Btech and uni offers for a practical course

[nostress]

Hi,
DS1 is in y12 and I'm thinking about uni courses. He wants to go to drama school but understands this can take years of trying. He's going to apply for some uni courses. He's currently predicted a Distinction. He got a distinction in the GCSE level Btech in the same subject. There are some highly rated courses at some excellent unis. Looking on the UCAS website they do accept Btechs and usual offers are DDM. Is this true?? Has anyone got experience of such offers. I don't want to get his hopes up if actually they prefer A levels and he hasn't got a chance. He got Bs and Cs in his non arts based GCSEs. So he is really looking at practical courses although he is ok with written/essay work as there is a lot of this in the Btech.

My DS is at uni (not the same subject) with an attainment bursary after getting DDD (his offer was DMM); he also was B/C GCSE and found that A levels didn't suit him.

He has said that there is a lot of work at uni that BTEC students are finding easier to cope with as they have had to spend 2 years doing independent research etc in order to complete their BTEC assignments, whereas the tests/exams are more suited to the A Level students (his main working group has a mix of both so they are pooling their experience to help each other out).

ds3 is also Y12 and looking to go to uni with a btec for a practical course. He's heading for D D D at the moment but that could change at any time I suppose and the course he wants (not the same as your ds) is asking for DDM but does attainment bursaries (wonders if its the same place as cricketballs' ds) which makes it particularly attractive. Most of the places he is considering are asking for DDM or points in the same region, the highest he likes so far is asking for DDD but no financial incentive and a very generalised first year. MMM seems to be the lowest offer he has seen on ucas and he's dismissed all of them. The range of offers will depend on the course and the institution.

His research has discovered that the higher RG unis don't take btec and others want an additional A level - it depends on the course and the uni. No idea what drama schools want but there was another thread recently on HE that mentioned the number of applicants to places in drama schools. I would be encouraging him to apply for drama at some non specialised institutions as a back up

I teach BTEC (no "h"!!) Performing Arts. I have sent students to universities and drama schools for the last few years - for drama, in my view, the BTEC is a much more appropriate course than, say, A Level theatre studies, if the student want to do vocational drama at the next level.

If I were advising your DS, I would suggest two main routes - either a) apply for drama schools, accept that you might not get in this year, have a plan for what to do for a year (work, do as much drama as possible - some decent youth theatres go up to age 19/20, perhaps get involved with running youth theatre, volunteer at a local arts centre, get a job as an usher) and then apply to drama school again the following year, or b) apply to drama school but also apply to universities. Check the exact details of the course. Then, after graduation, look at post-grad courses at drama school if that's what he wants to do.

Yes the offers are true, but you are likely on creative courses to have an audition or portfolio and interview and they are the crux on getting the offer of a place.

Hi, thanks all! Evil your plan B is what we are planning. I worry if he is out of the more structured learning environment he we get distracted/loose focus. Birmingham uni is one of the rg unis that say they offer for the Btec.

I thought drama schools were all about audition. Everyone I know that has been to one was always doing school school plays, had LAMDA qualifications and A levels. Experience and performance ability really count.

I think they have a minimum academic requirement because of the essay work - that's the part my DD, even with DDD* on entry and an unconditional offer after interview, is finding hard on the degree course. However, offers go to those who tick all the boxes and the course grades are only one small element when it comes to creative courses. But that's fine - they know what they are looking for. Drama schools are notoriously difficult to get into and many only manage it when they are a bit older.

...that should have been a triple distinction star! I fell foul of the formatting