Hi
I'm planning on doing an access course at Sheffcol, i've been on there website & it don't give much info as to what hours they normally last & how many of the available subjects you should do etc.
I'm wanting to do a language & computing, but am surprised to see this isn't on the agenda.
Can i do an access course anywhere else, like Sheffield Hallam where the subject choices are more varied!
Anyone had recent experience of this that can help me!
Thakns
Rom

Hi there

Go into Hallam and go to the Student Services Centre. The staff there will be able to book you an appointment to meet an educational advisor and they will give you impartial advice on what's best for you next.

They are really good so give them a try... and no you don't need to be a student to use the service!

And once you go to the UNI, you'll be completely ignored by lecturers, have no interest shown in you at all, have to deal with people telling you about things you've lived through and experinced first hand and basically be treated as a statistic as UNi's only give a damn about students under the age of 22 and of British birth and put up with mature students as they have to and nothing more.

The best thing you can do is phone your local college, Hillsborough, Castle?? and make an appointment to see a Guidance Counsellor. I went last week and the info they gave me as a mature student was so helpful and they'll find out which courses you will definitely need to take for whatever area of study you're interested in. Although at the moment most of the courses are quite full, and they started a couple of weeks ago, there's usually a new intake at the January 06 start so you could get your name down to start then.
Good Luck :thumbsup:

Originally posted by TheWatcher
And once you go to the UNI, you'll be completely ignored by lecturers, have no interest shown in you at all, have to deal with people telling you about things you've lived through and experinced first hand and basically be treated as a statistic as UNi's only give a damn about students under the age of 22 and of British birth and put up with mature students as they have to and nothing more.

They 'put up with' a lot of people then - apparently over 50% of students at Hallam are mature students.

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=56353 has the links to many other colleges in the area :thumbsup:

this access course (http://my.sheffcol.ac.uk/index.cfm?PID=3732A3CA-D3DA-4F34-B378-51818C41A6FF&cmd=Course&Course=CDYFS1Z) seems to have the subjects you need, but as it is deliberately flexible for all students, there are no specific times, and you need to contact the college with your requirements

Of course, if you get to uni, you'll need to be able to carry out research for yourself - you won't get a qualification handed to you on a plate ;)

I'm not entirely sure about this but I don't think you can do a language as part of an access course. I did an access course last year and I had to take a separate A Level in the language I wanted to do.

I did my access course at Northern College in Barnsley which is the most fantastic place and somewhere I'd highly recommend. There's free childcare, accommodation if you want to go there on a residential basis and the staff are really warm and welcoming. They offer a bursary for all students (which was the main reason I was able to do it) and there's other financial help available if you need it. It's only for adults so i think you have to be at least 20 when you start the course but there's a huge age range (up to 70+).

Feel free to PM me if you want any more info.

Hi
I did an access course at Sheffield College. The material is not difficult to understand and is a good way to refresh your study skills. Whilst on the access course you are encouraged to apply for university - thats the point when you need to make sure the degree you are going for is going to interest you.

I went to Sheffield Hallam Uni (for Applied Social Studies but the name has changed now). Unless you have a real interest in politics and the EU dont pick that one! :heyhey:

I found it rather boring to be honest. There were parts of it I liked but that course doesnt lead to any specific jobs and people I know who also completed it didnt feel it helped them get a better job. If I had my time again, I would pick a single subject or a job related degree like business studies.

Why they have such a strong political section to that degree I'll never know - I know even less why you would be studying that and in the next lesson Child Psychology. The course is a little bit of everything and a whole lot of nothing.

Just a little advice for you as they did sell this course very strongly to access students.

Kind regards and good luck in your studies.

I am a lecturer at the university and teach on access courses.... I don't 'just put up' with mature students, I help them and encourage them all i can, just as i do with any student who works hard and wants to do well.

I loved my access course

It was awesome, really interesting subjects which captivated me. Not only that but it prepared me immensely for university!

I am doing Computing and a language from start at Uni - I did social sciences, history + politics as my choices in Access as well as powerpoint / computing level 2.

you can do it if yo uwant to trust me!

A mate of mine enrolled at Northern College, set in the grounds of Wentworth castle. The Diploma course is 9 months full-time and can open the door to University. You don't have to travel, you can stay full boad, paid for by a bursary (grant) and if you have young kids there's also a nursery.

http://www.northern.ac.uk/courses/courses.asp?dataID=prospectus&pageID=diploma

I have just finished an access coure at the sheffield college i really liked it and found it very useful. I am now at Sheffield uni studying social work. Access courses can be done in 1 year or spread over 2 if you feel you don t have the time, i did it over 1 year and only had to be in 3 days a week. there are different kinds of access courses that lead yu towards the degree course you want to do, i did social studies and humanities which had two core moduales to improve study skills and i picked four options (psychology, socioloy, womens studies and counselling) there was also english, eng lit, history, geography and politics, i know there is also a science access and a black access.