Any mature students on here who have gone back to study A-levels??

Yes I found it difficult to find a centre to do the practicals for A-level Biology but luckily the new linear A-level for Biology doesn't require you to actually do the experiments as it won't affect your overall grade!

Ah so you just have to have a knowledge of them? That's promising. But how do universities look at it?

If you're hoping to do a Science degree at University which involves doing experiments then a record of you actually being assessed performing an experiment in the past will more than likely be a requirement. What are you hoping to study at Uni?

Well I'm undecided yet. I think it is between Maths, Physics or Engineering (which still is quite a range) but it depends on how I find the A-levels first I think

I'm 26 and have just finished studying A levels and have now obtained a place to study VetMed.

I too found it hard to find places that would let me do the exams I needed. Plus ones that weren't private school fees. Ended up moving back home and enrolled full time at a local FE college.
Doing the alevels without GCSEs and with such a gap from studying was so hard. Best thing I ever did during the past three years though, was get myself a tutor. Having someone who I could ask all my confirmatory questions, and really help me understand the basics I missed out on, was priceless!

There is a test centre in Bristol that are very good for practicals.

Any of you now looking at uni? I'm pretty nervous about being in halls again?


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I just started on an Access to Engineering (basically just Maths & Physics) course today. It's free vs. paying for A-Levels, so I had a change of heart.

Now I've just to decide what courses I want to apply to! a bit tempted to try and hop the border and study in Ireland, would be a decent change of scenery.

will be starting chemistry this year at 24

A-level Biology and Chemistry. Took a couple of years out from pharmacy degree to help family set up a couple of start-ups, and wanted to keep subjects fresh in my mind. Age?... I'm 45. Taking a mid-life change in career to something more rewarding and greater job satisfaction. Hate being twice the age of everyone else I'm studying with. Feels really awkward.

I took access to HE because **** spending two more years on education.

I'm 24. Just started an Access to HE course, and will sit one A-Level next summer as a private candidate in the subject that I would like to study at University next year. *

A few of the universities that i'd like to apply to are asking for mostly distinctions from the Access, so that's the target. But I'm keen to speak with my tutors about which choices are realistic and which aren't, as I really have no idea of how certain universities (the ones that would usually ask for AAB/ABB at A-level) view a student like myself coming back into education via an Access course. Anyone got any success stories?
*

Amazing story!! You sound like you worked very hard and truly deserve to be studying Veterinary Medicine at University! What's the name of the place in Brighton that let mature students do practicals? Also how did you find tutors (that are of a reasonable price)?? I really need a tutor for Biology


Nice one!! Vaguely remembering talking to you a while back when you weren't sure what to do! Glad you've made up your mind now


A-level Chemistry? Nice one!! Are you self-teaching? And are you going to be doing AS and A2 in one year?


Amazing! There is no age limit to studying sir!! Have you studied A-level Biology and Chemistry in the past? If not, how did you manage to study Pharmacy at University?

But yeah, please don't feel silly for going back to studying!!!


Yeah 2 years for A-levels is the downside tbh. I stayed clear of access courses because it limits what courses and Universities you can apply to. But if you know exactly what you want to do then that's perfect!!



Oh wow, an Access course as well as one A-level!! What subjects are you doing?

Amazing story!! You sound like you worked very hard and truly deserve to be studying Veterinary Medicine at University! What's the name of the place in Brighton that let mature students do practicals? Also how did you find tutors (that are of a reasonable price)?? I really need a tutor for Biology


Nice one!! Vaguely remembering talking to you a while back when you weren't sure what to do! Glad you've made up your mind now


A-level Chemistry? Nice one!! Are you self-teaching? And are you going to be doing AS and A2 in one year?


Amazing! There is no age limit to studying sir!! Have you studied A-level Biology and Chemistry in the past? If not, how did you manage to study Pharmacy at University?

But yeah, please don't feel silly for going back to studying!!!


Yeah 2 years for A-levels is the downside tbh. I stayed clear of access courses because it limits what courses and Universities you can apply to. But if you know exactly what you want to do then that's perfect!!



Oh wow, an Access course as well as one A-level!! What subjects are you doing?

Amazing story!! You sound like you worked very hard and truly deserve to be studying Veterinary Medicine at University! What's the name of the place in Brighton that let mature students do practicals? Also how did you find tutors (that are of a reasonable price)?? I really need a tutor for Biology


Nice one!! Vaguely remembering talking to you a while back when you weren't sure what to do! Glad you've made up your mind now


A-level Chemistry? Nice one!! Are you self-teaching? And are you going to be doing AS and A2 in one year?


Amazing! There is no age limit to studying sir!! Have you studied A-level Biology and Chemistry in the past? If not, how did you manage to study Pharmacy at University?

But yeah, please don't feel silly for going back to studying!!!


Yeah 2 years for A-levels is the downside tbh. I stayed clear of access courses because it limits what courses and Universities you can apply to. But if you know exactly what you want to do then that's perfect!!



Oh wow, an Access course as well as one A-level!! What subjects are you doing?

