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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Access to HE courses, any admissions tutors on here?

44 replies

Sooverthemill · 02/08/2021 13:38

I have a query about these courses. My DD has a serious chronic illness and has been bed bound and unable to access education even at home since age 14, 8 years now. She is very bright and before she became ill she was top of her year 9 ( I was sent the certificate while she was in hospital ) and did get an A* in an EPQ . She and we always assumed she would go to university. But she's not been able to study. Her specialist advised against tutors as we did try at first but it made her much worse. She can do some things if she's given lots of time and she's continued to read when she can but she's utterly unpredictable in terms of how well she will be in any given day. We have an EHPC in place which expires in 3 years.

She was asking yesterday how on earth even if she gets well, could she go to university no GCSEs and we talked about sitting exams and how she might be able to or might not.

I know about Access to HE courses as I've had colleagues in the past who have been on them.

How would she be able to do such a course if she can't be predictable in terms of health hour by hour? Are these courses 'good enough' to get into university to do STEM subjects ( she probably would want to do science based subjects)? How do you do these if you are always in bed because you can't get out of bed or sit up?

I just want to give her some hope really. So any advice from admissions tutors would be really helpful and any websites to look at. I've googled but it's all very generic. I was hoping that what with the pandemic more stuff might remain online. I had to give up work to care for her 24/7 and I'd be willing to act as her support worker to enable her to do this.

OP posts:
Fieldsofstars · 02/08/2021 13:47

First of all you need to know what course she wants to do at uni and also, what uni she’d want to study at and go from there. There’s no real point doing anything until you know what would be accepted by the university for the course you want to study, all entry requirements differ per course, uni and also personal situation.

I’ve done an access to HE course and let me tell you that it’s not easy at all, even for students that often do well. It is incredibly fast passed and mentally challenging.
Access to HE courses are level 3 so replace a levels. She would still need either GCSE maths/ English and science or the functional skill level 2 equivalents, some colleges offer a 1 year course which covers essential GCSEs, It would need to be done before any access course.

Fieldsofstars · 02/08/2021 13:55

I did access to science and I’m not even sure if they’d be able to allow your daughter to do it because of the health and safety paperwork that would be needed for lab work.

GetTaeFuck · 02/08/2021 14:00

I got offers from 3RG Unis and a Top 20 with an Access Science course.

However there are practical aspects of the course, including coming up with your own mini research project and writing it up.

Most degrees spend around 50% of their time in the labs.

If your DD is unable to get into a lab, unfortunately she won’t be able to do a Science degree.

Fieldsofstars · 02/08/2021 14:00

What sort of science based career is your daughter interested in?

SheABitSpicyToday · 02/08/2021 14:03

I did an access course in physics and maths. It’s very fast paced and immersive. It’s basically 2 years old a levels squished into 9 months. She will also need to do gcse along side if she doesn’t have them. She needs to know which degree she wants to do then contact the college and see if they can make allowances to support her learning.

Original poster
Sooverthemill · 02/08/2021 14:08

@Fieldsofstars

What sort of science based career is your daughter interested in?
Before her illness she wanted to be a doctor. We have 5 GPs/ consultants in the wider family and she has always been interested. If not a doctor then something biomedical I think. However she has no experience anything beyond year 9 so never did work experience and both DH and I are public sector policy people. If she had stayed at school who knows what she would have liked? She was gifted and talented at science, languages, humanities and English. Choosing her GCSEs was a nightmare as she had to drop so many subjects she loved.

I do think sciences aren't a good idea because of the amount of lab time and also because being any kind of medic seems unlikely!

OP posts:
NoNotHimTheOtherOne · 02/08/2021 14:09

I think you need to work backwards from where she wants to get to. You can't really do a science course at university if you can't get out of bed as you wouldn't be able to attend labs. Not many university courses are set up to run entirely online (there are obviously more now than two years ago, but not sciences), so she'd need to find a course she can do and then work backwards to see what qualifications she'll need.

If her condition is expected to improve to the extent that she will be able to do an in-person university course, then there's no reason why an Access to HE diploma shouldnt be an approprite route. They're accepted for entry to a wide range of degree courses. She might need to do GCSE maths & English language either before or alongside the Access diploma, though. Again, find university courses first and then see what qualifications are needed.

Fieldsofstars · 02/08/2021 14:19

It’s very unlikely you’d get past all the health and safety issues when it comes to being a biomed scientist.

Being educationally gifted doesn’t mean she would tolerate that sort of course. You can find colleges that offer functional skills courses online at the moment thanks to the pandemic and after that I’d recommend using an online provider for an access course. She’d be better doing something like social work?

But again it’s her choice isn’t it. I’d be wary of discussing things like this with her, how she was before doesn’t necessarily portray herself now and that’s a lot of pressure.

Fieldsofstars · 02/08/2021 14:21

Start with what does she want to do and what would be in the margins of realism with her condition.

