Is university even possible?

[Inforthelonghaul]

DC aged 17 left sixth form to do a working apprenticeship. Has now left this without completing the nvq as circumstances were too difficult and sadly outside their control.

Question is what to do now. They turn 18 this spring and desperately want to go to university September 2019. It’s been a tough year and good in some ways not so in others. Wheeler do we find advice on what is available and how funding etc would work. Because they left school summer 2017 and have effectively been in employment for last 10 months we have no idea who to contact for practical help. There is lots of information online but just don’t know where to start looking. Is there a careers/education service where you can tell them about your situation and they advise on options that are actually available?

What post-GCSE qualifications - if any - does your DS have?

UCAS deadline for Sept 2019 start is 15th Jan!

Look at potential courses at likely Unis and see what their entry requirements are: just Google, they're all available. If your DC has no qualifications since GCSEs, then you're likely looking at access courses.

Or FE college to restart 'sixth form'.

www.ucas.com/undergraduate/what-and-where-study/ucas-undergraduate-entry-requirements lists all sorts of options & scenarios.

What about going to college and doing A levels?

University next year won't happen without a post GCSE qualification. An Access course next year though is realistic and achievable with a view to starting uni in 2020.

What grade GCSEs? And what subject does dc want to study?

Oh goodness thank you. No post 16 qualifications and really doesn’t want to do sixth form, is very keen to go to uni with her peers having unfortunately made the wrong choice of college etc at 16.

Looks like we have very little time to do anything so will need to research quickly. Looks like an access course is best bet. Will funding be available for that or will we have to find fees?

Sorry, assumed DS not DD for some reason (not the mention of an apprenticeship, as older two of ours have both male and female friends who have taken that route, albeit post A level).

May need to wait another year to do an access course, though?

Is there a maximum or minimum age limit for students on Access to HE courses?

Almost everyone considering Access to HE worries that they may have left it too late, but there is no maximum age limit for starting a course.

Access to HE courses are intended for mature students who have been out of education for some time. This generally means that students should be at least 19 when they start the course. Universities and colleges expect Access to HE applicants to have acquired a certain amount of life experience before they start an Access to HE course, so applicants who have only recently left school may be advised to follow a different route into higher education.

Different funding arrangements apply according to the age of the student.
www.accesstohe.ac.uk/Access/FAQs/Pages/Default.aspx

If she's 18 or under next September then she shouldn't have to pay. If she's 19 or older she can get a loan - which only has to be repaid if she doesn't go to university.

Look at your local further education college websites.

She needs to stop thinking about "going to Uni with her peers". Sorry but that shows very immature thinking. Not everyone goes to Uni at 18!
She needs to do some growing up first or she will just waste £27K +.
You can't start an Access course until you are 19. You also need A'levels or equivalent at 18 to get into Uni. There is more flexibility if you are older.

One thing she could look into is a "foundation year". I do know two people who have got onto them with no A'levels. However how "satisfying" they are as the start to University life is unclear.

She could do with looking deeply into what has gone wrong so far, what mistakes she has made, and what she really wants now. Proper counselling or advice could save a lot of time and money in the long term.

Lots of people don't go to university at 18 and she simply won't get a place as it stands because she doesn't have the right qualifications. Her first step should be to identify some possible courses which she would like to study to degree level. Then she should work backwards to work out which subjects she needs to take at A level or equivalent. Find local college and see if they will accept a late entry for January or start distance learning so that she doesn't waste even more time.

Does she know what she wants to do in life? That needs to be the first conversation. Going to uni without needing to is a waste of time and money! Look into what she needs for the jobs she wants and work backwards. An access course or restarting at college sounds like the best option to start.

How can she go to uni in September 2019 when she has no A levels or the equivalent?

I dropped out of sixth form after completing AS levels, did a 1 year access course and then started a degree course as if I had done A levels. It was quite a while ago now (I'm 30) but I think I recall the entry requirements were flexible and at the university's discretion. It might be worth a few phone calls.

Surely some of her peers are having gap years?

What do they want to study? If it a Micky Mouse degree then they'll get on with no qualifications or experience! Not even an interview.

I've made that mistake years ago. Ended up with 32k debt.

Would she consider BTECs instead of A levels?
If she isn't keen on studying level 3 qualifications is she really university material?

Honestly, at 18 with no post 16 qualifications at all, what on earth makes her think she'll be in a position to apply for university alongside her peers who, presumably, are currently studying hard for A levels? It's not too late to go to university at all- people go to university at all ages and stages of life but it is absolutely too late for 2019.
Get her thinking about what A levels or B Tec equivalent courses she wants to do next year instead. Time for a reality check and a touch of growing up I think.

And is she wanting university for the wrong reasons - partying and having fun, or does she actually want to gain a good degree in the process?

How long ago did the apprenticeship stop? Could they still complete the nvq this summer, maybe speak to whichever college was supporting it? Otherwise September 2019 is a pipedream as they need to have a level 3 or Access course in hand to qualify, even for a Foundation year. Unless they have already done research into uni courses, got a college reference and personal statement etc the January deadline seems unlikely to be met. However there are later opportunities to apply in May and through Clearing if those things can be organised, and some vocational courses have a March application deadline anyway. A few unis have a January intake. However if they have shown little commitment to pursuing the nvq and uni research thus far I'd agree with those suggesting that a uni course may not be right for them at the moment. Focus on achieving level 3 first and then review.

Our local FE college accepts students on Access courses from age 18, perhaps start by giving your local college a ring they may have a careers adviser there your DC could see, I agree that they need to have a good think about why they want to go to uni and if it's the right choice for them. You can also do degree apprenticeships now, there is a website Find an Apprenticeship with details ( sorry don't know how to do a clicky link!)

I think you still need level 3 qualifications to do degree apprenticeships.

Sounds to me as if she only wants to go to Uni to be with her friends, not to actually study for an academic qualification? Nevertheless, starting Uni in 2019 is extremely unlikely given her current qualifications and experience. Given that the deadline is also only a few weeks away - rather than making a rash and ill informed decision now, I would wait a year and apply 2020. That also gives her time to complete further education needed for Uni.

Firstly, she has the make a mature decision about if Uni is even right at all? With respect (and not knowing any of the circumstances) she may find that if she can't complete a Level 3 NVQ during an apprenticeship, starting a Level 5/6 degree is a very bad idea. Part of completing further education is preparing a student for how to deal with an academic degree course (for example - essay writing). As she has not yet completed this, it will put her at a major disadvantage. You then have to look at funding as a degree is extremely expensive and she will need money on top of this to 'live'. She needs to understand the consequences of taking out loans that may total £27-54k.

If she decides she does want to study - she needs to go back to a Further Education college and complete either A-Levels or equivalent Level 3 qualification.
Dependent on her apprenticeship subject and how much she completed, she might be able to access a Level 4 access course (1 year) for Uni in 2020. This will not only give her better options for 2020 but also will give her a taste of academic life (it's not for everyone).

She then needs to decide what she would like to study and pick a Uni based on who is a good provider of that course (not based on which Uni her friends are going to). If you are prepared to spend tens of thousands, you also need to complete the research into the Uni to ale sure you are getting value. There are a lot of 'mickey mouse' degrees out there they only wants students for the money, again - informed decisions.

There are plenty of advice websites - UCAS is always going to be your starter for 10.

Source: Used to work in student admissions for a Uni.