has anyone else retaken a-levels at 21+?
Posted by eepynomi@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 40 comments
i got decent A-levels (AAB) and i got into manchester in 2020. i withdrew after a year due to severe depression and what i now know was untreated ADHD. i was planning to try again in 2022 when my dad died suddenly. it's taken me until now to pick myself back up and find the motivation to carry on with education.
i want to retake my A-levels next year (i'll be 24) with the hope of getting into edinburgh.
has anyone else retaken their A-levels this far out of education and if so, how did you do it? i know there are plenty of options; self-study, online courses, local colleges, support from my old high school, etc, but i'm not sure what to choose.
money isn't a huge factor but i'd rather not pay £1k+ out of pocket if i can help it.
please don't tell me to go through clearing or to aim lower, i know i'm capable of this, i just need some guidance on the best method to retake my A-levels.
gagagagaNope@reddit
Not sure you need to retake. I'd apply with what you have, make sure your personal statement includes a good explaination of why you dropped out, how you've fixed it.
If I was going to do anything, i'd do a completely different A-level to show you are still atuned to study. You can do a variety at local six form colleges, mostly night school in a year.
eepynomi@reddit (OP)
while i understand your reasoning, unfortunately my current A-level grades just aren't enough for their admissions requirements. when i do apply i'll definitely include mental health and bereavement in my personal statement to better make my case for entry but they say on their website they can't widen entry requirements for those things.
as for local colleges, i have had a look into some but none of them offer what i want to take. i may have to look into colleges in cities nearby.
gagagagaNope@reddit
I'd call the department you want to join and see if you can talk to the admissions person there. You can discuss what their actual requirements are and discuss it in the context of your situation. There is flexibility - there always is.
One thing - I presume you've looked into the funding situation given that you've already started one degree?
eepynomi@reddit (OP)
i'll try to get a hold of them tomorrow. apparently edinburgh have their own access course which could be a really good option too!
i have looked into funding, i think i would be covered with my extra year's funding allowance thankfully.
gagagagaNope@reddit
Good luck with it, hope it works out for you.
Economy_Neat_6970@reddit
I've been looking into this as a potential mid-life career change. One thing I found important was to find out what the high-grade pass rates were across all the different options. Some colleges teach to a barely scraped pass, others are aiming for the A/Bs that you will need (And will definitely achieve!) for Edinburgh.
There are also a lot of scammy online colleges out there which teach AI-derived materials only while taking your money (and have names remarkably similar to the real colleges), so a lot of online reviews of these colleges from different sources are important to look at. Another challenge is that, depending on what area you want to study in, you may need to source materials for practical tests if doing biology/chemistry type of A-levels, so it's sometimes easier to just go to the local college.
Good luck!
eepynomi@reddit (OP)
i'm so glad i'm not alone here! you're right, i would need to think very carefully about what college to choose if i decided to retake through one. my high school was one of the best in the area so if i went with them, i'm sure i would do well, but i don't know if they'd be willing to help me 5 years after i left. i'll have to ask them in september when they're back.
ai has made everything so much worse!! i'm leaning towards self-study or open university credits honestly, online colleges are too much of a minefield these days.
fortunately i don't have to worry about practicals as i'm doing humanities, but thank you anyway!
Economy_Neat_6970@reddit
Well good luck - it sounds like you will do excellently. I think Edinburgh just needs you to demonstrate that you've studied within the last 3 years, and I think OU credits/study does count towards that as 'proof' as long as it is no more than 60 credits per year for 2 years (120 credits in total), which is their certificate level of qualification.
The other places to look are the SWAP colleges (Scottish Wider Access Programme) for adult learners to get back into education - UHI Perth has an online course for access to humanities which is recognised by Edinburgh for example. If you're in Scotland already (Sorry, I don't know where you are!), then that could be a good option.
eepynomi@reddit (OP)
i've just had a look on the OU website and being impatient as i am i think i'd prefer to do an access course, simply because it'll take me a year rather than 2! i'll keep doing more research before i decide for certain, i didn't know i had so many more options!
unfortunately i'm living in england but if i moved up to edinburgh i could potentially do one of those courses :) thank you so much for all your advice! best of luck with your studies too!
Economy_Neat_6970@reddit
Very best of luck with your move to Scotland too!
IfElleWoodsWasEmo@reddit
Access course is definitely your best option. Are you local to Edinburgh?
eepynomi@reddit (OP)
i agree, edinburgh apparently have their own access course too which would be ideal. i'm not local to edinburgh but i have some very close friends up there and i adore the city. the fact that the uni is so good is even better :)
cgknight1@reddit
Have you spoken to Edinburgh that they require these grades as a mature candidate?
eepynomi@reddit (OP)
i had a look on their website and the entry requirements are the same for mature students, unless i've done an access to higher education course or studied with the open university but i'm not sure if that would be more practical or not than retaking my A-levels. i'll have to look more into it, thank you for reminding me!
ClarifyingMe@reddit
Definitely discuss with their admissions team first.
Condolences on your loss and your rebound ability is enviable. I hope it all goes well.
eepynomi@reddit (OP)
i did try to call them today to ask if i could transfer course credits from my year at manchester but nobody picked up so i emailed them instead. i'll have to try them again tomorrow to see about mature student admissions.
thank you, i like to think he'd be proud of me for giving it another go :)
Dramatic_Prior_9298@reddit
See if you can get through to the admissions tutor of your chosen area.
