University WITHOUT A-Levels or equivelent?

[Fubsy]

Is it possible?

I'm 21, I struggled when I was at college, not the work though as I'm not an idiot and can study anything and will eventually pick it up, understand it and apply it. Just I was always struggling with severe acne which contributed towards depression. So from the age of 16-19/20 all I wanted to do was lock myself away in my room.

As a result all I have to show for the last 5 years is a D in AS Law, a YMCA Fitness Instructor certificate, and that's it

I really want to go back and study something, most likely audio engineering as I have already been looking at the SAE Institutes but can't afford their course fees as I can't get a loan for them.

I'm not sure where I stand, whether I'm doomed to crappy retail jobs for the rest of my life or whether I can make something out of myself after messing up so bad with my education.

 

[Van Hellseek]

You can do an "Access to Higher Education" course. It takes one year if you do it full time, or 2 as an evening class. It is the equivalent of 3 A-levels, and since it is geared specifically at getting mature students into university, most 'admission officers' see it as a valuable qualification, and will take it very seriously.

Just don't go applying to cambridge/oxford...

 

[Fiocca]

My friend went to uni with no a-levels or equivalent and is doing environmental science but i think he did it as a mature student which i think is 23+. Before that age i'm not too sure

 

[FrostedNipple]

you can do well in life without a degree, such as atc, police force, deffinatly get out of retail jobs unless you are going to be manager, manager anywhere is good as you can gain managerial experience and then move on to better managerial positions. Looked at the property ladder? estate agents etc At 21 i would look at the possibility of getting into a career with prospects, than 3 years of un-paid education.

If you are set on uni though, there is always going to be a uni that will accept you.

 

[Eddie]

I don't know if it's exactly what you're looking for, but doing a year long Access To Higher Education course at your local college will get you into university.

That's what I did, when I was in my late twenties, I then went on to study IT and have just recently landed a great job.

 

[OzZie]

I think i remember you posting a thread a while back regarding what you wanted to do.

If you could mamage living in Nottingham, then you could study where i do. You'll need to do the diploma first, but that can be completed within the first year, and you can be on the foundation degree by the second. The BND will only cost around £125 iirc. Of course the HE is a lot more, but as you only study two days a week, you'd be able to work enough hours to pay for it.

If you seriously want to be an audio engineer, then it'll happen. Just put in the work and you'll soon be getting all the experiance of working in a studio enviroment.

Good luck, and feel free to ask anything else.

 

[dowie]

You can do an "Access to Higher Education" course. It takes one year if you do it full time, or 2 as an evening class. It is the equivalent of 3 A-levels, and since it is geared specifically at getting mature students into university, most 'admission officers' see it as a valuable qualification, and will take it very seriously.

Just don't go applying to cambridge/oxford...

AFAIK tis also possible to go for certain oxbridge colleges - I know of one girl with fairly average A-levels who got into Cambridge purely because she was a 'mature' student and applied to some college specifically for mature female students.

Other options are the OU - no prior quals needed for OU courses - also plenty of Masters programs will allow candidates on with extensive relevant work experience (though at 21 the OP isn't likely to have this covered.)

 

[Fubsy]

I think i remember you posting a thread a while back regarding what you wanted to do.

If you could mamage living in Nottingham, then you could study where i do. You'll need to do the diploma first, but that can be completed within the first year, and you can be on the foundation degree by the second. The BND will only cost around £125 iirc. Of course the HE is a lot more, but as you only study two days a week, you'd be able to work enough hours to pay for it.

If you seriously want to be an audio engineer, then it'll happen. Just put in the work and you'll soon be getting all the experiance of working in a studio enviroment.

Good luck, and feel free to ask anything else.

Yes, It was most likely last October after I had visited the Liverpool SAE.
I've realised that I am struggling to save up anywhere near enough moeny to afford to go there though as it's almost £7000 + plus all my travel costs for just the one year.

Unfortunately with me I haven't got an awful lot of experience with recording as I don't have access to a studio around here, although the drummer in my band is currently setting one up in a basement that I might be able to use soon and start learning. So I'm looking at somewhere to basically start from scratch.

I remember you mentioning the Diploma in Nottingham, I'm going to have a search and see if I can find that thread and have another look.

I have confidence now to move away from home, if this was last year the thought of moving away would terrify me as I had no self esteem at all and constantly looking for excuses not to leave the house, it sounds so pathetic and it was now looking back at it all.

Not sure exactly how I would find anywhere to live though, I've not exactly got a lot of money at the moment, almost nothing really tbh.

 

[Van Hellseek]

Yeah you can go for anything that you would otherwise be able to go for, I just meant don't expect a college evening class (alone) to get you into the best uni's in the country, because the chances are it won't happen.

