finally heard back from one of my uni's (tho one still pending) and i have an offer to do Social Work! quite relieved, since i only had two options left on UCAS due to my own mentalism.
conditions are that i pass my course which is fantastic, i do have to say lolol...it has totally taken the pressure off! mind u, selection process is stressy enuff so i'll take the conditions, tyvm
due to my personal experiences here's a few hints for anyone out there that reads this and is heading for study in 2013;
if u have an idea of what u want to do at uni, ring admissions of that uni and ENSURE they accept your particular qualification. i made an assumption that because 5 uni's i spoke to
did accept Access, the 6th would too. as it happens, uni of glasgow did accept Access but did
not accept my particular strand of access. not their fault since they prefer generic programmes of study (an Access to HE for example) and entirely mine for not clarifying and realising that my access course is/was too specific (an Access to Social Work).
pls GOD when u come to UCAS time make your choices carefully (lol) - and it comes fast when u start your course, so start researching and KNOW where u wanna head - i researched but, turns out not enuff due to the following points;
if u are applying for a competitive degree, make sure to have alternative routes on your UCAS into your preferred career (ie in my case, it would have been any social science degree followed by a postgrad in SW);
if u are considering social work or any of the human services/social care, get that placement started NOW;
if u are undecided on institutions be unafraid to leave a choice (or two!) blank on UCAS. this means u can add other institutions and courses later. or instead, have two degree programmes from the same place (tho bear in mind it will need to be reflected on your PS as to why) ie, i applied for both social science and social work at the same uni. this only applies to those that may wanna get into particular institutions tho;
(this really does happen) - it is possible that u change your mind as to the subject u enjoy. example. i went on the course fully revved up for social work. fell in love with social policy tho (yeah that sounds sad. live with it!
) tried to get a social policy place and nearly considered changing from social work to social policy, which is when i contacted uni of glasgow and learnt my quals were not acceptable, despite being on straight distinctions (galling, to say the least!). sometimes, no matter how much u think u want to do something, doubts can occur. as it happens i changed my mind back, but, beware that over the course of nine months, things can change
- so by leaving blanks, it gives you room to chop and change without stressing yourself. the number of uni's i spoke to that would accept me and asked me to apply thru UCAS and i couldn't, because i had used up all my choices caused me no end of stress.
PS = Personal Statement - final hint - start that personal statement asap - yes, i mean now lol...believe it or not it will help take the pressure off u later when UCAS time comes. most people in my group struggled to get a workable first draft and felt the pressure as the deadline fast approached and UCAS opened.
hope the above helps and saves someone from unnecessary stress when it's their time