Does anyone know if I can study A levels at 21 in a college
Hi, I would really appreciate any help or advice. I want to do A levels, I don’t want to take an Access course. Are there any colleges in London that take mature students? I’m 21 so I don’t know if I can still get funding from the government for A levels as I’m under 24 without a level 3 qualification. I left school after completing GCSE’s but fell into a very dark place mentally due to family issues and bullying at school so I haven’t been in education for the past 5/almost 6 years. If anyone has been in my position or similar please let me know how you went about getting your A levels. I really want to go to a good uni. I’ve also been considering self study, is it realistic to be able to self study 3 A levels in 2 years? Any advice would be highly appreciated.
There are Definitely colleges that do then for mature students as I got a leaflet at kings cross station a while ago.
They do cost though
Another friend and I did gcse as private candidates- he then also paid a private tutor to go through areas of difficulty so that’s an option (I paid for distance learning course at £300, not sure it was worth it as really I just used that for the content and also had a ton of extra reading I got myself.
Self study is an option if not working?
They do cost though
Another friend and I did gcse as private candidates- he then also paid a private tutor to go through areas of difficulty so that’s an option (I paid for distance learning course at £300, not sure it was worth it as really I just used that for the content and also had a ton of extra reading I got myself.
Self study is an option if not working?
Original post by Catherine1973
There are Definitely colleges that do then for mature students as I got a leaflet at kings cross station a while ago.
They do cost though
Another friend and I did gcse as private candidates- he then also paid a private tutor to go through areas of difficulty so that’s an option (I paid for distance learning course at £300, not sure it was worth it as really I just used that for the content and also had a ton of extra reading I got myself.
Self study is an option if not working?
They do cost though
Another friend and I did gcse as private candidates- he then also paid a private tutor to go through areas of difficulty so that’s an option (I paid for distance learning course at £300, not sure it was worth it as really I just used that for the content and also had a ton of extra reading I got myself.
Self study is an option if not working?
Thank you so much for your reply. Did the distance learning provide all the content you needed to learn the whole thing? Or did you find it lacked and you had to find information elsewhere? Also, what distance learning site did you choose? Thank you for your time.
i used ICSlearn for mine (GCSE law).
from them i got all the notes on the topic and they did mark 2 "exams" - which were more like general questions, not done in style of actual exams. The notes did cover the sylabus but were not great really, some bits being wrong when i double checked and typos. But it was the last year of that GCSE so maybe not worth them updating anything.
I myself also looked on AQA site for any guidance given to teachers for my course, reading lists, past exams/examiners comments/got the AQA revision guide etc.
I think this is the site i got the leaflet from
https://www.westking.ac.uk/courses/a-levels-intensive/341
they seem a bit cagey about how much they would actually cost though
from them i got all the notes on the topic and they did mark 2 "exams" - which were more like general questions, not done in style of actual exams. The notes did cover the sylabus but were not great really, some bits being wrong when i double checked and typos. But it was the last year of that GCSE so maybe not worth them updating anything.
I myself also looked on AQA site for any guidance given to teachers for my course, reading lists, past exams/examiners comments/got the AQA revision guide etc.
I think this is the site i got the leaflet from
https://www.westking.ac.uk/courses/a-levels-intensive/341
they seem a bit cagey about how much they would actually cost though
Could? Yeah, definitely. Should? It probably depends on your temperament. If you are going to do it, there are classes you can go to, as well as online courses you can take that will help you learn the course material. I personally really don’t recommend self-study; you are talking two years with very little in the way of outside positive reinforcement to keep you on the right path, and you have to find the will to study consistently by yourself for two years. I tried several times to self-study A-levels, and they all failed, partially because they are designed for students still in school, and less about those outside of school. The courses are still possible, but it will be much harder now that you have to think about paying bills and the like on top of studying.
If I had decided to go to classes to do A-levels, I probably would have been ok. That being said, I did an access course, having previously determined myself to not do one, and it was the best choice I could have made. I kind of wish I had done my A-levels now, but seeing as my goal, like yours, was to go to a good university, I don’t regret this too much. An access course isn’t as much of a defeat as I originally thought, and you should consider why you don’t want to do one, in order to find what works best for you with studying; this will also help you with finding the right uni and degree. Good luck!
