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Anyone done an access course in Science? How did you find it?

Just wanting peoples opinions :smile:
Original post by miabrooke1812
Just wanting peoples opinions :smile:

Relatively straightforward. It requires a bit of work, but not so much that you are studying 24/7. Typical week includes 15 hours classes and 15 hours of self study. If you have done a degree before and you are doing the course online, then you might be able to squeeze everything down to 1 hour of "classes" and 15 hours of "self study".

The way the course is taught is very much akin to how things are taught at university. The marking criteria is somewhat new though and requires getting used to - it's an evidence based system (to see what sufficient evidence you have for specific marks) as opposed to just giving the right answers (how typically A Levels are marked). If you have done A Levels before, this should be relatively straightforward.

I personally liked it, and it has helped me decide what sort of areas in science that I wanted to specialise in (even though it was still a tough choice).

The only things that I would be wary of are:

Not all universities will accept Access for their science degrees, so you would need to check each course individually (the uni might accept them for other courses though)

If the course is very mathematical, you might be asked to supplement your application with A Level Maths, Physics, and/or Chemistry (more than likely though, your application would be rejected). In most life science and healthcare degrees, you should be fine

For very competitive degree courses, I would recommend doing A Levels as opposed to Access.

I would check the content of the specific Access course and see if there are sufficient credits in specific sciences for your application for specific degree courses. Typically 15 credits is the equivalent of 1 A Level.

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 2

Hi, i will start the access to HE science (bio and chem) course in September and was wondering if anyone could tell me what the assignments are like (some examples would be great). Also how is this access course compared to alevels?
Thanks
Original post by John Eva smith
Hi, i will start the access to HE science (bio and chem) course in September and was wondering if anyone could tell me what the assignments are like (some examples would be great). Also how is this access course compared to alevels?
Thanks

The assignments aren't like those you see at GCSE or A Levels. They're more based on whether you have provided them with sufficient evidence to meet the marking criteria for each grade.

I can't provide you with an example unfortunately, See the following brief as an example:
https://openawards.org.uk/media/2304/access-to-he-biology-examplar-assignment.pdf

In terms of difficulty, it's roughly AS Level. However, the pace you go at is more intensive than that of A Level hence why it's slightly easier in content.

In my opinion though, I would argue that Access to HE better prepares you for uni than A Levels. In fact, it's a smoother transition from Access to Year 1 undergrad than A Level to Year 1 undergrad. For one, there is less overlap between Access and Year 1 than A Level and Year 1.

Reply 4

Original post by MindMax2000
The assignments aren't like those you see at GCSE or A Levels. They're more based on whether you have provided them with sufficient evidence to meet the marking criteria for each grade.
I can't provide you with an example unfortunately, See the following brief as an example:
https://openawards.org.uk/media/2304/access-to-he-biology-examplar-assignment.pdf
In terms of difficulty, it's roughly AS Level. However, the pace you go at is more intensive than that of A Level hence why it's slightly easier in content.
In my opinion though, I would argue that Access to HE better prepares you for uni than A Levels. In fact, it's a smoother transition from Access to Year 1 undergrad than A Level to Year 1 undergrad. For one, there is less overlap between Access and Year 1 than A Level and Year 1.
Thank you so much for the reply and all the information about the access course, its really useful.👍👍👌
The assignment doesnt seem that bad... How are the essays like for science.... Are they hard... Do you have an example of what an essay title would be.

Reply 5

Also may i ask what degree did you progress onto after the access course? I was thinking of doing optom/dentistry but im not sure many unis would accept the access course.
Original post by John Eva smith
Thank you so much for the reply and all the information about the access course, its really useful.👍👍👌
The assignment doesnt seem that bad... How are the essays like for science.... Are they hard... Do you have an example of what an essay title would be.

The so called essays are usually more like science reports. I wouldn't say they're more difficult than your A Level essays. For one, it's more structured than an A Level essay.

Sorry, don't have an example to show you.
Original post by John Eva smith
Also may i ask what degree did you progress onto after the access course? I was thinking of doing optom/dentistry but im not sure many unis would accept the access course.

I haven't yet, because I realised that I want to do a degree in chemistry and physics; physics degrees are more stringent with their entry requirements, so I am doing the 3 A Levels instead.

A number of Optom degrees are fine with Access courses. You will need to look for them though. See: https://optical.org/en/education-and-cpd/education/what-to-study-and-where/

I think you will struggle to find approved dentistry degrees that accept Access; it's far more competitive and they tend to go for the more traditional A Levels and IBs. See:
https://www.gdc-uk.org/education-cpd/dental-education/quality-assurance/approved-providers/dentistry

Typically anything related to biology, biomed, biochem, zoology, life sciences, you should be more than OK, assuming the uni accepts it.

Reply 8

Original post by John Eva smith
Hi, i will start the access to HE science (bio and chem) course in September and was wondering if anyone could tell me what the assignments are like (some examples would be great). Also how is this access course compared to alevels?
Thanks

I too am starting bio and chemistry in September! I have previously done an access course but that was over 10 years ago when I had a much less demanding job so very nervous!

Reply 9

I completed Access on the science pathway. It included biology, chemistry and physics but in particular there was a lot of chemistry content which proved useful for me at a later juncture.

