GCSES and Access to HE
Can anyone help?!?!
I seem to be hitting dead ends with my research, even after contacting a few universities.
Background - I have GCSE's, grade 5 for math and science and a grade 5 and 6 for English, then a few 5's and one 7 in history. I do not have any A-levels (any that I could use), I studied at college but due to personal circumstances, did not sit the actual exams during covid.
I am now doing lots of research into Access to HE science courses, however this doesn't seem to be enough. Liverpool need me to have at least 5 grade 6's or above, alongside H & K and Nottingham. The only uni that does not is UCLAN.
My question is - has anyone sat their GCSES alongside an access to HE course. I would be applying to said unis this October after starting my access to HE course in September. I did read that I had to have already had said GCSES and grades couldn't be outstanding meaning I would have to take them this Summer which I wouldn't be able to do due to prior commitments. Surely I would take my access to HE exams and GCSES at the same time/exam season.
Sorry for the information overload, I honestly feel well and truly out of my league. I understand that every university is looking for something different, however I'm not finding them super helpful.
Any guidance is massively appreciated!!
I seem to be hitting dead ends with my research, even after contacting a few universities.
Background - I have GCSE's, grade 5 for math and science and a grade 5 and 6 for English, then a few 5's and one 7 in history. I do not have any A-levels (any that I could use), I studied at college but due to personal circumstances, did not sit the actual exams during covid.
I am now doing lots of research into Access to HE science courses, however this doesn't seem to be enough. Liverpool need me to have at least 5 grade 6's or above, alongside H & K and Nottingham. The only uni that does not is UCLAN.
My question is - has anyone sat their GCSES alongside an access to HE course. I would be applying to said unis this October after starting my access to HE course in September. I did read that I had to have already had said GCSES and grades couldn't be outstanding meaning I would have to take them this Summer which I wouldn't be able to do due to prior commitments. Surely I would take my access to HE exams and GCSES at the same time/exam season.
Sorry for the information overload, I honestly feel well and truly out of my league. I understand that every university is looking for something different, however I'm not finding them super helpful.
Any guidance is massively appreciated!!
Original post by hollywoods01
Can anyone help?!?!
I seem to be hitting dead ends with my research, even after contacting a few universities.
Background - I have GCSE's, grade 5 for math and science and a grade 5 and 6 for English, then a few 5's and one 7 in history. I do not have any A-levels (any that I could use), I studied at college but due to personal circumstances, did not sit the actual exams during covid.
I am now doing lots of research into Access to HE science courses, however this doesn't seem to be enough. Liverpool need me to have at least 5 grade 6's or above, alongside H & K and Nottingham. The only uni that does not is UCLAN.
My question is - has anyone sat their GCSES alongside an access to HE course. I would be applying to said unis this October after starting my access to HE course in September. I did read that I had to have already had said GCSES and grades couldn't be outstanding meaning I would have to take them this Summer which I wouldn't be able to do due to prior commitments. Surely I would take my access to HE exams and GCSES at the same time/exam season.
Sorry for the information overload, I honestly feel well and truly out of my league. I understand that every university is looking for something different, however I'm not finding them super helpful.
Any guidance is massively appreciated!!
I seem to be hitting dead ends with my research, even after contacting a few universities.
Background - I have GCSE's, grade 5 for math and science and a grade 5 and 6 for English, then a few 5's and one 7 in history. I do not have any A-levels (any that I could use), I studied at college but due to personal circumstances, did not sit the actual exams during covid.
I am now doing lots of research into Access to HE science courses, however this doesn't seem to be enough. Liverpool need me to have at least 5 grade 6's or above, alongside H & K and Nottingham. The only uni that does not is UCLAN.
My question is - has anyone sat their GCSES alongside an access to HE course. I would be applying to said unis this October after starting my access to HE course in September. I did read that I had to have already had said GCSES and grades couldn't be outstanding meaning I would have to take them this Summer which I wouldn't be able to do due to prior commitments. Surely I would take my access to HE exams and GCSES at the same time/exam season.
Sorry for the information overload, I honestly feel well and truly out of my league. I understand that every university is looking for something different, however I'm not finding them super helpful.
Any guidance is massively appreciated!!
Have you looked at Bristol? They only require C at GCSE.
Access to HE course exams are taken throughout the course. You get your grades as you go. I'm doing one at the moment and have an offer for Bristol.
Original post by hollywoods01
Can anyone help?!?!
I seem to be hitting dead ends with my research, even after contacting a few universities.
