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Access Course: Workload and what should I expect?

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Wow you all seem to have had intense access courses.

Mine was part time, Sep to June .. two evenings a week 5.45 - 9.30.

In total I produced four assignments, Biology, Health Studies, Psychology and Social Psychology. Then the Research report at the end so total of 5 assignments! And one final 10 minute presentation.

There were four exams at the end, Biology, Health Studies, Psychology and Social Policy. The exams were simple, we were given all the questions beforehand.

Our teachers left constantly, our teachers were not even teachers but professionals forced to be there. I googled most of the criteria myself and would start and finish an assignment the week it was due (I don't advise this :biggrin:

)

I got distinctions on assignments I thought id failed and passed an exam I thought I aced!

Overall it was a crazy experience, I found it relatively easygoing, had a laugh, was never stressed, the college however is a complete joke, ofstead agrees. But its given me the grades required for Uni so I am super super happy!!

Good luck!

Oh I forgot to add we were randomly entered for maths GCSE half way through the year, sat that, think it went ok!

Do you mind me asking what college you went to?

Glad you survived the year though!

Reply 21

andiewithanie

try and step back occasionally and ask 'is this good enough?'. one of the problems i had (and still have) was getting too deep into stuff.

did you know, for example, there's a secret archive of books in within the london public library system? don't ask me how i know this

Reply 22

HardStudy

Thank you for all the post on this thread. I am too starting the Access course in September (hopefully, depending on GCSE grades)
I am doing Psychology, Law and Sociology, hoping to get into Edge Hill University in Lancashire doing the Psychology and Criminology course.
In the subjects on the Access course, we only had a choice of English or Law, Psychology and Sociology were mandatory.
Did anyone do any of these? How was it?
I hope everything goes well for you all :smile:

My college is planning to be moved half way through the academic year so i am dreading that too.
What is it you are planning to do in University?

Reply 23

brahimino

Original post by LurkQueen

Hi all

I've been nosing through this forums for the past week and I thought I'd finally make a post. I'm 25, about to start a Humanities access course and I'm both nervous and cautiously excited. I was wondering if anyone could answer what your experience has been on an access course? For example:

- What the workload is like
- How much independent study is required
- What a typical assessment looks like
- How did you manage your time, did you find yourself swamped?
- I've read a bit about presentations - what does that entail usually? (Is it in front of the entire class? Eek. Public speaking is a big fear of mine ha)
- Are distinctions hard to attain?

Sorry for all of the questions. I'm know I'll find out soon enough, but I'd like to prepare myself as much as possible.

Also: big hello to anybody else starting an access this year :biggrin:

and good luck to those starting University in September!

learn more,study less here:
http://36b337zybcby1ocjwkzqp03t0u.hop.clickbank.net/

Reply 24

Afatkindathin

Original post by LurkQueen

- What the workload is like
- How much independent study is required
- What a typical assessment looks like
- How did you manage your time, did you find yourself swamped?
- I've read a bit about presentations - what does that entail usually? (Is it in front of the entire class? Eek. Public speaking is a big fear of mine ha)
- Are distinctions hard to attain?

Hey, I've just finished a Access to HE Humanities and Social Science course. I will share my experience with you. I'm 27 and a single mum to a 3 year old.
What the workload is like?
I found the workload varied across the year. Before Christmas I completed 2 assignments and sat 2 exams. Between Christmas and march I only handed in 2 assignments. The rest were handed in between the end of march and June (this was the most stressful period in my opinion). I found it manageable and didn't really get stressed until I did my second research essay and went 2000 words over and had to start hacking at it the day before it was due in! Stupid!

How much independent study is required?
This depends on the grades you wish to achieve. I did A LOT of studying at home, my son went to bed at 7 and I would work until 10-11pm every night. I would also spend the weekends he was with his dad studying all day. This may seem drastic but I always had my assignments ready to be handed in 3 weeks early so as to make final adjustments if necessary before the due date.

How did you manage your time, did you find yourself swamped?
I managed my time incredibly well. I was very strict with myself and the time I decided to dedicate to studying last September I stuck to. Obviously life happens sometimes but overall I found the workload manageable and because I was organised I never got as swamped as others on my course. Once you get behind it's an up-hill struggle to get back what you have lost.

I've read a bit about presentations - what does that entail usually? (Is it in front of the entire class?

I HATE presentations! We did what felt like hundreds but in actual fact probably was no more than 6. We did official marked presentations on our own in 2 subjects, we did a small group presentation in one subject and we did single unmarked presentations in two more subjects. We also did a lot of 'show and tell' group work where we shared sources and resources with smaller groups and we had to discuss how we found them useful. Overall we did 2 presentation to the whole class and then the Humanities students would present to the humanities class(10 of us) and the social science students would present to their half of the class(10 of them). We did classes together as a group and then would separate for our specialist subjects.

Are distinctions hard to attain?

That depends whether you are willing to put the effort into obtaining them. I finished the year with straight distinctions and I wasn't the only one to achieve this on my course. However, many students struggled to attain them at all. This was mainly due to their writing style, lack of studying, spelling, sources and a general lack of grammar.
Look closely at the assignment briefs, ask yourself questions about the criteria, have a plan, don't be afraid to ask your tutors exactly what they are looking for and definitely start the work early.

Overall, if you are organised and work hard I think you will do well.