The Student Room Group

How do I get the qualifications to get to good Universities/Courses

I got BCC at A levels and BBC at AS levels. Do you count both of these when calculating your UCAS points? I didn't try for these subjects at all and am ashamed greatly.

I was in a Computer Science course at a Russell group already and dropped out after 1 and a half years due to depression and lack of motivation/immaturity.

I wanna get the highest grades/diplomas I possibly can asap so I can have a full range of Universities and courses open to me. I know I'm smart enough to get top grades in anything so what's the best method for me to get on the 4 A* level A level-wise? Can I add say a diploma from college with my as and a levels and be balling in UCAS points? I would love to get rid of my a/as level history and have 4 a*s there but what can you do.

I haven't been on UCAS in like 4-5 years, can I still login to my account?

What do old (just turned 23) folks like me do who can no longer pursue A levels but want to get into Uni and do the best courses at the best Universities possible? Will I still be able to get a loan (I only used one year) the same way? Or do mature students get loans differently?

I'm thinking of doing something like electrical engineering or trying Computer Science again since I'm familiar with those and had no problems at all academically with my CS degree. Accounting/Finance/Business degrees are something I'm interested in but not familiar with.

So yeah any help whatsoever would be great. I wanna go back to a Russell Group Uni or maybe a good uni in Europe that does English speaking courses that are respected (but that's another mind **** as how do you get into those? UCAS points?).

It's weird being known as mature btw.

So many questions, so little time.
Hi. As far as UCAS goes, you won't be able to log into your old account; you will need a new one. You also can't get rid of your previous A Level history, as you are supposed to declare all your qualifications. This wouldn't prevent you from re-doing A Levels to get better grades now, if that's what you want to do. I don't think your previous grades would count against you in those circumstances. It would just serve to show how committed you are now, that you have worked hard to improve them.

Another route which you could take, would be to do an Access course rather than A Levels. It only takes one year, and is specifically designed to get mature students ready for university. If you apply to do one next year, you would be able to get a 24+ Loan to cover the cost of tuition fees, which would be wiped once you graduate. However, check with the universities that you are interested in, whether this would be the best route for you in your circumstances.

The bad news is that I'm afraid your one and a half years at university will count as two years as far as Student Finance are concerned, unless you have documentation to show that your mental health was the issue that made it impossible for you to continue. If they don't accept your extenuating circumstances, you will have to pay your first year tuition fees yourself.

If this is the case, going abroad where tuition fees are lower (or non-existent) could be a good option. The Netherlands, Germany and Scandinavian countries are good places to start looking. I think there is a forum on TSR for studying abroad. Otherwise, Google is your friend. :smile:
Fast track btec?
Original post by Schadenfreude65
Hi. As far as UCAS goes, you won't be able to log into your old account; you will need a new one. You also can't get rid of your previous A Level history, as you are supposed to declare all your qualifications. This wouldn't prevent you from re-doing A Levels to get better grades now, if that's what you want to do. I don't think your previous grades would count against you in those circumstances. It would just serve to show how committed you are now, that you have worked hard to improve them.

Another route which you could take, would be to do an Access course rather than A Levels. It only takes one year, and is specifically designed to get mature students ready for university. If you apply to do one next year, you would be able to get a 24+ Loan to cover the cost of tuition fees, which would be wiped once you graduate. However, check with the universities that you are interested in, whether this would be the best route for you in your circumstances.

The bad news is that I'm afraid your one and a half years at university will count as two years as far as Student Finance are concerned, unless you have documentation to show that your mental health was the issue that made it impossible for you to continue. If they don't accept your extenuating circumstances, you will have to pay your first year tuition fees yourself.

If this is the case, going abroad where tuition fees are lower (or non-existent) could be a good option. The Netherlands, Germany and Scandinavian countries are good places to start looking. I think there is a forum on TSR for studying abroad. Otherwise, Google is your friend. :smile:


Thanks for the help. So you do you count AS levels and A levels together when accumulating your UCAS score, or just A levels?

I've accepted paying my loans already, it's okay. Just wanted to know what I'm entitled to now. I tried to change course and was told since I used up some of my loan for another course I can only use the tuition loan for my last years, rather than my first since It's a liability. Will I still get these loans since I'm mature? I can pay the first loan all by myself anyway with money I've saved (for first year tution and living costs etc). And will I get the access course loan too (actually just checked, I'm not 24 or over :frown:?

The universities I'm interested in are russell group in an area that has low living fees, low rent cost, accepts access courses for top degrees like CS and EE. Does this seem out of the question?

Can you add a high standard college course/grade with my as levels and a levels and get into the courses I want Iadd up all them ucas points)? Or would an access course be the best option?
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by lozasaurus99
Fast track btec?


