The Student Room Group

Self Studying A Levels?

I was supposed to start my AS Levels in September 2014, but got depressed to the point where I had to drop out because I was missing too many lessons. September 2015 I chose few different subjects at a new College, but I've realized I made the wrong choice and it's too late to change. On top of that, I've started binge/purging again and it's always brought on by worrying about going out to school.

I want to self study because:
1) I don't want to have to wait another year to start at yet another college and be behind by two years,
2) There are no more colleges accessible to my area that provide the combination of subjects I want to do,
3) From other threads I have read, the most difficult part is staying motivated enough to study. Which I know for sure I can do.

Some more information about my situation:
- The subjects I chose this year were English Language, Computer Science, Art and Film Studies. I dropped Art because I realized how much I hated it despite getting an A* at GCSE. It was too late to choose another subject to replace it so I carried on with my remaining three subjects. It feels like I was distracting myself with the mindset of "oh I just need get this over with" and so it took me a while to realize that I wasn't interested in Film Studies and wanted to drop that too.
- The subjects I would like to self study are Computer Science, English Language and Sociology. I feel like this wouldn't be too much to take on with one term having already passed because I've already got enough information on all of them to carry on (including Sociology, as despite not choosing it this year, it was a subject I studied half at my old college up until March 2015. I also still have ALL of my notes/revision notes from Sociology, my revision books and on top of that my uncle is an A Level Sociology teacher.)

Other threads on here talk about how Universities love students who have demonstrated that they can self-teach independently and successfully. However my mother keeps saying that if I self study then I can't go to University and I'll ruin my life.

So what I would really like to know is if Universities really do 'frown upon' students who drop out of college to self study, and if they would be more understanding of it if I could highlight to them how it was due to personal problems. Not having the social advantage of school could put them off, but if I got a job at some point maybe that could help to make up for it? Also, who could I get a reference from?

Thanks x
Sorry you've not had any responses about this. :frown: Are you sure you’ve posted in the right place? Posting in the specific Study Help forum should help get responses. :redface:

I'm going to quote in Tank Girl now so she can move your thread to the right place if it's needed. :h: :yy:

Spoiler

Reply 2
Original post by emjanwrob
I was supposed to start my AS Levels in September 2014, but got depressed to the point where I had to drop out because I was missing too many lessons. September 2015 I chose few different subjects at a new College, but I've realized I made the wrong choice and it's too late to change. On top of that, I've started binge/purging again and it's always brought on by worrying about going out to school.

I want to self study because:
1) I don't want to have to wait another year to start at yet another college and be behind by two years,
2) There are no more colleges accessible to my area that provide the combination of subjects I want to do,
3) From other threads I have read, the most difficult part is staying motivated enough to study. Which I know for sure I can do.

Some more information about my situation:
- The subjects I chose this year were English Language, Computer Science, Art and Film Studies. I dropped Art because I realized how much I hated it despite getting an A* at GCSE. It was too late to choose another subject to replace it so I carried on with my remaining three subjects. It feels like I was distracting myself with the mindset of "oh I just need get this over with" and so it took me a while to realize that I wasn't interested in Film Studies and wanted to drop that too.
- The subjects I would like to self study are Computer Science, English Language and Sociology. I feel like this wouldn't be too much to take on with one term having already passed because I've already got enough information on all of them to carry on (including Sociology, as despite not choosing it this year, it was a subject I studied half at my old college up until March 2015. I also still have ALL of my notes/revision notes from Sociology, my revision books and on top of that my uncle is an A Level Sociology teacher.)

Other threads on here talk about how Universities love students who have demonstrated that they can self-teach independently and successfully. However my mother keeps saying that if I self study then I can't go to University and I'll ruin my life.

So what I would really like to know is if Universities really do 'frown upon' students who drop out of college to self study, and if they would be more understanding of it if I could highlight to them how it was due to personal problems. Not having the social advantage of school could put them off, but if I got a job at some point maybe that could help to make up for it? Also, who could I get a reference from?

Thanks x


I was in a similar situation to you a few years ago. I was depressed and unhappy with my Sixth Form so I dropped out and I decided to self-study my A Levels. I self-taught History, Economics and Mathematics. I took my exams as a private candidate (which cost a significant amount in my location) and received AAA as my final results and I am now happily studying History at a Russell Group university.

I applied to five good universities and I received offers from 4 out of the 5. I am currently studying History in one of those five universities. During interviews and in response to my UCAS application, I received incredibly positive feedback regarding my self-studying and all of the interviewers determined that this was a certifiable boon to my application. In fact, some of the universities gave even more generous offers than displayed on their websites (e.g. an AAA requirement course giving an offer for BBB), due to the fact that I was self-studying and I was in a more difficult situation.

Since starting university, I have noticed that I am far more prepared and suited to the independent nature of university study compared to my peers. This is directly due to self-studying during my A-Levels and my professors have often commented on this.

I know that English Language and Sociology will definitely be possible to self-study, but I am unsure if it will be possible to self-study Computer Science because of its practical nature. It is definitely doable to study courses in one term, but you will have to be incredibly determined and force yourself to work as hard as you can. I would advise that, if you do decide to self-study, to treat it like a full-time job and work everyday 9-5. This will give you adequate time to study and some rest time in the evenings.

In regards to your worry that universities may worry about the social side of College - Do not worry. Luckily, most universities in this country do not really care too much about extracurricular activities or the social aspect of sixth form. As long as you achieve a decent grade, they will accept you.

You can get a reference from a former teacher if you are friendly with them. In my case, I had a moderator for my history coursework and she provided a reference for me.

Also, make sure you start investigating private exam centers now as it can be difficult to find ones that will cater to all of your exams, and they often have a cut-off point.

My mother voiced similar concerns regarding not being able to go to university, and I most certainly proved her wrong. Just remind her that with hard work, almost anything is possible.

I hope I have answered most of your questions, but if you have any more queries, do not hesitate to contact me via PM or through this thread.
(edited 8 years ago)

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