If I had decided to go to classes to do A-levels, I probably would have been ok. That being said, I did an access course, having previously determined myself to not do one, and it was the best choice I could have made. I kind of wish I had done my A-levels now, but seeing as my goal, like yours, was to go to a good university, I don’t regret this too much. An access course isn’t as much of a defeat as I originally thought, and you should consider why you don’t want to do one, in order to find what works best for you with studying; this will also help you with finding the right uni and degree. Good luck!
Original post by Dan_L
Could? Yeah, definitely. Should? It probably depends on your temperament. If you are going to do it, there are classes you can go to, as well as online courses you can take that will help you learn the course material. I personally really don’t recommend self-study; you are talking two years with very little in the way of outside positive reinforcement to keep you on the right path, and you have to find the will to study consistently by yourself for two years. I tried several times to self-study A-levels, and they all failed, partially because they are designed for students still in school, and less about those outside of school. The courses are still possible, but it will be much harder now that you have to think about paying bills and the like on top of studying.
If I had decided to go to classes to do A-levels, I probably would have been ok. That being said, I did an access course, having previously determined myself to not do one, and it was the best choice I could have made. I kind of wish I had done my A-levels now, but seeing as my goal, like yours, was to go to a good university, I don’t regret this too much. An access course isn’t as much of a defeat as I originally thought, and you should consider why you don’t want to do one, in order to find what works best for you with studying; this will also help you with finding the right uni and degree. Good luck!
If I had decided to go to classes to do A-levels, I probably would have been ok. That being said, I did an access course, having previously determined myself to not do one, and it was the best choice I could have made. I kind of wish I had done my A-levels now, but seeing as my goal, like yours, was to go to a good university, I don’t regret this too much. An access course isn’t as much of a defeat as I originally thought, and you should consider why you don’t want to do one, in order to find what works best for you with studying; this will also help you with finding the right uni and degree. Good luck!
Thanks for the response!
I literally cannot find ANY classes to study A levels at my age. Well, none in London unless I want to pay 6k a year for a private college!
It seems that Access courses are looked down upon by the good universities. I don’t know if it’s worth doing it at all if I’m not going to get into a good university.
Do you mind me asking what university you got into with an Access course?
Do you feel like it prepared you for uni or did you feel you were behind the students that did A levels?
Thank you!
Original post by mrarmstrong21
Thanks for the response!
I literally cannot find ANY classes to study A levels at my age. Well, none in London unless I want to pay 6k a year for a private college!
It seems that Access courses are looked down upon by the good universities. I don’t know if it’s worth doing it at all if I’m not going to get into a good university.
Do you mind me asking what university you got into with an Access course?
Do you feel like it prepared you for uni or did you feel you were behind the students that did A levels?
Thank you!
I literally cannot find ANY classes to study A levels at my age. Well, none in London unless I want to pay 6k a year for a private college!
It seems that Access courses are looked down upon by the good universities. I don’t know if it’s worth doing it at all if I’m not going to get into a good university.
Do you mind me asking what university you got into with an Access course?
Do you feel like it prepared you for uni or did you feel you were behind the students that did A levels?
Thank you!
I’d just like to point out that I haven’t yet been to university, but I applied for PPE at both Loughborough and Exeter, and I got conditional offers from them within the timeframe. I’m just waiting for UCAS track to update so I can confirm my results, but I got the grades they asked for.
If you are applying for a course, your best bet would be to see if you can subsidise it with student loans. You can apply for these loans similarly to the way you apply for student loans for uni, but it’s under something like advanced further education, rather than higher education. It’s how I paid for my access course (something to note is that the cost of the access course is written off upon going to university), and it’s probably your best bet for paying for college.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some universities that look down on access courses, but from my experiences, I haven’t had this problem. You will likely need to do more reading up on topics for your course, but then again there are students who pick a degree that’s very different to their a-level choices. You still learn key skills such as how to write in an academic style, reference and take notes, skills that you need to develop to succeed at uni. Overall, while there are going to be growing pains, I feel like the course has given me the skills to be able to push on myself.