But it's a perfectly good qualification in it's own merit though.

 

[OzZie]

Yes, It was most likely last October after I had visited the Liverpool SAE.
I've realised that I am struggling to save up anywhere near enough moeny to afford to go there though as it's almost £7000 + plus all my travel costs for just the one year.

Unfortunately with me I haven't got an awful lot of experience with recording as I don't have access to a studio around here, although the drummer in my band is currently setting one up in a basement that I might be able to use soon and start learning. So I'm looking at somewhere to basically start from scratch.

I remember you mentioning the Diploma in Nottingham, I'm going to have a search and see if I can find that thread and have another look.

I have confidence now to move away from home, if this was last year the thought of moving away would terrify me as I had no self esteem at all and constantly looking for excuses not to leave the house, it sounds so pathetic and it was now looking back at it all.

Not sure exactly how I would find anywhere to live though, I've not exactly got a lot of money at the moment, almost nothing really tbh.

When i started i had almost no experiance of working with audio. I had a cheap copy of Cubase that i got with my little mobile soundcard and i just learned to do a little direct recording. Never used a mixer or anything before and was virtually a total newbie. The whole experience takes you away if you are geniunly interest in music tech when you know so little.

See sig all for the details.

 

[drunkenmaster]

Mature student's start at 21, you can do apply to uni's without a-levels more easily at that age but frankly, many/most uni's you simply speak to about. Its not 20-30 years ago where Uni's were really selective, its a business now plain and simple. If they have a space no one else is using they'll have you.

I got onto a foundation IT course which had a little physics, maths, programming and logic and random crap. It was pathetically easy, most didn't go to lectures for the final 4 months of the course, most of us stopped going to lectures in november as it was so pathetically easy.

Really I'm sure i could have persauded them to let me straight onto the computing degree course as first year computing was identical(well java instead of c++) programming on both courses. Infact first year computing was easier.

Go speak to a uni, ask them about options. I applied as a mature student with only GCSE's due to chronic joint pain from 15, ended up dropping out of a-levels over winter as the pain was too bad to get into college. I applied through clearing which is I guess when uni's have spots ready to go and money to be made through housing and teaching fee's, most uni's won't say no to you these days if you apply, its as simple as that.

Foundation years need next to no qualifications to get on, first year degree might not need much more and a bit of sweet talking to show your enthusiasm and a decent reason for not doing a-levels(depression is a decent reason btw ) might get you straight in and save you a year and a year's living costs.

May aswell try, or, go the open uni route, even do open uni first year at home in spare time(first year uni work is stupidly easy). THen use the modules as qualifications to get on a uni course you want and transfer the credits.

 

[strelly]

After i finished my a-levels i decided to study engineering, but i had taken the wrong a-levels and i struggled to find any uni that would take me.

I ended up taking a foundation year at Nottingham university, and it was the best move i have done!

But, if you plan to go to uni for the sake of it, i wouldn't bother... many of my friends have dropped out because of a lack of enthusiasm.

Good luck!

 

[K.C. Leblanc]

Sorry to hi jack, but do they consider relevent work experience? I'm 25, I don't have any A levels byut have been working at a low level in IT for about 3 years.

 

[Fubsy]

Cheers for the advice guys. I'm going to do some more research and phone around some uni's.

I'm not sure on the process of applying to places tbh either

 

[Kol]

Cheers for the advice guys. I'm going to do some more research and phone around some uni's.

I'm not sure on the process of applying to places tbh either

Email admissions tutors for the courses at the respective universities explaining to them what you have to us.

 

[drunkenmaster]

Sorry to hi jack, but do they consider relevent work experience? I'm 25, I don't have any A levels byut have been working at a low level in IT for about 3 years.

I really wish i was but i wasn't exagerating. These days, baring Oxford, Cambridge and a few others most uni's with a spare place will take you. At the end of the day the more people they pack into a class for a lecturer they already pay = lots of money for them.

If you can talk your way into a good uni as in a foundation year as opposed to a very average uni in a full degree, go to a good uni. I tried brunel as its fairly close, and I applied in clearing, couldn't get guarenteed accomadation most places so was very limited on choice. Its just a freaking awful uni, the course is crap, lecturers uninspiring, work dull and incredibly easy with no depth. So many people dropped out of lots of the courses there. Not to mention some of the halls are really really bad and the area is pretty bad.

Going to a good uni in a good area is your main priority IMHO. At the end of the day you'll spend 3 years there, maybe 4 with a foundation year. You can go somewhere easy for a boring degree and end up stuck somewhere for a long time with no motivation and little to do. Or go somewhere that will be harder work, but have you end up learning a heck of a lot more, getting a better degree, better job and not being bored for 4 years.