No idea about college courses unfortunately. Just been down the 6th form > uni route.

What sort of BTECs would help me get loads of UCAS points? Is the btec extended the best? Would be interested in the IT and computing section of that.
Original post by HowDoIget4Astars
No idea about college courses unfortunately. Just been down the 6th form > uni route.

What sort of BTECs would help me get loads of UCAS points? Is the btec extended the best? Would be interested in the IT and computing section of that.


Top universities don't look at UCAS points when giving out offers, so simply doing more and more qualifications won't help in that respect.

Look at resitting your A-levels and achieving the grades required for the course you want or doing an access course.
Student Finance works the same way for mature students as for school leavers. As you are under 25, your parents' income will be taken into account, unless you can demonstrate that you have worked for 3+ years. If you do Access starting in 2015, you will qualify for the 24+ Loan, as you are 23 now.

As Conzy210 says, top unis don't give offers based on UCAS points, but will ask for specific grades in whatever course(s) you are doing. Also, their requirements may be different for mature students, as they consider them on a case-by-case basis, so UCAS points aren't really that relevant.

There are plenty of good universities that aren't Russell Group: RG is just an organisation of research universities that banded together to protect their interests. It is not necessarily an indication of quality, so it's worth looking at other unis too. I think you should pick out a few that you are interested in, and then email the relevant admissions tutor, explaining your circumstances and asking their advice on how you should proceed.
I've taken all your advice in from both of you guys. I will e-mail the admission team for uni courses I'm interested in (but atm I'm not 100 percent sure where/what I wanna do).

How would it be possible for me to repeat my a levels? Is there a way of repeating 3/4 of them part-time? Would it take 2 years?

Where do you find access courses for things I'm interested in? The open university, college or what? Is that the same thing as a foundation degree?

Sorry. Clueless lol.
If you left university because of depression then it is definitely worth asking the student loans company to disregard your previous years of study and give you a full loan - do you have any medical evidence to prove you were depressed?

Instead of worrying about where you will study, you should be focusing on finding out what you want to study. There's no doing an Access course or redoing A levels unless you have a clear idea what you want to achieve. The Open University doesn't do access courses; check your local FE college website for more information on access courses. Your other option is a foundation year, but this would only be an option if you get the student loans company to reinstate your full loan entitlement.

It is too late to begin an access course or A levels this year, use the time between now and next September to think carefully about what degree you want to do, then you can pick the best route into that degree.
Original post by Samual
If you left university because of depression then it is definitely worth asking the student loans company to disregard your previous years of study and give you a full loan - do you have any medical evidence to prove you were depressed?


I contacted my GP about ADHD several times before eventually leaving the course since I told him constantly I couldn't study or even get out of bed or eat. Next time we met I had a kinda I told you so look on my face and he prescribed me ADs. I've been on ADs on and off eve since. I'm not on them now but looking to go back on Zoloft again when I next see my new GP for the city I moved to.

Original post by Samual

Instead of worrying about where you will study, you should be focusing on finding out what you want to study. There's no doing an Access course or redoing A levels unless you have a clear idea what you want to achieve. The Open University doesn't do access courses; check your local FE college website for more information on access courses. Your other option is a foundation year, but this would only be an option if you get the student loans company to reinstate your full loan entitlement.


Like I said an Electrical Egineering course or Computer Science are the degrees I most likely wanna do. The Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow are two Universities I'm thinking about going to.

Original post by Samual

It is too late to begin an access course or A levels this year, use the time between now and next September to think carefully about what degree you want to do, then you can pick the best route into that degree.


The degree I'm most interested in is this:
http://search.ucas.com/course/entryrequirements/243851/computing-science-bsc-faster-route?Lat=55.87212&Lng=-4.28820&Feather=0&Vac=4&AvailableIn=2015&Query=Computer%20Science&Location=university%20of%20glasgow&ret=providers#coursedetailsmenu

The course content for year 2 looks extremely familiar. Java coding is very easy. I could probably use that to my advantage when persuading them to let me do the course.

I'd need to do 3 A levels with maths included and get all As. How long would this take and can you do A levels in college or do I need to go back to my old grammar school and pay them to let me sit them? What about if I did 4 A levels and hoped for the best and just if I got AAAD I'll just get rid of the D?
(edited 9 years ago)
What uni were you at before?

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by lozasaurus99
What uni were you at before?

Posted from TSR Mobile


Queens University
Original post by HowDoIget4Astars
Queens University


Qmul? ? That's a good uni

Posted from TSR Mobile

Quick Reply

Latest

Trending

Trending