Background - I have GCSE's, grade 5 for math and science and a grade 5 and 6 for English, then a few 5's and one 7 in history. I do not have any A-levels (any that I could use), I studied at college but due to personal circumstances, did not sit the actual exams during covid.
I am now doing lots of research into Access to HE science courses, however this doesn't seem to be enough. Liverpool need me to have at least 5 grade 6's or above, alongside H & K and Nottingham. The only uni that does not is UCLAN.
My question is - has anyone sat their GCSES alongside an access to HE course. I would be applying to said unis this October after starting my access to HE course in September. I did read that I had to have already had said GCSES and grades couldn't be outstanding meaning I would have to take them this Summer which I wouldn't be able to do due to prior commitments. Surely I would take my access to HE exams and GCSES at the same time/exam season.
Sorry for the information overload, I honestly feel well and truly out of my league. I understand that every university is looking for something different, however I'm not finding them super helpful.
Any guidance is massively appreciated!!
I seem to be hitting dead ends with my research, even after contacting a few universities.
Background - I have GCSE's, grade 5 for math and science and a grade 5 and 6 for English, then a few 5's and one 7 in history. I do not have any A-levels (any that I could use), I studied at college but due to personal circumstances, did not sit the actual exams during covid.
I am now doing lots of research into Access to HE science courses, however this doesn't seem to be enough. Liverpool need me to have at least 5 grade 6's or above, alongside H & K and Nottingham. The only uni that does not is UCLAN.
My question is - has anyone sat their GCSES alongside an access to HE course. I would be applying to said unis this October after starting my access to HE course in September. I did read that I had to have already had said GCSES and grades couldn't be outstanding meaning I would have to take them this Summer which I wouldn't be able to do due to prior commitments. Surely I would take my access to HE exams and GCSES at the same time/exam season.
Sorry for the information overload, I honestly feel well and truly out of my league. I understand that every university is looking for something different, however I'm not finding them super helpful.
Any guidance is massively appreciated!!
Hi, I was in the same situation as you!
My GCSE’s were okay but not amazing I got 11 5-7 but not in the subjects most unis want. My alevels were during covid and we had no teaching time (they adopted a teach yourself approach which absolutely did not work!) and I did the wrong subjects too.
I’m currently enrolled on an Access to HE course in Vet Science (it’s not the most popular course so after this year the college is not running it anymore sadly) but I received an offer for UCLan a few weeks ago after an interview! I also received an interview from Nottingham but didn’t receive an offer.
So it is 100% doable to get into uni with an access course - but as you said only certain unis will accept them, and you might have to look into doing foundation years at other unis
I have done two Access courses and all D at GCSE. Depends on the college I guess, the majority of universities do not care so much about GCSE for mature students. I have had offers from some of the best universities, so it is not the end of the world.
Original post by random_matt
I have done two Access courses and all D at GCSE. Depends on the college I guess, the majority of universities do not care so much about GCSE for mature students. I have had offers from some of the best universities, so it is not the end of the world.
Thank you for your reply and congrats on your offers! It's funny because most unis that have replied have pointed out that my GCSE's are not good enough - I'm assuming this was because I am going to do an access to HE. However colleges that do access to HE have said that I can not do GCSE's alongside their course so now finding myself at a loss.
Original post by wombats
Have you looked at Bristol? They only require C at GCSE.
Access to HE course exams are taken throughout the course. You get your grades as you go. I'm doing one at the moment and have an offer for Bristol.
Access to HE course exams are taken throughout the course. You get your grades as you go. I'm doing one at the moment and have an offer for Bristol.
Hi thanks for the reply! No, I haven't looked at Bristol as it wasn't as close as I would have liked to home but I will definitely have a look. That's good to know about the access to HE - they have said that I can't sit my GCSE's alongside it so found myself at a loss - so will most likely have to have a look at unis that require lower GCSE grade boundaries.
Original post by rhiannonslater03
Hi, I was in the same situation as you!
My GCSE’s were okay but not amazing I got 11 5-7 but not in the subjects most unis want. My alevels were during covid and we had no teaching time (they adopted a teach yourself approach which absolutely did not work!) and I did the wrong subjects too.
I’m currently enrolled on an Access to HE course in Vet Science (it’s not the most popular course so after this year the college is not running it anymore sadly) but I received an offer for UCLan a few weeks ago after an interview! I also received an interview from Nottingham but didn’t receive an offer.
So it is 100% doable to get into uni with an access course - but as you said only certain unis will accept them, and you might have to look into doing foundation years at other unis
My GCSE’s were okay but not amazing I got 11 5-7 but not in the subjects most unis want. My alevels were during covid and we had no teaching time (they adopted a teach yourself approach which absolutely did not work!) and I did the wrong subjects too.
