams, which will not be supplied on my Access course, (For Law, LNAT Exam, which has nothing to do with Access course)? and what grade will I need for that? If so, what deadline will I have to achieve this by?
C)Ask them, Will I need GCSE's alongside my Access course? Science? English? Maths? Will I need 5 GCSE's above C? (For teachers, you will need C in Maths & English, if you want to do an Education degree I believe)
D)Ask them, Do I have to study a specific Access course? or can I study a generic Access course? (For health related studies, you need to study a health related Access course due to the information related degree, however for Law, there is Access to Law, but you do not need any Law information to study a Law degree (just like A level students)
3)Ring your college and ask them, if they tailor your access course to any degree subjects?

4)Make a monthly routine, NOW before you start college in September, to see how it feels like when you are a student. Monday-Friday 9.00am-3.00pm, are you free? or are you always doing something, which when September comes up, you can't be doing because you will be in college. Can you sort out school runs, because you have children to pick up and drop off and your college does not cater to start after 9.15am and finish before 3pm.
5)Read up, write a report yourself on anything, anything your interested in, so when you start in September, you aren't boggled in which way a PC starts.
6)If you are not computer literate, get your family members to show you a few tips and tricks on how to make a Word document, Excel document, Powerpoint document. People on my course depending on getting Distinction grades in ICT modules and they have never used a PC before/struggling to login with their details.

Access course's DONT DO GCSE's, they do equivalents, they are like half GCSE's. However, if you find this information out prior, then you could maybe do a night class, to get the grades you require.

Everyone loves Access courses because you can complete the course in a year and then get to university, without the ALTERNATIVE ROUTE of studying 3/4 A levels across 2 years. But do you realise, that means you will be studying and handing in 5 to 6 assignments in 1 go EVERY 5-6 weeks.

E.g, I am towards the end of my assignment and this is how my current week went.

Monday AM - English Report (4000 Words)
Monday PM - English Literature (Powerpoint Assignment)
Tuesday AM - Psychology Report x2 (3500 Words)
Tuesday PM - Maths Report x4
Thursday AM - Biology Exam
Thursday PM - ICT Reports x2

You will have an average of 4/5 weeks to slowly get work done, and then you will have a headache/stressful week of handing things in. IF YOU ARE LAZY/NOT STUDYING and prefer to do "All nighters/night before" then you will have a stressful year. Believe Me.

Sorry for scaring you all away, off an Access course. I have read all the comments on this thread, and all the other threads related to an Access course over the course of the year and have not found "real" information, that I have stated and if it is said, it is not emphasized.

To get all my Good karma back;

If you need help related to an Access Course, Feel free to message me,
If you need help related to an application to study Law at university, Feel free to message me,
Anything about what ever I messaged above, good or bad feedback, I welcome them.

P.S, if someone disagrees, or wants to neg, please quote and post anything I have said, which is wrong.

Thanks, Peace. Hopefully I have informed you with the correct information to make a correct decision which will affect your future.

I am a term into my Access to HE diploma and I'm concerned about the pace (especially after reading this thread!) My worry is that we're not getting through the work quickly enough

We have what I believe to be the standard 3 choices plus comms and misc. elements at level 3, while maths and IT are at level 2. I'm studying Psychology, Sociology and Counselling. So far we have completed;

Level 3
* 2 assignments for sociology (with one to complete over the break)
* 2 assignments for psychology
* 1 assignment and 1 exam for Comms
* 1 assignment for counselling
* 1 mini independent research project for the Misc. element

Level 2
* 1 maths exam
* 3 IT assignments

While nothing is worth more than 3 credits, I believe some of the above are only half of the unit, therefore only worth 1.5 credits. The intensity of the course is okay at the moment, but I am really concerned that we're not keeping up with other Access courses, which would result in a tonne of work to do at the end of the year.

Would you please give me an indication of how far along your access courses are?

Thanks in anticipation

Hi can anyone advice me plse. I have applied for an access course in health and social care. Due to be called in for a maths n English assessment. What happens or will happen if I don't score enough marks on the maths paper. Will the college still accept me on the access course.