I wanted to do humanities social science acces course in September to go to Uni, but i found out today that the age has now gone back upto 21 to be able to do this and not 19. Does anyone know why? also i was told that there might be different routes to avoid waiting until im 21, any ideas?

You could do the normal A-level route?

Or do a double AVCE? Or a BTEC

Wilf

How old are you? You're not classed as a 'mature student' until you're 21, so if you're aiming to apply for university, they're likely to demand the normal entrance requirements, ie. A Levels or the equivalent.

im mature me honest :D im 19. It used to be 21 then went down to 19 and now back up to 21.

I did this access course last year and I thought it was 19 must be wrong, It was a good route for me as it saved two years of A levels. Your other options very much depend on what course you want to do at Uni.

im mature me honest :D im 19. It used to be 21 then went down to 19 and now back up to 21.
Right, well in that case you're only one year older than the standard entry age for most students, and A levels might be the route to go down.

According to the Sheffield College (http://my.sheffcol.ac.uk/index.cfm?ParentID=F23AAAB1-3C5B-41C9-B396-6784E7DBEFD3) site, you can do an access course at 19. Have they changed the rules very recently?

[EDIT: According to that page, it was updated on Jan 18th, so the info looks up to date.]

What sort of work experience have you got and does is it have any relevance to the sort of course/career path you want to follow on graduation? If you're really determined and hard working there's no reason why you shouldnt be able to cram your A levels in to a year which will give you far greate academic credibility than the Uni's Access course for various reasons. However that may be at the sacrifice of your time spent posting on SF unless of course you can persuade the prospective course tutor to allow you to use this forum as a major research project :D

as far as i know its always been 21 to be classed as mature student and do access course as normal student are 18-19 anyways before they get to uni. i started an access course at shef college in sept 02 and it was 21 then aswell.

what about somesort of foundation course tho? or something at college?

good luck
hazel xx

Some places will accept you for access courses at 19 but you normally have to have left school at 16 and since gained life/work experience of several years within the field you are interested in studying. Access courses serve a specific purpose - to get those who otherwise would not have the opportunity into university, mainly aimed at 'adult' learners (i.e. mid twenties plus) and those from 'disadvantaged' backgrounds. This often also includes older adults who did in fact sit A-levels at 18, because universities often ask for evidence of recent learning.

As you are 19 it isn't that difficult to go back to college and do A-levels, and, in fact, unless there is some specific reason for you to feel you need to do an access course instead, any university you apply to may see it as you having taken an easy way in and it may end up putting you at a disadvantage.

Do you all think an access course is second rate and a n easy option?:suspect:

Do you all think an access course is second rate and a n easy option?:suspect:

Yeah it is, but who cares, as long as it gets you to uni?

Yeah it is, but who cares, as long as it gets you to uni?

This is true, I could of done pretty much any course I wanted and I left school at 14 with no qualifications, so I don't think that is bad going.

As far as I'm concerned anyone who wants to better them-self deserves the chance to do so.... age is just so inconsequential.... I know some more mature 19yr old's and some not so mature in their 40's. Ageism is discriminatory. Best of luck. :)

Do you all think an access course is second rate and a n easy option?:suspect:
Access courses aren't second rate, although some might argue that compared to the traditional route to uni of three or more A levels, they could be easier. For example, I think that most access courses are one year full time compared to the two year full time A level courses.

Access courses are usually intended for those who, for whatever reason, have missed out on the traditional route to uni, have worked for a while since leaving school, maybe had a family etc. For example, I've just read about a Science access course where the average age of the students was 35.

Someone of MzBaBe's age would usually apply to uni after doing A levels, or the equivalent. Admissions tutors might question why a 19 year old did an access course instead of the more usual route.

It's not whether they are easier or more difficult than traditional A levels, it is about how the academics perceive them and the related abilities of the relevant applicants.

I did an Access course a couple of years ago at Castle college and it was fantastic.
I needed 16 level 3 credits for my place at uni and I got 27. I can thoroughly recommend it, you meet some great people too.:)

I may have put my point across slightly wrong but the rest of you seem to have understood me fine :)

In the case of the people for whom the access course is aimed at, it isn't an easy option. But, as an academic, if a 19/20 year old applied for a degree with an access course as opposed to A-levels I would be inclined to think they had taken the easy option because they are more than capable (or should be if they intend to do a degree) and suited to going to college and doing A-levels.