I’m currently enrolled on an Access to HE course in Vet Science (it’s not the most popular course so after this year the college is not running it anymore sadly) but I received an offer for UCLan a few weeks ago after an interview! I also received an interview from Nottingham but didn’t receive an offer.
So it is 100% doable to get into uni with an access course - but as you said only certain unis will accept them, and you might have to look into doing foundation years at other unis
Hi, good to know it's not just me!
I also did the wrong A-levels (history, philosophy and crim.) Not exactly appealing to vet schools plus I come out with poor grades anyhow. Congrats on your offer from UCLAN, I definitely have my eye on their course as it is one of the only ones I've looked into that offer lower GCSE grade boundaries. I did like the look of Liverpool however I would need to resit my GCSE's then do a foundation year which would mean I would be looking at 7 years instead of 6.
Thank you for your help!
Original post by hollywoods01
Thank you for your reply and congrats on your offers! It's funny because most unis that have replied have pointed out that my GCSE's are not good enough - I'm assuming this was because I am going to do an access to HE. However colleges that do access to HE have said that I can not do GCSE's alongside their course so now finding myself at a loss.
Just ask the universities if they care that much, mature students are not treated the same.
Original post by hollywoods01
Can anyone help?!?!
I seem to be hitting dead ends with my research, even after contacting a few universities.
Background - I have GCSE's, grade 5 for math and science and a grade 5 and 6 for English, then a few 5's and one 7 in history. I do not have any A-levels (any that I could use), I studied at college but due to personal circumstances, did not sit the actual exams during covid.
I am now doing lots of research into Access to HE science courses, however this doesn't seem to be enough. Liverpool need me to have at least 5 grade 6's or above, alongside H & K and Nottingham. The only uni that does not is UCLAN.
My question is - has anyone sat their GCSES alongside an access to HE course. I would be applying to said unis this October after starting my access to HE course in September. I did read that I had to have already had said GCSES and grades couldn't be outstanding meaning I would have to take them this Summer which I wouldn't be able to do due to prior commitments. Surely I would take my access to HE exams and GCSES at the same time/exam season.
Sorry for the information overload, I honestly feel well and truly out of my league. I understand that every university is looking for something different, however I'm not finding them super helpful.
Any guidance is massively appreciated!!
I seem to be hitting dead ends with my research, even after contacting a few universities.
Background - I have GCSE's, grade 5 for math and science and a grade 5 and 6 for English, then a few 5's and one 7 in history. I do not have any A-levels (any that I could use), I studied at college but due to personal circumstances, did not sit the actual exams during covid.
I am now doing lots of research into Access to HE science courses, however this doesn't seem to be enough. Liverpool need me to have at least 5 grade 6's or above, alongside H & K and Nottingham. The only uni that does not is UCLAN.
My question is - has anyone sat their GCSES alongside an access to HE course. I would be applying to said unis this October after starting my access to HE course in September. I did read that I had to have already had said GCSES and grades couldn't be outstanding meaning I would have to take them this Summer which I wouldn't be able to do due to prior commitments. Surely I would take my access to HE exams and GCSES at the same time/exam season.
Sorry for the information overload, I honestly feel well and truly out of my league. I understand that every university is looking for something different, however I'm not finding them super helpful.
Any guidance is massively appreciated!!
@hollywoods01
Hi, I've taught on an Access to HE program for over 10 years - but not on the science pathway
Some Access to HE providers will not enrol you if you do not have the GCSE's already, the reason for this is that Access to HE is like 3 A levels squashed into 1 year and can be exhausting on its own. Where I work (an F.E College), every single learner back in the day that did GCSE's along side the program dropped out by around Christmas. Also, for more competitive areas such as Midwifery, Radiography, Pharmacy etc, your Uni application may be rejected if you do not have the GCSE's by January as there will be lots of other applicants to rival you who have they already so they will get the place - they may give you a conditional offer for the following year instead, so it is worth doing GCSE's first if you need them.
I would speak to the admissions tutors at a few of the Universities to see what the best options are for you
Marc
Arden University Student Ambassador
Original post by hollywoods01
Thank you for your reply and congrats on your offers! It's funny because most unis that have replied have pointed out that my GCSE's are not good enough - I'm assuming this was because I am going to do an access to HE. However colleges that do access to HE have said that I can not do GCSE's alongside their course so now finding myself at a loss.
