How to get to uni

I completed my A-Levels in 2018 in Biology, Chemistry and Geology where I received 3 E’s. At the time, I was not motivated in my studies and did not understand the value of it due to immaturity. On top of that, my family had a lot of internal issues going on during that time which also affected my mental health.

It has been 4 years since and I am now 21 years old, and I believe I have changed my mindset towards education and the value of it. I am wanting to take a higher education diploma to give me a chance to study a degree in computer science where my interest has been drawn toward to expand my knowledge, experience and improve my employability in this field however I am confused as to how this will work;

- Are you guys aware of any university that offer this HE Course including the degree?

- I have seen on the internet that on completion of this course it can allow students to start studying in the middle of the degree programme, such as starting second year - anyone know what universities this may be applicable to?

- If not, will I have to complete a HE Course and also undergo a foundation year then proceed to 3 years of undergraduate university degree?

- As well as obtaining a HE Diploma, I have GCSE’s ranging from (A-Cs) and have been in different ranges of employment such as restaurant work etc since leaving college, is there anything else I should be aware of that may hinder my application?

Please could you let me know of the above. Thank you for your support. I just really want to better myself and I feel like I’m stuck in life because my younger self made dumb decisions and had no discipline.

I am also happy to hear any other options.

Reply 1

MindMax2000

Universities Forum Helper

22

Original post by PeaHead619

I completed my A-Levels in 2018 in Biology, Chemistry and Geology where I received 3 E’s. At the time, I was not motivated in my studies and did not understand the value of it due to immaturity. On top of that, my family had a lot of internal issues going on during that time which also affected my mental health.

It has been 4 years since and I am now 21 years old, and I believe I have changed my mindset towards education and the value of it. I am wanting to take a higher education diploma to give me a chance to study a degree in computer science where my interest has been drawn toward to expand my knowledge, experience and improve my employability in this field however I am confused as to how this will work;

- Are you guys aware of any university that offer this HE Course including the degree?

- I have seen on the internet that on completion of this course it can allow students to start studying in the middle of the degree programme, such as starting second year - anyone know what universities this may be applicable to?

- If not, will I have to complete a HE Course and also undergo a foundation year then proceed to 3 years of undergraduate university degree?

- As well as obtaining a HE Diploma, I have GCSE’s ranging from (A-Cs) and have been in different ranges of employment such as restaurant work etc since leaving college, is there anything else I should be aware of that may hinder my application?

Please could you let me know of the above. Thank you for your support. I just really want to better myself and I feel like I’m stuck in life because my younger self made dumb decisions and had no discipline.

I am also happy to hear any other options.

I don't know where to start with this, so I will do this chronologically.

I completed my A-Levels in 2018 in Biology, Chemistry and Geology where I received 3 E’s
So, these grades should be easy to improve. If you intend to retake your biology and chemistry A Levels, you should be able to transfer your practical assessments that you did in those subjects over in your retakes for your A Levels i.e. you don't need to retake your practical assessments that could cost £1000 per subject.

I am wanting to take a higher education diploma to give me a chance to study a degree in computer science where my interest has been drawn toward to expand my knowledge, experience and improve my employability in this field
Whilst I am advocate of higher education, I also believe that you should do it for the right reasons. Unless you inted to go into computer science research, a computer science degree isn't usually required to get into tech. Tech is an industry that values relevant skills and experience. So a kid with zero qualifications but brimmed with top notch IT skills and have done a variety of IT projects will almost always be more employable than a PhD student in computer science for a role in the tech sector. If anything, professional IT certificates specific to your role would often be more helpful than a degree in computer science.

If you insist on getting a computer science degree, you would ideally have A Level Maths in your arsenal, not necessarily the 3 subjects mentioned. A Level further maths is strongly recommended if you intend to go into the top end courses.

I have not come across a HE diploma before. A quick google search shows that it's either an Access to HE course (which is level 3, equivalent to A Levels), or the following: https://www.open.ac.uk/courses/computing-it/diplomas/diploma-in-computing-it-w36#course-details
If it's the latter, it's the equivalent of a foundation degree. Should you decide to proceed with this, then there are only a handful of universities that would provide supporting qualifications to help you get a full bachelor's degree i.e. you need a HND (or equivalent) and a top up degree.
If you intend to do an Access to HE diploma, only some of the English universities would accept the qualification for their course. Even then, it's for some of the courses and not all of them. Some universities will have particular requirements on top of the Access diploma e.g. an extra A Level (usually maths, chemistry, or biology) for example. You will need to check the entry requirements of the specific courses to check.
For example, Essex uni accepts Access Diplomas in any subject so long the grades are adequate for their computer science degree course: "Access to HE Diploma: 15 Level 3 credits at Distinction and 30 level 3 credits at Merit" (https://www.essex.ac.uk/courses/ug00069/1/bsc-computer-science). Bristol on the other hand is more particular: "Access to HE Diploma in Engineering, Science, or Computing (or similar titles) with 30 credits at distinction and 15 at merit, and A in A-level Mathematics,
Or
Access to HE Diploma in Engineering, Science, or Computing (or similar titles) with 30 credits at distinction and 15 at merit, including at least 12 credits at distinction in Mathematics (including algebra, calculus and trigonometry), and achieving the required level in the University of Bristol Maths test." (http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/2023/computer-science/bsc-comp-sci/)

- Are you guys aware of any university that offer this HE Course including the degree?
Open University as per above. Otherwise, you would need to google for other universities.

