Uni

Former Member

I have perhaps a really silly question ...

i am 21 and have been working full time since i was 16, my highest qualifications are GCSE's.

If i wanted to go to uni what do i have to do?/how do i go out it?

Thanks

Former Member

As you're not in education, you've got two options when actually applying to go to university;

(1) You can apply via UCAS. This is the normal route that people at school and college who apply for uni use. There's no reason why you can't use it either. However, that one's a bit tight. The deadline for applications with them is January 15th - tomorrow! If you submit one after that, the universities will only look at it if they've got empty places on that particular course. I wouldn't worry too much about that, however. The fee is £5 if you apply for one course, and £15 if you apply for more than one. You can apply for a maximum of six via UCAS.
(2) Many universities now allow you to apply directly. You'll have to visit their individual websites to find out how, and charges will almost certainly vary from each one.

Former Member

getting in touch with them directly would be better too as i'd think you'll need to discuss your qualifications and what else they would want you to have.

what course are you thinking of doing?

Former Member

Kat_B wrote: »

getting in touch with them directly would be better too as i'd think you'll need to discuss your qualifications and what else they would want you to have.

:yes:

That would have been what I'd have suggested too.

Former Member

some unis have colleges attached to them which do diplomas/foundation courses which can get you in to a honours degree.

Former Member

Kat_B wrote: »

getting in touch with them directly would be better too as i'd think you'll need to discuss your qualifications and what else they would want you to have.

what course are you thinking of doing?

i dont really know yet, i'm open to a few things i need to look to see whats available.

i'm one of those people that doesn't have a clue what to do with their life!

Former Member

Kat_B wrote: »

getting in touch with them directly would be better too as i'd think you'll need to discuss your qualifications and what else they would want you to have. what course are you thinking of doing?

If a student's been out of education for a couple of years, universities are usually more relaxed about what a person needs to have. If you're able to show them that you are eager to learn and eager to do the course, that could well be sufficient. Obviously, there's exemptions to this, but it's always worth getting in touch with them. My university (I know that's a strange statement, given I'm not actually there at the moment) is shockingly fast at responding to queries on these things.

Former Member

As fast as I understood if you was over 21 you was classed as a mature student and you only had to write a personal statement. That's what my friend did and they then set him a little assignment to do to check he was capable of doing the basics of the course.

Former Member

My friend recently started uni as a mature student but had to do a 2 year access course first as she'd only left school with GCSEs. The best people to talk about it with would be the institution(s) you're thinking of applying to to see what they say.

Good luck

Former Member

stargalaxy wrote: »

You can apply for a maximum of six via UCAS.

For some odd reason, for medicine, dentistry, etc you can only apply to 4.

If you only have GCSEs as your highest qualification, you can do something called Access To Higher Education. However, you have to fund this course yourself.

Former Member

If you're not too sure what you want to do etc, then at the moment I'd suggest putting aside the details of how you apply and just look at how to get some more information, and entry requirements.

A good starting point would probably be to get in touch with the nearest uni to you (easy to get to), find out when their open days are, and if they have any info sessions for mature students.

Then go and look at a couple of the departments you might be interested in studying at, and talk to the admissions people there about what they require for entry, what the course entails etc.

If you're still interested, you may have a bit of a better idea as to what subject you want to do. Get in touch with other unis/departments, get some prospectuses and take it on from there.

Former Member

Phone, ask for a prospectus, then go for a visit on an open day and talk tot he tutors of the subjects you think you're interested in. The prospectus should have info on how to apply in it, if not, phone back.