Hope this helps!
P.s: I had to travel into London to do my course , so the struggle to find a place is real.
Original post by Dan_L
I’d just like to point out that I haven’t yet been to university, but I applied for PPE at both Loughborough and Exeter, and I got conditional offers from them within the timeframe. I’m just waiting for UCAS track to update so I can confirm my results, but I got the grades they asked for.
If you are applying for a course, your best bet would be to see if you can subsidise it with student loans. You can apply for these loans similarly to the way you apply for student loans for uni, but it’s under something like advanced further education, rather than higher education. It’s how I paid for my access course (something to note is that the cost of the access course is written off upon going to university), and it’s probably your best bet for paying for college.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some universities that look down on access courses, but from my experiences, I haven’t had this problem. You will likely need to do more reading up on topics for your course, but then again there are students who pick a degree that’s very different to their a-level choices. You still learn key skills such as how to write in an academic style, reference and take notes, skills that you need to develop to succeed at uni. Overall, while there are going to be growing pains, I feel like the course has given me the skills to be able to push on myself.
Hope this helps!
P.s: I had to travel into London to do my course , so the struggle to find a place is real.
If you are applying for a course, your best bet would be to see if you can subsidise it with student loans. You can apply for these loans similarly to the way you apply for student loans for uni, but it’s under something like advanced further education, rather than higher education. It’s how I paid for my access course (something to note is that the cost of the access course is written off upon going to university), and it’s probably your best bet for paying for college.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some universities that look down on access courses, but from my experiences, I haven’t had this problem. You will likely need to do more reading up on topics for your course, but then again there are students who pick a degree that’s very different to their a-level choices. You still learn key skills such as how to write in an academic style, reference and take notes, skills that you need to develop to succeed at uni. Overall, while there are going to be growing pains, I feel like the course has given me the skills to be able to push on myself.
Hope this helps!
P.s: I had to travel into London to do my course , so the struggle to find a place is real.
Amazing! I wish you all the best at whichever you go on to study at.
Did you find it hard to achieve merits/distinctions after being out of education for a while? And was the workload bearable? I’ve heard a lot of people mention it’s intense because it’s all crammed into one year... but is it doable?
You have helped immensely, thank you!
Original post by mrarmstrong21
Amazing! I wish you all the best at whichever you go on to study at.
Did you find it hard to achieve merits/distinctions after being out of education for a while? And was the workload bearable? I’ve heard a lot of people mention it’s intense because it’s all crammed into one year... but is it doable?
You have helped immensely, thank you!
Did you find it hard to achieve merits/distinctions after being out of education for a while? And was the workload bearable? I’ve heard a lot of people mention it’s intense because it’s all crammed into one year... but is it doable?
You have helped immensely, thank you!
Thanks for the kind words!
As for the difficulty of the course, I think it’s important to highlight that I was a bright student at school, and the reason why I failed at a level was more to do with effort and personal troubles, rather than ability. Accordingly, I had high targets to achieve - I needed 30 credits (10 modules) at distinction and 15 credits (5 modules) at merit.
Overall, I achieved these pretty comfortably. However, this wasn’t because the course was easy. You still have to show up to the lessons, take the notes, do the groundwork and so on. Another aspect is having a good technique for the examinations/coursework. I only got a merit (which is still very good) in my first history module, because I didn’t give enough analysis of the question, which prevented me from getting the distinction. Oh boy did that light a fire under my ass to improve my technique, but as a result, I never slipped below distinction. Other people on my course had varying and differing levels of difficulty, but the people that stayed on till the end all managed to get the results they needed.
In conclusion, I’d say that the course isn’t excruciatingly difficult, but you do have to put the work in; having been out of education for a while, I found it took a while to get settled, but I never felt like I was drowning, so long as I kept on top of things.
Original post by mrarmstrong21
Thanks for the response!