- I have seen on the internet that on completion of this course it can allow students to start studying in the middle of the degree programme, such as starting second year - anyone know what universities this may be applicable to?
As per above, you would likely be doing a HND and then a top up degree. Otherwise I am not sure, since I am not that familiar with HE Diplomas.
If you are looking for HNDs and top up degrees, consider the following:
https://www.whatuni.com/hnd-hnc-courses/search?subject=computer-science
https://www.google.com/search?q=top+up+degree+computer+science+search&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBGB770GB770&biw=1821&bih=833&sxsrf=ALiCzsbKLUhjBZId-MzJ3xHePx6qx99Ehw%3A1672672158857&ei=nvOyY-T-M5G6gAbt3acY&ved=0ahUKEwjkxequlan8AhURHcAKHe3uCQMQ4dUDCA8&uact=5&oq=top+up+degree+computer+science+search&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQAzIFCCEQoAEyBQghEKABMgUIIRCgATIECCEQFToKCAAQRxDWBBCwAzoFCAAQgAQ6BggAEBYQHjoFCAAQhgM6BwghEKABEApKBAhBGABKBAhGGABQswxY5RRgzhZoAXABeACAAf0BiAGJCZIBBTIuMi4zmAEAoAEByAEIwAEB&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

I have yet to come across a university that would allow students to enroll in the middle of the degree, unless it's on an accelerated degree course, which is usually applicable to students who have done another degree in a similar disicipline before.

- If not, will I have to complete a HE Course and also undergo a foundation year then proceed to 3 years of undergraduate university degree?
I hope not. A foundation year is specifically designed to get you onto a specific university's undergrad degree course. After your foundation year, you would be eligible to enrol onto the BSc without having to do anything else.
As a HE course is the equivalent to a foundation degree, you would have completed the first year of the bachelor's degree. Going back to do a foundation year in order to get back onto the BSc is a waste of time (and a lot of money).
If you manage to get onto a foundation year, you can ignore the HE diploma.
By all means, I don't consider the HE course or the foundation years to be ideal scenarios to get onto a bachelor's. There are 3 alternatives, and each one is cheaper and offer more options in terms of universities to enroll at than these 2 usually.

- As well as obtaining a HE Diploma, I have GCSE’s ranging from (A-Cs) and have been in different ranges of employment such as restaurant work etc since leaving college, is there anything else I should be aware of that may hinder my application?
You have already done the diploma?
Your GCSE grades might hinder your application if it specifies that they have a higher requirement on the specific degree course page. Since you're quoting A-Cs, you might be referring to the old grading system. See the following for the equivalents:
https://thirdspacelearning.com/blog/gcse-grade-boundaries/
You will need to check the entry requirements on the individual degree course pages to be sure.

Yeah, your employment is likely to mean squat in your application. Unless you have done something related to computer science, there's no point in mentioning your employment in your personal statement, neither would the admissions team care. Things that would matter tend to be things that show your enthusiasm for the subject e.g. books and journals that you read, how you have been catching up on development in the IT space, who you follow, IT projects that you did, etc. Your employment doesn't hinder your application, but at the same time anything irrelevant in your employment won't help.

The other means of getting onto a bachelor's degree course other than doing a foundation year or enrolling at Open University for mature students include:
Retaking A Levels (check the subject requirements for the specific degree)
Doing BTEC at an adult college (you might have to do an A Level on top, depending on the specific degree)
Doing an Access course (ideally in a related or approved subjects).

If you want further information on the above means, let me know.

Do also let me know if you want to know more about professional IT certifications.

Reply 2

Arden University

17

Original post by PeaHead619

I completed my A-Levels in 2018 in Biology, Chemistry and Geology where I received 3 E’s. At the time, I was not motivated in my studies and did not understand the value of it due to immaturity. On top of that, my family had a lot of internal issues going on during that time which also affected my mental health.

It has been 4 years since and I am now 21 years old, and I believe I have changed my mindset towards education and the value of it. I am wanting to take a higher education diploma to give me a chance to study a degree in computer science where my interest has been drawn toward to expand my knowledge, experience and improve my employability in this field however I am confused as to how this will work;

- Are you guys aware of any university that offer this HE Course including the degree?

- I have seen on the internet that on completion of this course it can allow students to start studying in the middle of the degree programme, such as starting second year - anyone know what universities this may be applicable to?

- If not, will I have to complete a HE Course and also undergo a foundation year then proceed to 3 years of undergraduate university degree?

- As well as obtaining a HE Diploma, I have GCSE’s ranging from (A-Cs) and have been in different ranges of employment such as restaurant work etc since leaving college, is there anything else I should be aware of that may hinder my application?

Please could you let me know of the above. Thank you for your support. I just really want to better myself and I feel like I’m stuck in life because my younger self made dumb decisions and had no discipline.

I am also happy to hear any other options.

@PeaHead619
Hi

I have taught on an Access to HE diploma for the last 10 years so I can give some advice; albeit a different subject.

You sound a perfect candidate for Access, that bit of extra life experience will serve you will on Access and at HE level.

Access to HE Computing / ICT is a pathway that a lot of FE providers run, however, sometimes it does not run due to low numbers. Safer pathways to run are typically nursing and engineering.

As you have done Level 3 study before you will be legible for an Advanced Learner Loan for the program, which would be completely written off when you complete your degree

I would speak to the Access course co-ordinator at your local FE college for more specific advice to progression routes, they may do a ICT course at H.E level afterwards which would likely be a bit cheaper than other courses available at large Universities

Marc
Arden University Student Ambassador

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