Amazing story!! You sound like you worked very hard and truly deserve to be studying Veterinary Medicine at University! What's the name of the place in Brighton that let mature students do practicals? Also how did you find tutors (that are of a reasonable price)?? I really need a tutor for Biology

Thank you, it's been an insane 3 years, and I've spent most of it convinced I wouldn't be accepted! Felt that being older and have a slightly off academic back ground would work against me. My previous career was fashion haha 😂

http://m.3at.org.uk/site/3at_2/prospective-candidates?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3at.org.uk%2Fwww.3at.org.uk%2Finfo.php%3Fp%3D17#2904

Have a try of this place, I can't access their full website right now, but I know before the syllabus changed they did practicals, they also offer tutoring. I'm based in Swansea, and had an amazing biology tutor, she wasn't cheap, worth the money though. I got her details through another student. - perk of enrolling at FE college. Nearly all the students I know who got good grades without resits have some form of tutoring. It really improves your confidence in the subject!

Previous career in fashion?! That's insane! A complete different career to what you are going for now!!

Thanks for the website link! I will check it out properly later on tonight!
Can I ask what exam board you did A-level Biology with? Do the tutors only teach the curriculum of one exam board?

I will most definitely be looking to invest in a tutor tbh!

Did you have a job whilst you were studying btw?

Oh wow, an Access course as well as one A-level!! What subjects are you doing?

Only 5 years of insane exams left to go haha, it is nice that it has paid off, I gave up a lot to be able to do this, and it was always in the back of my head that it might not work out.
Also dealing with everyone asking me what my back up is. haha

I did WJEC, it really depends on the tutor, tbh from what I've learnt there can be quite a difference between the boards and how they mark, so whilst a tutor is capable of reaching more than one, finding a hype with a lot of experience in your exam board is best for exam technique! Wjec in particular are so fussy with wording!

I wish I could have found a chemistry tutor here, I think I would have managed an A* and definitely would have an A* in biology if I had had a tutor from the start... I only got on after Christmas this year.

I didn't have a job whilst studying, I'm very very fortunate to have a mum who was willing to let me move back home and who was willing to help me whilst I studied. I did get some funding from the Welsh government, but i would have really struggled without that help.
I know other mature students who have done both, but it really made things harder.

On the Access, English Lit, History, Psychology and Sociology. And A-level Japanese.

I'm applying for Modern Languages, or similar courses. Ideally, i'm looking for a course that will allow me to study at least 2 languages, alongside modules in translation/interpretation, but due to my language choices (Japanese and Chinese) my options are somewhat limited. There's a couple of universities with great looking courses though.

Hey guys

recently completed a foundation course for economics at durham and gained a place on their degree program. however due to finances i had to defer a year. in this gap year im taking an alevel in maths and as in further maths in hope to apply to both Lse and Cambridge who actually accept my foundation course ( if you gained all distinctions) ..perhaps thats an option for you guys out there. im currently 27. feel free to ask anything
will apply for economics at LSE and Land economy at Cambridge.

Amazing! There is no age limit to studying sir!! Have you studied A-level Biology and Chemistry in the past? If not, how did you manage to study Pharmacy at University?

Either way you still did amazing!! You definitely put in the time and effort to get the grades you wanted! Can I ask how many hours a week you spent in studying in and out of lessons each week?

Also, what kind of revision techniques did you use for Biology? Or did you literally just make notes and re-read them a numerous amount of times?


Ooooer, That would be pretty cool! I wish you the best of luck!



Oh wow, so you're hoping to do AS and A2 Maths as well as AS Further Maths in one year? That would be amazing if you manage to pull it off! Best of luck!!

Took Access to HE Biology and Chemistry back in 2008 and got good grades. They were marked as percentages back then. But time wasn't right to take another 4 yrs doing a degree. Did another Access to HE in Maths and Physics year before getting into Uni. Got in because I got a clean sweep of distinctions across the board proving I have the determination and ability to still learn Great thread by the way!

Study skills and learning to revise and learn again was one of the hardest.
I found biology lent itself to visualisation and drawing diagrams, I strayed away from too much not taking.
I actually developed a way to revise based around getting the information from short term to long term.
So I had a diary/planner that was just for studying. Each day's page was split into two. The top part I put in the topics or areas covered in class - these had to be actioned that week by writing up my notes fully using text books and illustrations in a big notebook just for biology that I used for reference.
Then I would put a note in for a week later, written in the bottom half of the page to do an A3 summary sheet for that bit of info. Then once I had got to that date and done that bit of revision I out in to cover it a month later in the bottom half, and did past paper practice questions and another A3 with anything I was still missing. Or a mind map or something to keep it interesting.
Then I out in to cover that every month. So an essay question or just read over some bits if I still felt confident. It meant the repetition re enforced the memory pathways, and the more alternative routes I did the strong my links to the information were.

This did lead to 4ish hours of work a day. Sometimes more. Sometimes less if I felt I needed a break. The more you do earlier with things like that, the easier revision is at exams. Takes a lot of the pressure off.

Hope that helps, happy to give more info if that made no sense what so ever!