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who has done the PGCE ???

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in Work & Study
ok just after some advice really, whats it like etc. i start in september, hopefully at middlesex uni, doing secondary music... would love to hear from people who did it, i really hope i enjoy it coz i dont know what else to do if it all goes pear shaped !! :nervous: and does it start right at the beginning of september for full on 5 days a week ? i heard its pretty intense argh!

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    littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    I am just finishing a Primary PGCE at Sheffield Hallam University.

    It is an extremely intense, difficult course and if you have any loved ones, warn them in advance. I know my hubby is probably sick to death of me being so tired, exhausted and snappy. You have to be 100% dedicated. If you aren't then you will fall at the first hurdle.

    September is the first challenge. They have you doing 9-5 Mon-Fri right off. And then you are straight into your first placement which will make or break you.

    I love it. Although it is so difficult it is really rewarding and I have made the best friends ever.

    If you wanna know anything, just let me know and I'll try and answer for ya :)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    wow sounds very intense! so whats the assessment like is it mostly through placement work or do they set written assignments too? and is there any kind of dissertation/exam at the end or just loads of placements? sounds cool tho i just hope i last the distance, did many people drop out?? not that im planning to ! lol
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    should you not have read up about this before?!
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yes ive done heaps of reading but nothing beats hearing someones personal experiences ! :rolleyes:
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    don't roll your eyes at me. :)

    i just would've thought you'd have found out whether they did exams or anything, tbh.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    well im pretty sure there arent any exams involved as it hasnt been mentioned anywhere :confused: but it was just a thought lol at the end of the day another year of study is bound to involve some kind of assessment in some shape or form !! ah well no big deal
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    littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    vicky_d wrote:
    wow sounds very intense! so whats the assessment like is it mostly through placement work or do they set written assignments too? and is there any kind of dissertation/exam at the end or just loads of placements? sounds cool tho i just hope i last the distance, did many people drop out?? not that im planning to ! lol

    Each university is different I reckon. I don't know what it is like at yours.

    For me, I had many different assignments (from essays to portfolios of work to presentations) and placements. No exams. It is continuous assessment which is good for me as I succumb under the pressure of exams and one big assignment.

    A few people dropped out because they just floated in to the course and weren't really dedicated.

    You need to be sure that this is what you want, otherwise it will be the most stressful thing you will ever do and you will find it even harder as you won't see a point to it. If you don't think you will last the distance now, you need to have a look to see if this is for you. If that makes sense.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yeah sounds like me im pretty rubbish under pressure as well so continuous assessment sounds alright, im pretty sure thats what they do at middx too... cool so fingers crossed i get my first choice then i only just applied last month !
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    vicky_d wrote:
    yeah sounds like me im pretty rubbish under pressure

    You'd best get used to being a bit better under pressure if you want to finish a PGCE course. They are hard work, and to be honest if you're just doing it because you've got nothing better to do I don't think you'll complete the course.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yeah i meant the whole exam pressure thing im not good with revision and stuff... but in terms of working im good at handling the pressure ive had lots of summer jobs and ive done the whole 9-5 thing in a stressful environment so im pretty confident in that respect... anyways right now have to concentrate on getting past the interview !! :crazyeyes
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    littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    vicky_d wrote:
    yeah sounds like me im pretty rubbish under pressure as well so continuous assessment sounds alright, im pretty sure thats what they do at middx too... cool so fingers crossed i get my first choice then i only just applied last month !

    Have you had an interview yet?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    nopies ! lol
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    littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    vicky_d wrote:
    nopies ! lol

    Unfortunately, don't get your hopes up too much for a September start. A lot of the places will already be filled as it is now June. You will have to be pretty outstanding to get a place at this late stage.

    Sorry :(
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yeah but im doing the secondary course and most people apply around this time !! i know the primary deadline was years ago lol
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    littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    vicky_d wrote:
    yeah but im doing the secondary course and most people apply around this time !! i know the primary deadline was years ago lol

    I reckon that most places will be filled already. I know I did the primary but I do know of people on the secondary and they all applied ages ago.

    Considering you can apply from October (ish) onwards, May is quite late to apply.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    littlemissy wrote:
    I reckon that most places will be filled already. I know I did the primary but I do know of people on the secondary and they all applied ages ago.

    Considering you can apply from October (ish) onwards, May is quite late to apply.
    That's what I was thinking... I'm going to do a PGCE in Primary Teaching in Sept 2007, and I've got to get in my forms and stuff by the end of September/early October :)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    interesting, well fingers crossed eh :nervous:
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    littlemissy wrote:
    I reckon that most places will be filled already. I know I did the primary but I do know of people on the secondary and they all applied ages ago.

    Considering you can apply from October (ish) onwards, May is quite late to apply.

    That's assuming you even get an interview. I didn't, on the grounds I didn't have enough teaching experience (I had a bit, but not lots).

    I think PCGEs are as hard to get on in the first place as they are to get through.
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