I entered medical school after completing Access. I attended an open day at the college in the summer before I began. I was warned by the lead tutor at the outset that Access is akin to completing x3 A levels in 9 months and it was a tough gig, make no mistake. At times I had multiple assignments on the go along with exams and presentations and practicals to write up. In terms of workload it was by far the toughest thing I have ever done, including anything at medical school and I had a previous degree from another life. The coolest thing about the course was that the tutors had designed the course around the cohort of people I was with, so many of our assignments were given a slant toward healthcare which gave me a great deal of insight into and knowledge of various things that I guess few other medical school applicants would have known of before they started.

Before embarking on any access course you must email the admissions team at your chosen Universities and make sure -crystal clear- that they will accept admissions from people with Access to HE diplomas. Not all institutions accept them.


For what it is worth, when you are completing assignments for Access, approach every piece of work as if you were already at University. Research/read around the subject. Write concisely, use the correct terminology and language in your prose and reference everything carefully. This will prepare you neatly for the demands of degree-level study.
Original post by ErasistratusV
I completed Access on the science pathway. It included biology, chemistry and physics but in particular there was a lot of chemistry content which proved useful for me at a later juncture.
I entered medical school after completing Access. I attended an open day at the college in the summer before I began. I was warned by the lead tutor at the outset that Access is akin to completing x3 A levels in 9 months and it was a tough gig, make no mistake. At times I had multiple assignments on the go along with exams and presentations and practicals to write up. In terms of workload it was by far the toughest thing I have ever done, including anything at medical school and I had a previous degree from another life. The coolest thing about the course was that the tutors had designed the course around the cohort of people I was with, so many of our assignments were given a slant toward healthcare which gave me a great deal of insight into and knowledge of various things that I guess few other medical school applicants would have known of before they started.
Before embarking on any access course you must email the admissions team at your chosen Universities and make sure -crystal clear- that they will accept admissions from people with Access to HE diplomas. Not all institutions accept them.
For what it is worth, when you are completing assignments for Access, approach every piece of work as if you were already at University. Research/read around the subject. Write concisely, use the correct terminology and language in your prose and reference everything carefully. This will prepare you neatly for the demands of degree-level study.

From what I have read, some unis are even picky about where you did your Access course in order to apply to medicine at that particular uni (they're typically need to be from offline colleges local to the university). Was that the case for you?

Reply 11

Original post by MindMax2000
From what I have read, some unis are even picky about where you did your Access course in order to apply to medicine at that particular uni (they're typically need to be from offline colleges local to the university). Was that the case for you?


From memory this wasn't the case for me. However, my chosen Universities that I applied to were very specific in the actual Access courses I would have to complete (i.e. only Access courses in Science or Medicine would do) and the number of distinctions/merits required.

Reply 12

Original post by ErasistratusV
I completed Access on the science pathway. It included biology, chemistry and physics but in particular there was a lot of chemistry content which proved useful for me at a later juncture.
I entered medical school after completing Access. I attended an open day at the college in the summer before I began. I was warned by the lead tutor at the outset that Access is akin to completing x3 A levels in 9 months and it was a tough gig, make no mistake. At times I had multiple assignments on the go along with exams and presentations and practicals to write up. In terms of workload it was by far the toughest thing I have ever done, including anything at medical school and I had a previous degree from another life. The coolest thing about the course was that the tutors had designed the course around the cohort of people I was with, so many of our assignments were given a slant toward healthcare which gave me a great deal of insight into and knowledge of various things that I guess few other medical school applicants would have known of before they started.
Before embarking on any access course you must email the admissions team at your chosen Universities and make sure -crystal clear- that they will accept admissions from people with Access to HE diplomas. Not all institutions accept them.
For what it is worth, when you are completing assignments for Access, approach every piece of work as if you were already at University. Research/read around the subject. Write concisely, use the correct terminology and language in your prose and reference everything carefully. This will prepare you neatly for the demands of degree-level study.

Hi. I'm going to do an Access to HE science course and I'd like to do medicine. If you don't mind me asking, which university do you go to? I have been doing my research and emailing universities to ask if they accept access courses but I'm just curious where you applied to. Thanks!
Original post by An0nym0us12
Hi. I'm going to do an Access to HE science course and I'd like to do medicine. If you don't mind me asking, which university do you go to? I have been doing my research and emailing universities to ask if they accept access courses but I'm just curious where you applied to. Thanks!

Sorry for the late repsonse.

With medicine, it's a lot more complicated because some of the unis are a lot pickier with their competitive courses e.g. medicine, veterinary science, and dentistry. If it was for something like biological sciences, biomedicine, etc. it's going to be a lot more clear cut.
Having said that, if they accept Access courses one with at least 15 credits in chemistry and 15 in biology should be more than sufficient to get in. Medicine is one of those life sciences where you strictly don't need to supplement with extra A Levels on top.

See the following for example of universities that you can look into:
https://www.stonebridge.uk.com/blog/uncategorised/which-universities-accept-access-to-higher-education-diplomas/
https://oxbridgehomelearning.uk/blog/getting-to-university-with-an-access-to-higher-education-diploma

My go to resource for information on medicine degrees is:https://www.themedicportal.com/

I'm currently not doing a degree, because when I finished my access course, I found out that I wanted to focus on the more mathematical sciences/engineering. Most of these degrees would require A Level Maths and often don't accept Access. As such, I would need to take the A Level route to ensure I get onto the degrees that I want.
The unis that I want to study at are: Cambridge, Durham, Nottingham, Bath, UEA, St Andrew, and UCL. These are the only unis in the country that does the course that I want the way that I want it, so I am not exactly spoilt for choice.
Most of the above accept Access as far as I know (some colleges at Cambridge can be picky).

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