I literally cannot find ANY classes to study A levels at my age. Well, none in London unless I want to pay 6k a year for a private college!
It seems that Access courses are looked down upon by the good universities. I don’t know if it’s worth doing it at all if I’m not going to get into a good university.
Do you mind me asking what university you got into with an Access course?
Do you feel like it prepared you for uni or did you feel you were behind the students that did A levels?
Thank you!
I literally cannot find ANY classes to study A levels at my age. Well, none in London unless I want to pay 6k a year for a private college!
It seems that Access courses are looked down upon by the good universities. I don’t know if it’s worth doing it at all if I’m not going to get into a good university.
Do you mind me asking what university you got into with an Access course?
Do you feel like it prepared you for uni or did you feel you were behind the students that did A levels?
Thank you!
I kinda disagree about Universities looking down on Access courses. Two of the Unis I applied to were Russel Group and I got offers from both and start at Southampton in September. The vast majority of Universities accept Access students quite happily, yes there are the few elite that doesn't accept Access depending on the course. Even Oxbridge accept some Access depending on the course they're applying too (Humanities I believe?).
The other bonus to Access is you have to pay around £3000 for the course which you can take out an advanced learner loan but the loan is written off when you graduate from University, so essentially free if you manage to get your degree.
Personally I completed my Access to Science course this year, managed to achieve 45 Distinctions when my target at the beginning of the year was 30. I had been out of education 21 years, love the course and found it really prepared me. One thing all Access course has is a 'Study Skills' module which helps to prepare for Uni. Things like referencing, essay planning etc, things the A-level students don't really do.
With regards to workload, I was on the course with someone who worked nights while he was on the course. He lived on 3 hours sleep on the days he had College and he managed to get 45 distinctions too. There was also a woman with 2 children at home and she was heavily pregnant during the course. Had the child a couple of days before her interview for university and still managed to attend it, she starts uni in September. Some weeks are intense, usually prior to assignments but I would say I found it fairly stress-free, never really struggled with the workload. Just depends on how much self-study you're prepared to do.
Original post by Sasha Handley
Hey guys,
I'm in a similar position, 22yrs old in London - been trying to sort out A Levels starting next month as i want to study physics at uni, but have been ****ed around by different institutions since January and now have a matter of weeks to sort myself out.
I'm still waiting for WestKing to get in touch to discuss doing a chemistry A Level intensive this year, with maths and physics next year, despite sending off an application in APRIL.
I don't want to do an access course as it explicitly states on the Russel unis' websites that I'm looking at they will not accept that qualification for physics courses; I've called them up and confirmed that myself. My feelings exactly have been echoed on this chain - what's the point in doing an access course if your ambition is to study at a top university that wont even look at you? How can I join A levels (non intensives) having been out of education for 6 years also? Are Open Study qualifications looked down on by Russell Group establishments?
It is mind blowing to me that here in the UK, it is so difficult for adults who are supporting themselves to get a good education to better their lives - especially in London of all places!
I'm in a similar position, 22yrs old in London - been trying to sort out A Levels starting next month as i want to study physics at uni, but have been ****ed around by different institutions since January and now have a matter of weeks to sort myself out.
I'm still waiting for WestKing to get in touch to discuss doing a chemistry A Level intensive this year, with maths and physics next year, despite sending off an application in APRIL.
I don't want to do an access course as it explicitly states on the Russel unis' websites that I'm looking at they will not accept that qualification for physics courses; I've called them up and confirmed that myself. My feelings exactly have been echoed on this chain - what's the point in doing an access course if your ambition is to study at a top university that wont even look at you? How can I join A levels (non intensives) having been out of education for 6 years also? Are Open Study qualifications looked down on by Russell Group establishments?
It is mind blowing to me that here in the UK, it is so difficult for adults who are supporting themselves to get a good education to better their lives - especially in London of all places!
What Universities are you looking at? If you're talking about Oxbridge, Imperial College etc then no they generally won't accept Access but there are plenty of very competitive Russell Group Universities that offer physics. Even with A-levels the likes of Oxbridge are still very difficult to get into and require a lot of extra work and extra reading.
