Education... Where to start?

oO Stevie Oo · 18 Jun 2011 at 03:11

Hi

Basicly I'm 27 and I would like to to go to college/university,
I know what I want to do and really want to get the process started however I have no idea where to start.
It would basicly be a new field of education for me although I have higher than average knowledge in it, but no recognised qualifications.

So my question may be a simple one to someone who has done it but i'm at a loss,

Where do you start? Am I able to, for example, ring my local collage and arrange some sort of consultation to plan the path I'd need to take? or is it more complex?

Sorry if this comes across as a dumb question, but i'm just looking for some advice.

Many thanks

Pighardia · 18 Jun 2011 at 03:18

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18286528&highlight=college

As i, and many others recommended in that thread, Access courses are great. It is too late for me to say anything else coherently

I am very tired

oO Stevie Oo · 18 Jun 2011 at 03:21

Just gave that link a brief scan and looks very helpful,
I shall stick the kettle on and have a read,

Thanks

Energize · 18 Jun 2011 at 03:29

Do you mean you have no qualifications at all? The equivalent of 3 A levels is typically required to get into uni so it will be some time before you can apply.

Pighardia · 18 Jun 2011 at 03:31

Energize said:
The equivalent of 3 A levels is typically required to get into uni so it will be some time before you can apply.

A one year Access course gives you that. And during the course you are given LOTS of help in applying to uni's

neoboy · 18 Jun 2011 at 03:34

Being a mature student the A levels aren't that important, it's your life experiences as well although access courses are a big bonus. What is it that you want to get into?

oO Stevie Oo · 18 Jun 2011 at 03:35

Yeah basicly I have no recognised qualifications whatsoever,
I understand I cant just go to university, I would be wanting to go to college for however long is needed to prepare,

A few of my friends have talked about access courses as the way to go, but they were not sure how to go about getting started.

Pighardia · 18 Jun 2011 at 03:38

I just phoned the college to inquire and they sent me a form, i filled it in and got invited to an informal interview(there were very few places available) where they told me i could do it. Then i just had to register and turn up.
All part time so i was able to work whilst doing it too.

neoboy · 18 Jun 2011 at 03:56

oO Stevie Oo said:
Yeah basicly I have no recognised qualifications whatsoever,
I understand I cant just go to university, I would be wanting to go to college for however long is needed to prepare,

A few of my friends have talked about access courses as the way to go, but they were not sure how to go about getting started.

Some universities offer access courses as part of the degrees, just again would depend on the institution and area you getting into. Best advice would be to contact them directly and ask.

oO Stevie Oo · 18 Jun 2011 at 03:59

Thank you for all the helpful replies,
I've looked again on my local college website now I roughly know what I'm looking for and it makes more sense,

I will ring them Monday to see whats what.

Many thanks

iraiguana · 18 Jun 2011 at 10:24

You should seriously consider open university. You can do as much or as little as you like depending on your own work load. Well respected in a number of industries, and you do not have to give up work to do it. You may be able to skip a HE course with OU as well.

Good luck though!

UK-AL05 · 18 Jun 2011 at 19:38

iraiguana said:
You should seriously consider open university. You can do as much or as little as you like depending on your own work load. Well respected in a number of industries, and you do not have to give up work to do it. You may be able to skip a HE course with OU as well.

Good luck though!

You defiantly can skip HE courses with open university. Thats the definition of an open university as a general term.

Access courses filter out the non-commited idiots as opposed to giving you background knowledge. If you can learn fast, write well and can write big reports thats all you really need.

From someone who went the a-level route