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Scottish Advanced Highers Outside of School

Hey,
I’m 25 and had to leave school at 16 for medical reasons.
I’ve only just managed to catch up and sit my Highers. I got the grades for what I want to do (medicine).
Now I need to sit Advanced Highers to meet the minimum requirements, but I can’t find any colleges in Scotland that have science-based Advanced Highers as a course, and I simply can’t afford a private tutor.
Any ideas for what I should do next?

Reply 1

TSR Jessica

Sorry you've not had any responses about this. :frown:

Are you sure you've posted in the right place? :smile:

Here's a link to our subject forum which should help get you more responses if you post there. :redface:

Reply 2

Labrador99

Volunteer Team

Original post by fifistu

Firstly, well done you for going back and doing well in your highers! One option would be to see if you can find an SQA exam centre (a school/college) that will enter you for the exams. You would need to try and self teach, and they may charge you an exam entry fee though. I know there's a place called Wallace College in Edinburgh which is not a college in the normal sense, but they do have options if you just want them to enter you for an exam (there is a fee for this, but significantly less than if you were being tutored).

If you don't think self teaching would be possible, then your best option might be to do a HNC or HND. A HNC is SCQF level 7, so the same difficulty as AH, and an HND is SCQF level 8. You should probably get in contact with med schools (contact all 5 Scottish ones, and ones elsewhere you might consider applying to!) and ask them for their view on these qualifications first as well though.

You could do another degree first, before going on to medicine, though this route is very long and expensive.

Another option would be to try and get on a gateway/foundation year medicine course. Here's info about Dundee's for example. These are competitive, but if it's something you think might be a good option, then it's definitely worth a shot!

Hope this helps :smile:

Reply 3

Ilovelaerning

Can you please tell me where to go if I want to sit exams in Wallace college? I’m unsure