I don't think it's difficult at all for an adult to get a good education, at all. You don't need to get into one of the top 10 Universities to get a good education, and it's essentially free.
Original post by Docxx
What Universities are you looking at? If you're talking about Oxbridge, Imperial College etc then no they generally won't accept Access but there are plenty of very competitive Russell Group Universities that offer physics. Even with A-levels the likes of Oxbridge are still very difficult to get into and require a lot of extra work and extra reading.
I don't think it's difficult at all for an adult to get a good education, at all. You don't need to get into one of the top 10 Universities to get a good education, and it's essentially free.
I don't think it's difficult at all for an adult to get a good education, at all. You don't need to get into one of the top 10 Universities to get a good education, and it's essentially free.
Well, I'm looking at UCL, Imperial, Oxford, Surrey and Kings - all London and surrounding areas-ish. Staying around here (or close by) is important to me, as I moved to London four years ago and have independently built a very settled life here.
You're right, my wording of "good education" wasn't really reflective of my intention; what I really mean is gaining the right education and qualifications to fit my financial situation and goals is difficult. There's very little living assistance funding for Level 3 quals, and I don't fit into any of the requirements anyway.
Do you know any other Russel uni's in London that consider access courses for physics?
Original post by mrarmstrong21
Hi, I would really appreciate any help or advice. I want to do A levels, I don’t want to take an Access course. Are there any colleges in London that take mature students? I’m 21 so I don’t know if I can still get funding from the government for A levels as I’m under 24 without a level 3 qualification. I left school after completing GCSE’s but fell into a very dark place mentally due to family issues and bullying at school so I haven’t been in education for the past 5/almost 6 years. If anyone has been in my position or similar please let me know how you went about getting your A levels. I really want to go to a good uni. I’ve also been considering self study, is it realistic to be able to self study 3 A levels in 2 years? Any advice would be highly appreciated.
Hi @mrarmstrong21
You definitely could go to college as a 21 year old to redo your A Levels!
Or you could also look the route of a foundation year degree, have a look at some universities and see what foundations they offer. This is normally a one year course before the 3-4 year degree. Here at Portsmouth, we have a Science foundation degree, an engineering one and media too.
Might be an option for you to look into!
Alex - UoP Rep
Original post by Sasha Handley
Well, I'm looking at UCL, Imperial, Oxford, Surrey and Kings - all London and surrounding areas-ish. Staying around here (or close by) is important to me, as I moved to London four years ago and have independently built a very settled life here.
You're right, my wording of "good education" wasn't really reflective of my intention; what I really mean is gaining the right education and qualifications to fit my financial situation and goals is difficult. There's very little living assistance funding for Level 3 quals, and I don't fit into any of the requirements anyway.
Do you know any other Russel uni's in London that consider access courses for physics?
You're right, my wording of "good education" wasn't really reflective of my intention; what I really mean is gaining the right education and qualifications to fit my financial situation and goals is difficult. There's very little living assistance funding for Level 3 quals, and I don't fit into any of the requirements anyway.
Do you know any other Russel uni's in London that consider access courses for physics?
Both Kings College and Surrey Uni offer Physics for Access Students and not unreasonable entry requirements too. Oxford, UCL and Imperial do not I believe but contact them to make sure as I know several people who got into top tier Universities on access despite their website saying otherwise.
Have you looked at Advanced Learner loans? It's a loan you can get, pretty much identical to Student loans. I got one for the access course and I believe they can be used for A-levels. The loan is written off when you graduate from your degree course. It only covers the course fee however.
Unfortunately, anything like living costs etc I don't think they can pay for or offer a loan like the Maintenance loan you get for University but I know people who have worked full time, with children etc and still managed to complete their Access course. Including one guy who worked nights during the course, he would survive on 3 hours sleep the days he had College and still came out with full Distinctions. How he did it I will never know but he is heading to Bristol University to study MSci in Chemistry next month. Don't want to patronise you but if you want to get into University then you got to be prepared to put the work in if it means working full time AND studying then just got to crack on. I think the reward at the end of it is worth it. I don't think it would be easier doing A-levels, probably the opposite as it will be a couple of years. If you do an access course this year, you'll be starting University next year. I'm probably being biased but I do think Access for HE is the best thing since sliced bread haha.