Have you asked all colleges in your area if they have the same policy? An alternative might be to sit the GCSEs as an evening class. Many colleges offer this. When they say you cant sit GCSEs alongside the Access course, they might mean they don't do daytime GCSEs that would fit with the Access timetable? I would definitely research to see if you could do evening GCSEs in addition to the Access course. How many GCSEs are you planning on resitting?
Similarly to you, I did my A Levels in humanities subjects. I also scored poorly (Cs and Ds). I took a gap year to do Access, then another gap year to apply to vet school (I worked in practice during the second gap year). Because I had already achieved my grades, I got an unconditional offer which was great. So, if there's any further questions you have let me know.
I was only 20 when I did this, so some universities weren't very lenient with GCSE grades. Fortunately I had 10 GCSEs at B grade and Nottingham Prelim accepted me with this.
If you're older than me and GCSEs were some years ago, I believe RVC are more lenient and might reduce the GCSE criteria for you. Bristol also I believe have very lenient GCSE criteria, and they accept Access without you needing to a Foundation year. When I applied to Nottingham, Access students only needed a B in English and Maths, but a glance on the website suggests this is no longer the case - perhaps email them? Liverpool's Foundation year may also be an option for you.
I hope this helps somewhat. The workload of Access in addition to a few GCSE subjects would not be too bad, I have no doubt you can handle it. The trouble is just finding a college to do it at. I had a similar situation to you and I'm now just finishing third year of the vet course at Nottingham, so if there's anything you'd like to discuss ask me here or feel free to message me. Good luck on your journey! We always need determined vets from different backgrounds in this profession!
I am also in the same situation as you, as I have got two 8s, two 7s, one 6 and three 5s in my GCSEs. I was so scared if I would fail to even apply to the vet med course in unis in the UK because the one I want to go require five 7s or higher.
People have told me if I do not have five 7s which is the entry requirements, UCAS would automatically decline my application before the unis even get a chance to see them. Is this true or have yall seen people that got an offer who have bad grades in their GCSEs?
People have told me if I do not have five 7s which is the entry requirements, UCAS would automatically decline my application before the unis even get a chance to see them. Is this true or have yall seen people that got an offer who have bad grades in their GCSEs?
Original post by seleneee
I am also in the same situation as you, as I have got two 8s, two 7s, one 6 and three 5s in my GCSEs. I was so scared if I would fail to even apply to the vet med course in unis in the UK because the one I want to go require five 7s or higher.
People have told me if I do not have five 7s which is the entry requirements, UCAS would automatically decline my application before the unis even get a chance to see them. Is this true or have yall seen people that got an offer who have bad grades in their GCSEs?
People have told me if I do not have five 7s which is the entry requirements, UCAS would automatically decline my application before the unis even get a chance to see them. Is this true or have yall seen people that got an offer who have bad grades in their GCSEs?
I don't think that UCAS automatically declines applications (although I might be wrong), but if you do not meet the entry requirements when you apply, you will simply be declined straight away by the university. Veterinary Medicine is an extremely competitive course, with 11+ applicants per place at some universities, and most of these far exceed the entry requirements so the vet schools have more than enough people to consider who already meet the GCSE grades, and they do not need to consider anyone who doesn't satisfy this.
Be flexible with which vet schools you apply to; most people don't get into their first choice because getting even one offer for vet med is a huge challenge and so most often you will not get a choice as to which vet school you attend. You will love which ever vet school you go to. All of the ones in the UK are great. Have you looked at Bristol GCSE requirements? You may be eligible to apply there. Some of the other universities have more lax GCSE rules as well so take a look at all of them.
Failing that, you can always resit them to get better grades and give yourself more options of where to apply. Fortunately, GCSEs are often quite easy to resit at a local college, so hopefully you can arrange it. It's annoying, but not everyone has a traditional route to vet school so don't be put off by having to do this!
Hope this helps. Good luck on your journey.
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- Access to HE/Medicine
- Should I study an access course? (Very important question pls answer ASAP)
- Should I retake or focus on my access course
- Entry requirements
- Mature student - vet science
- Access course for Pharmacy
- ENGLISH Lang - what is M?
- Mature Student - Vet Med at Nottingham Uni with low GCSE's
- What should I do?
- Rejected for access to HE?
- Applying to a brick university as a mature student
- How can I study access to radiography?
- 2 GCSEs and level 2 business at 19.
- Change of career
- What Should I do?
- You Don't Need Alevels
- Question 3
- Career help needed.
- Access to medicine (he)
- Access course HE science to Dental Hygiene
Latest
Trending
Last reply 1 week ago
I don't meet the entry requirements for my GCSEs, what should I do?Trending
Last reply 1 week ago
I don't meet the entry requirements for my GCSEs, what should I do?
