Can I take an A Level as a mature student within a year?

[theladyintheyellowhat]

I very much want to get a place on a midwifery course, I spent some time talking to an advisor from one of the london medical schools today and she suggests doing an A Level in perhaps biology, as mine are all English etc...

Is there anyway that you can do this? I am more than prepared to work really hard.

I have applied for an access course, and if I get a place I'll go for that, but just trying to think of any alternatives that could make my application a bit more attractive...

I know that theres the issue of all of my education (I finished my degree at 21 and am now 28) being more than 5 years old so not totally relevant?

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Yes, it can be done, either at a college or as a private candidate. The biggest problem is finding somewhere to take the exams at if you're a private candidate. If you're in a large city, especially London, this won't be such an issue.

Also sitting the practical component of science A-Levels can be an issue if you're not registered at a college. It is possible to do it, it would be difficult depending on your prior knowledge and how long ago it was. It would be worth hiring a private tutor to help you get through it so quickly.

Thanks, yes I'm in Surrey just outside London so could easily get there...

Do you know any specific places you can do this?

Try your local FE college in the first instance. Also private schools tend to be quite open to having private candidates as they're used to charging.

The place I've seen mentioned regularly is Campbell Harris
www.campbellharris.co.uk Then click on "private candidates". If you can teach yourself, all you need to do is book in there to take the exam(s). If I lived in the south, I'd have done some of mine there!

My mum did human biology A level at evening class in a year - I seem to remember it didn't have a practical element which is why they offered it

You can also teach yourself, home educate as it were.

Buy the text books and away you go. Just put in for the exam as an external/private candidate when you are ready.

A friend of mine did two A Levels in a year, so it's perfectly possible. She did it at the local FE college. Maybe get on Amazon and order some GCSE Biology revision guides in the meantime, to refresh your memory (and impress the college intake peeps)?

There are on line courses where you get an on line tutor (a modern version of correspondence courses). I can't remember the name of the one I looked at, but you could enter as an international candidate and take an extra written exam instead of the practicals. With science A levels the practicals are the problem. My son did his chemistry A level in one year after he left school but with a college. I'm not sure you want to be with a bunch of teenagers though.

Also it is hard work! He took the AS in january and the A2 in the summer, you have to move fast.

Her is the link :
www.brightfuturesonline.co.uk

Christ College Guildford (state school) has been quite opne to private candidates in the past. Might be worth contacting.

I did A level Biology the year before I started my nursing at the local FE college. I looked into the access course but the tutor told me there wasn't much point as i had all the basics albeit old. It ws OK. I did something like 4 hours evening class a week (in 2 blocks) and got a B (!!!!!!!!!).

the people who had done the access course had a bit of an advantage at the beginning of the nursing course as they had already done the bits like study skills and were used to writing essays (which I wasn't) but i soon caught up.

I took Psychology A level at a Further Education College in a year and got an A Grade when I was 43 (non-stealth boasting). It wasn't hard, but I really buckled down to the revision a few weeks before the exam.