I’ve been in a similar position some time ago, so I will chip in. I know westminster kingsway college is offering 1 year intense courses and if I remember correctly you qualify for funding if 19-23 years old without level 3 qualification. They told me they might have been able to open chemistry course as well but at the end of the day I hadn’t managed to start the course before I turned 24, so I dropped the idea. To the OP: If you are planning to take a levels NOT requiring practicals, self study is an option worth considering. A lot of colleges accept external candidates and the only fees are the exam ones (about £100 per subject usually). You might be able to sit them right at your high school.
I have also seen someone planning on taking a physics course. Here situation is a bit more complex. I don’t know about Oxford, but suppose the situation is similar there, but Cambridge would normally not consider an applicant for natural sciences who did not pass the practical assessment. That means you would need to do them externally, and that is a hefty cost, there are centres that offer that option though. I would speak to your uni, explain your situation. Maybe you would be able to gain relevant lab experience elsewhere.
The third option, however not offered at Cambridge yet, might also be good for you. The foundation year. I know Durham offers a foundation year, which would allow you to then apply to an undergraduate course.
I have also seen someone planning on taking a physics course. Here situation is a bit more complex. I don’t know about Oxford, but suppose the situation is similar there, but Cambridge would normally not consider an applicant for natural sciences who did not pass the practical assessment. That means you would need to do them externally, and that is a hefty cost, there are centres that offer that option though. I would speak to your uni, explain your situation. Maybe you would be able to gain relevant lab experience elsewhere.
The third option, however not offered at Cambridge yet, might also be good for you. The foundation year. I know Durham offers a foundation year, which would allow you to then apply to an undergraduate course.
Have you checked that the unis would accept you doing the A levels in the way that you propose - intensive one year for the first and then 2 more the following year? This would not normally be accepted for a 6th form student as they like them to be sat at the same time.
Original post by ReadingMum
Have you checked that the unis would accept you doing the A levels in the way that you propose - intensive one year for the first and then 2 more the following year? This would not normally be accepted for a 6th form student as they like them to be sat at the same time.
I haven't, but I can't see it being an issue. I would assume that most adult learners cannot afford to do three/four A-Levels at the same time without any kind of maintenance loan? None of the colleges and tuition centres I've spoken to have flagged that as an issue, but I'll definitely check it out.
Original post by Sasha Handley
I haven't, but I can't see it being an issue. I would assume that most adult learners cannot afford to do three/four A-Levels at the same time without any kind of maintenance loan? None of the colleges and tuition centres I've spoken to have flagged that as an issue, but I'll definitely check it out.
We’re literally in the same boat!
I want to apply for a top university and A levels are looking like my best chance to achieve that... I’ve been feeling so discouraged and upset having not been able to find a single college that will allow me to study A levels at the age of 21. They make you feel about 50 years old when you ask! It’s ridiculous when we’re living in London, you’d think there would be somewhere
Original post by mrarmstrong21
We’re literally in the same boat!
I want to apply for a top university and A levels are looking like my best chance to achieve that... I’ve been feeling so discouraged and upset having not been able to find a single college that will allow me to study A levels at the age of 21. They make you feel about 50 years old when you ask! It’s ridiculous when we’re living in London, you’d think there would be somewhere
I want to apply for a top university and A levels are looking like my best chance to achieve that... I’ve been feeling so discouraged and upset having not been able to find a single college that will allow me to study A levels at the age of 21. They make you feel about 50 years old when you ask! It’s ridiculous when we’re living in London, you’d think there would be somewhere
Right?! It's not easy to get into, which is surprising considering the call outs to engage more people into STEM. Are you in London? I'm in talks with WestKing about doing Chemistry intensive starting 07/09, practical endorsement confirmation pending. 2 three hour tutorial sessions p/ week, the rest is self study. Will keep you posted with what happens!
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