The Student Room Group
Reply 1
amazingtrade
do universties and people think it is mickeymouse?


I'm not really sure because my school doesn't offer them. Aren't they equal to two A levels or something? I think some of the 'traditional' (i.e snobby!) universities may see them as 'mickey mouse', but I'm not sure. Sorry I couldn't be more help! How come you're asking? Aren't you already at university?
Reply 2
Yep I am at university, I just wanted peoples opinions on it. I did the an AVCE Double Award in ICT and people seem to dismiss it.
Reply 3
They are not mickey mouse at all.

Yet more snobbery and ignorance from amazingtrade :rolleyes:
Reply 4
pepper
They are not mickey mouse at all.

Yet more snobbery and ignorance from amazingtrade :rolleyes:


Please read above, and that other thread you accused me of being a snob which was deleted, I actually said nothing bad at all about the university in question, I was simply stating what other people may think.
Reply 5
amazingtrade
Yep I am at university, I just wanted peoples opinions on it. I did the an AVCE Double Award in ICT and people seem to dismiss it.


Try not to worry about what narrow minded traditionalists think. There are people out there that dismiss any subject that isn't a maths or science. As I said, I don't really know what they entale so I can't really comment, but it doesn't sound mickey mouse if that helps!
Reply 6
~Sam~
Try not to worry about what narrow minded traditionalists think. There are people out there that dismiss any subject that isn't a maths or science. As I said, I don't really know what they entale so I can't really comment, but it doesn't sound mickey mouse if that helps!


Yeah thanks, well it got me into univeristy (and I could have gone to a better one if I wanted to move out) and I am doing quite well so it can't be that bad. I guess it dosn't really matter what other people think, and employs employ a person not a piece of paper.
Reply 7
amazingtrade
Yeah thanks, well it got me into univeristy (and I could have gone to a better one if I wanted to move out) and I am doing quite well so it can't be that bad. I guess it dosn't really matter what other people think, and employs employ a person not a piece of paper.


Exactly! And from what I've read from your previous posts, you seem clever and hardworking and I'm sure you'll come out with a great degree! One guy I know thinks Oxbridge is everything, he's applying there next year and I'd hate to see what happens if he is rejected because he'd think it was his life over. I wish he could realise that there are more important things in life!
AVCE courses are not mickey mouse courses in my opinion.
Double AVCE Business is 2/3 assignment based with 4X2 hour exams. Assessed at A2 level throughout the 2-year course and worth 2 A-Levels.

So, no, they aren't mickey mouse. In fact, because of the high %age of assignments, they are probably more use in the real world than most combinations of 2 A-Levels.

What does let AVCE down is the entry requirments. The idiots give them a bad name.
Reply 10
Yes I fully agree, when I did this is why the average pass grade for the AVCE is somthing like ED. I apparantly got the highest grade in my college (and its one of the largest colleges in the country) I got AB. When I look back now the work load seemd extremely high.

I think what AVCEs do is not measure intellegence so much, but more measure willingness to work and be motivation. There is no way you can get a good grade without shear hard work where as if you're very clever its possible to pass some A levels with not much revision.

I guess you can't really compare it to somthing like A level maths as they are completly different.

My old college now asked to 5 C's including english and maths for the AVCE, for traditional A levels they just ask for four C's. I think this is to discourage the idiots from taking AVCEs.

Out of my class of 30, only 4 people got higher than 140 UCAS points from it because some of the students were so lazy.
amazingtrade
do universties and people think it is mickeymouse?


i don't think they are. one of my friends is doing one in health and social care and she's had so much coursework it's unbelieveable.
Reply 12
I think asking whether it's "Mickey Mouse" is irrelevant; because the fact is that the V in AVCE stands for "Vocational", which means "related to work". This sets it apart from A-levels because they are more academic. I have loads of friends doing Business AVCE and know that it's not a worthless or silly qualification, and two of them are going on to uni. I've got a lot of respect for it because it's there for people who excel at skills-based tasks rather than sitting millions of exams, and gives people who aren't suited to A-levels the chance to get on in further education while aquiring skills that will help them in the world of work. It's not an easy qualification, but it's most likely unsuitable if your aim is to do a highly academic subject at uni.. but then it's not meant to be suitable, that's what A levels are for!
Reply 13
I know its not the same, but i was studying an NVQ at level 3 which is equivalent to 2 A levels (at the same time as doing 2 a levels). The different perceptions were amazing. The people on the NVQ were treated like they were stupid, and i was apparently some sort of boffin because i was doing science A levels. In actual fact i had to drop the NVQ because it was too much work with my A levels, and although it wasn't difficult, i think it was undervalued and the qualification it gives people is much more useful in the long term as a qualification in its own right than A levels.

I'm never going to be the sort of person that gets 3A's at A level, but i still got into med school even though it was the long way round. And to the people that think AVCE's are mickey mouse, who are they to judge you?
Reply 14
An AVCE is more respected outside the academic world.
Reply 15
I'm doing AVCE ICT Double Award and I am expected to get AA-AB. I think the most frequent dispute about this subject is that there aren't too many exams involved. For my qualification, I've sat 3 exams and I'm going to sit one last, so that's 4 exams - One less than a standard A-level, which isn't bad at all! Another thing - AVCE just works the sweat out of you, but if you work there's reward. I'd recommend the course for s'o doing traditional A-levels. Combined they can look quite good on your CV, since AVCE gives you a lot of practical skills. This, combined together with academic knowledge can open many doors, I think. Anyway, I'm doing Double AVCE in the time slot for a Single, i.e. i'm doing it in only 6 lessons per week, which menas it eats up my weekend..............