Hi mate,
Would be a pleasure to help you out here. I myself did not have a mathematical background, and was therefore limited in the Universities I was able to apply for. I too applied for a number of BA courses, but in the end went for the BSc. I also have almost identical access results to you; you'll get into almost any uni accepting the access diploma with that IMO. The highest offer I had, was 75% distinctions from Nottingham.
The top unis I will apply to will probably be York and Exeter, then followed by Loughborough, Manchester and another.
I'm hoping that actually applying with the Access grades already in my pocket will help me gain a place.
At Loughborough, they have additional Maths classes for those studying Economics who do not have MAths A level. I also really liked the campus. What grade do you have at GCSE mathematics? I ask because that may also limit your choices. I think Loughborough only requires a C. I actually wanted to apply for BSc at Nottingham (my offer at Nottingham was for BA management), but they required an A at GCSE (which although I could easily get, I have a B). If you have an A in Maths i'd look into both Durham and Nottingham. Durham also do a special 1 year course to get you onto there BSc programme if you don't have the right qualifications/maths.
There are a couple issues, IMO, that will be harmful to my applications. Firstly, I have quite bad GCSE results, which are basically due to never being taught to value education. I have, if I remember rightly, 7 grade C's (Inc. English, Maths and Science)and 2 grade D's. I'm currently working through the GCSE higher spec. and I'm pretty sure I'll manage an A.
The second negative is probably the subjects I actually studied on Access. I was originally told there would be a business option but very few people on Access chose the pathway so it was scrapped. In the end I studied Law, Sociology, English Language, and Core studies; each for 15 level 3 credits.
There are a good few options out there for you though mate, any other questions don't hesitate to ask. Are you applying for 2011 now then? Or hoping to get in for 2010?
I'm really unsure whether I will get to uni in the next 1,2 or even 3 years... it all depends on what I decide is in my best interests. I was rejected from all of the Universities I was interested in attending this year, which is understandable considering the qualifications I had to my name at the time. I was told by two of them that my Access subjects were not related to the degree and therefore I wouldn't be suitable for acceptance.
This set me thinking that maybe I should self study both Economics and Maths at A-level. Luckily when I was collecting my Access portfolio the Principal of the college was there and my tutors felt the need to introduce me to her. She's offered to help me sort out my options, and I've got a meeting with her on the 15th... She said something about contacting universities for me and 'having a word' because she thinks it would be detrimental to spend time doing A-levels when I've already demonstrated my capability to do academic study to a high level.
So, I suppose when I apply again depends on what I decide my best course of action is: Complete GCSE Maths and apply, complete AS math and apply, or complete A level Math and Economics and apply. The maximum should be three years, but it's a little gutting considering the fact that I thought Access would get me straight in there. My own fault really.
The Loughborough BSC you will be studying: will you be completely brought up to speed with the maths (to A-level standard) or will you be doing less advanced modules than those who have it?
Leon