It's not clearing yet so they may be keen to have a chat.
eepynomi@reddit (OP)
that's a very good idea, i'll try to give them another call tomorrow and email if they don't pick up :)
ClarifyingMe@reddit
If you've already emailed them once, don't double email their inbox - they'll be inundated.
If you're emailing another team, go for it. Personally I prefer email to have a good trail of what they are telling me.
eepynomi@reddit (OP)
good point, i'll try to get the specific person's email or phone number and see how that goes.
Familiar-Donut1986@reddit
You'd be better doing an Access to HE course. They only take 1 year and are far better preparation for university than A Levels so universities generally really like them.
eepynomi@reddit (OP)
i have had a look into those but i haven't found anything i like the look of. i'm doing all humanities subjects and these courses seem to be geared towards people doing stem subjects and who perhaps didn't achieve passes in their A-levels. i'm not sure i'm the target demographic for something like that unfortunately.
is there any specific one you'd recommend?
Familiar-Donut1986@reddit
I just googled Access to HE Humanities and lots of options came up, here's a few, but there were loads of others. The other advantage of HE courses is you pay for them with a student loan and then if you go on to successfully complete your degree then the fees for the Access course are wiped so it's essentially free. https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/access-to-he-diploma-humanities-and-social-science-evenings https://oxford.activatelearning.ac.uk/courses/detail/access-to-higher-education-diploma-humanities-combined-with-social-sciences-2/ https://www.ccn.ac.uk/adults/access/course/access-to-higher-education-humanities-and-social-sciences-level-3/ https://cwa.ac.uk/courses/access-to-higher-education/access-to-he-diploma-humanities-and-social-sciences-level-3
eepynomi@reddit (OP)
ah i didn't know they had them specifically for generalised Humanities, i've been looking for courses in my A-level subjects! that sounds really good actually, i had no idea you don't have to pay if you complete your degree either, that's amazing. thank you so much!
dweeb93@reddit
I did one in humanities, studying English, Politics, Sociology, and Psychology, and I got into the University of Bath through it. I think it's a great deal, if you can find one in humanities I would highly recommend you reconsider.
eepynomi@reddit (OP)
where did you take the access course, if you don't mind me asking? feel free to dm me if you like, i think they're open!
Familiar-Donut1986@reddit
There are Access courses in all sorts of subjects - I know the college where I did mine had access to law, social science, humanities etc as well as sciences. I did an Access course because I was going to be 28 when I started uni and the top universities all wanted recent study experience and 10 years previously wasn't going to cut it! It was far better preparation for uni than A Levels had been through, I'd definitely recommend looking around at your options. What course are you wanting to do at uni?
eepynomi@reddit (OP)
i'll keep looking into it then, thank you! the ones in my town seem not to offer humanities though, so i may have to look further afield or potentially go with an online one. i'm hoping for english literature, with the aim of going into teaching, law, or a creative industry. i'm giving myself time to decide on a set career path and i think edinburgh would give me a great foundation for it.
metalted@reddit
I did. Resat at around 23 and went to uni at 24. Possibly would’ve been better off doing access course so worth looking into those as it was tough going back to a levels after so long but it worked out. Everybody takes life at a different pace so don’t feel the pressure on your ‘age’
eepynomi@reddit (OP)
congratulations! i am now leaning towards access courses based on what other people have said. you're absolutely right, i should be less hard on myself about it! thank you :)
DameKumquat@reddit
Definitely talk to them. An Access course is one year and pretty much designed for your purpose, so people I know in your circs did that or a Foundation year.
eepynomi@reddit (OP)
i think i'm leaning towards an access course now, yes. edinburgh has their own access course which would be ideal.
_DoubleBubbler_@reddit
I needed an extra A-level to apply to become a police officer over a decade after leaving school. I choose a subject I knew a lot about (Business Studies), registered with a local school to take the exams with them and self-studied over 12 weeks (with my partner too who joined in to support me). I got an A, so in my opinion I don’t think being out of education for a few years will be a problem if you choose a subject you like and put the effort in.
eepynomi@reddit (OP)
that's amazing, congrats on getting your A! i think you're right, i just need to get everything in line and study hard. i'm still trying to figure out how many A-levels to retake (just the B grade or all 3 potentially), or as another commenter reminded me, i could apply as a mature student after getting course credits with the open university. either way i'll do my best :)
_DoubleBubbler_@reddit
Thank you and good luck to you. You’ve been through an incredibly tough time so I hope everything works out well for you.
eepynomi@reddit (OP)
thank you very much!
_DoubleBubbler_@reddit
Good luck to you. You’ve been through an incredibly tough time so I hope everything works out well for you.
Major_Trip_Hazzard@reddit
Edinburgh accepts people from multiple access courses and they're generally geared towards easing people back into education who have been out of it for years at a time. Maybe something to look into?
eepynomi@reddit (OP)
yes, i've had a look at a few access to higher education courses already and i haven't found anything i like the look of unfortunately. i will be looking into the open university though, that could be an easier and potentially cheaper way to go about it!
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