Manchester Uni via Access Route?

I'm currently sitting an Access qualification in humanities as an attempt to gain access onto the Law course next year. Currently, I need 45/45 distinctions - which worries me!


My question is: has anyone managed to gain entry with lesser qualifications (in either a levels or access) or are they very strict?

I'm just trying to be realistic as well as determined right now!

P.s I understand everyone's case is different, but it's just to calm my worries!

Thanks

When doing my research regarding entry requirements, i found that many higher ranked Uni's require lower entry marks with regards to the Access Course. I believe either UCL or KCL require 30 Distinctions (I cant remember which one) whereas a Uni like Southampton told me they require 45.

45 Distinctions at Access are the equivalent to 144 UCAS Points. If you review the scores of entrants on to those courses such as UCL/Southampton you will notice that with a score of 144 you will be in the extreme lower end of the spectrum in terms of tariff at UCL but in the middle at Southampton. I highly suspect that they set these entry requirements in an attempt to attract brighter students in an attempt to increase their rating.

You will also notice that other RG Uni's outside of the.. more prestigious Unis are a little more generous when offering places.

The bottom line is of course, if you want to put yourself in the best possible position to succeed in obtaining a place at a prestigious university (such as Manchester) - put the work in and smash those Distinctions! I certainly wont be letting off the gas if I reach 30 D's prior to the end of the course

Hey! Thanks for your reply

Yes I've looked through a few universities and it's amazing how they range in requirements. Bristol is considered very highly for Law yet only 30 distinctions were required instead of the 45 that Manchester are asking for! However, Bristol do require a LNAT test too which is why I suppose they lower their grades for Access. It'll be a tough few months but it will incredibly well spent if I can achieve the top grades! Anything's possible!

In my view, the Access course has been designed to offer those who have been out of academic study for some time a relevant certification to show off their academic prowess. In addition to your marks though are your experiences. Someone who is 30 years old will likely have almost 10 years of work experience behind them which has allowed them to develop a number of skills that will be beneficial to academic study and university life. These are skills that the University understands which is why the Access course does have, in areas, a slightly lower entry requirement.

Lets not beat around the bush though, if you were to look at Unistats for LSE you would note that not a single person got on to their Law LLB via Access to HE. Is this a case of there not being a relevant student? Or is it a case that Access Courses tend not to attract students who wish to study law at prestigious Unis? What is also known though is that these Unis still turn down those who have achieved the grades set as the bar for entry so just by achieving those grades, it does not guarantee entry.

I think the recipe for success is simple - get the best marks you can, write the best personal statement you can and achieve the best result in any additional test that is required of you. If you do those three things you are going to be in a much better position than perhaps someone who has 4 A* and writes a one-paragraph personal statement

I agree whole heartedly with what you're saying! I do believe that the majority of students taking the Access course don't branch out to further universities and just tend to stay local. Many of the students on my course have decided they will be going to the neighbouring university whilst the remaining 6% are hoping to get into Manchester Met or Man Uni.
I think it possibly has a lot to do with the ages of these people and their family commitments. However., I would also agree that Access courses are still considered a secondary qualification when A Levels are concerned. I had one admissions tutor almost roll her eyes when I told her I was on the course!

I think this is the only pitfall to the course. If you have ambition and an appetite to succeed in the most prestigious institutions, there is little-to-no information available on the internet. It is quite clear that on all of the admissions websites that these institutions are willing to consider your application having completed an Access course. It is also noted in the media that the diversity of students in these institutions perhaps isn't as wide as it should be.

When I was reviewing the Unistats page, I think of the 5 Uni's that I am targeting, only one from the "Top 10" UK Law Uni's had accepted an Access Course student. I'm really intrigued why this is the case. I'm wondering whether its a lack of ambition or preparation perhaps on the part of the student, or that institutions are interested in those with the highest UCAS tariff and as such, are accepting those who have 4 A Levels is natural..

One thing I can say though, is that whenever I contacted the admissions department for each Uni, they were very clear in that my application would be judged in the same manner as a regular college-leaving application and I should be assured that being a mature student would not count against me. Given that this has come "from the horses mouth", I'm more inclined to side with this until proven otherwise.

My tutor through my distance learning provider has been nothing but supportive of my application and there has never been any hint that I should lower my expectations at all. I'm going to leave all the scaremongering of the media and internet behind and focus on submitting the best application that I can!

Are you applying to any other RG Uni's?