Universities and colleges have career advisers, it might be worth starting there? They’d know more about health logistics

MakkaPakkas · 02/08/2021 14:32

I've never been in admissions, but I have taught students with chronic conditions at university (chronic fatigue type symptoms etc...) The student I'm thinking of was doing Earth sciences and did very well using video access to live lectures - meaning she could watch from bed/ watch later. She was also very proactive with me emailing questions etc...
If your daughter is interested in sciences she could maybe think about science that can be done with paper research, communication of science, science policy etc...? I agree that the lab component is probably too large for many science degrees.
Good luck to her and to you. Chronic illness is so awful, but people do get things done and many in universities are very keen to be helpful - especially when a students is really interested in the subject. Often its a case of finding the right people.

Original poster
Sooverthemill · 02/08/2021 14:46

@Fieldsofstars she raised it. I didn't.

OP posts:
Original poster
Sooverthemill · 02/08/2021 14:48

@MakkaPakkas thank you . She's desperate to be 'a person' again. She hates the dependence on me that her illness necessitates. I long for her to be well enough to study.

OP posts:
Fieldsofstars · 02/08/2021 14:54

Sorry, I meant how good she was before. I think the best thing you can do for her now is both sitting down and looking at careers. But whatever career she gos for you’re going to need to get her through GCSE or level 2 courses first.

Where abouts in the UK are you?

Original poster
Sooverthemill · 02/08/2021 16:45

Suffolk

OP posts:
spotcheck · 02/08/2021 17:07

Access courses are pretty full on, however, some colleges offer them over two years so it is worth asking around.

If her EHCP is still current, would she consider coming back into education at an FE college?
She would be assessed to determine which level is right for her- taking her GCSE's would be built into her program.

Many universities do require GCSEs as part of their entry requirements, and some require English, Math AND science.

GetTaeFuck · 02/08/2021 18:35

OP - I’d suggest GCSEs.

My Access course wouldn’t allow anyone without at least a B in Maths and Science to even attempt the Access course. They were dubious about allowing me - at 31 - despite having A in both (and separate sciences at that too, not the double science) because I’d been out of education for so long. I was warned the course had a 50% drop out rate due to the difficulty of it.

I said well, what’s the worst that can happen if you let me? (And I had my 3DC with me at the interview too - single parent). I basically dared her to let me on the course.

I finished with all Distinctions in Biology, all Merits in Chemistry and 2 Passes in Physics. I was still allowed into my RG Uni as my degree subject was Microbio.

Or start off by signing her up to Open Learn - they have mini courses in a variety of subjects that are free, but don’t have a qualification. Just to see how she gets on with the whole process of learning, then try 1 GCSE at a time?

I feel for your DD, I do.

Not comparable but I’ve got post viral fatigue after having Covid and I’ve got to resit half of my final year of my degree in October because I couldn’t keep up the pace.

Original poster
Sooverthemill · 02/08/2021 19:55

It would be impossible for her to 'attend' any physical course at present. She may be able to 'attend' online if courses were able to be accessed not in real time. So she has for example 'attended' a gig by watching the recording of the event in 5 minute sessions ( during Covid both of us had our work opened up and we could see theatre and films we could never see previously, I'm basically housebound as she cannot be left all me).

I don't see any of this being in the next year or so but trying to work stuff out for her future maybe.

@GetTaeFuck I'm sorry to hear this. I hope things improve for you soon. My DD is severely affected by very very severe ME ( can't walk, can't always talk, constant unmanaged pain, also has POTs, EDS, and an autoimmune condition plus severe asthma and multiple chemical hypersensitivities which mean we can't have care staff coming in ). She's been tube fed, in hospital for almost a year and in a nursing home and even sent home to be cared for by me as she required too many staff hands on. If you have seen 'unrest' that will help you imagine it

OP posts:
Original poster
Sooverthemill · 02/08/2021 19:56

So it sounds like an access to HE wouldn't be the route. Shame.

OP posts:
HeddaGarbled · 02/08/2021 20:08

Open University?

burnoutbabe · 02/08/2021 20:14

Wouldn't gcse and a level by distance learning be the best bets? Though not sure how you'd manage exams? Best ask the various exam boards.

Then plenty of online universities like open university etc

spotcheck · 02/08/2021 20:42

Perhaps try the Open College or similar. You can do online courses

Also many colleges are doing online English and math GCSE'S

LIZS · 02/08/2021 20:54

Maths and English gcse would be expected even for an Access course. Working towards those would get her into the discipline of formal learning again. Entry requirements may differ for mature students and there are now Foundation degree years. However there would be big gaps without some study in preparation.

LIZS · 02/08/2021 20:56

Futurelearn also offer short free online courses(Moocs) if she wants explore topics which may be of interest as a taster.

stoneysongs · 02/08/2021 23:12

Maybe she could try an access module with the OU? No GCSEs required and they are designed for people who may not have studied before, or who are returning to studying.

www.open.ac.uk/courses/do-it/access

OU courses are great for fitting around your ability to do the work. They do offer science degrees, maybe these require lab work, but something like psychology might interest her, and you can do a psychology degree entirely online I think.

AwkwardPaws27 · 02/08/2021 23:40

The OU have some great free online modules that can be done at your own pace - could be a good starting point for developing interest and keeping her mind busy.
I'd also suggest looking at MOOCs and university online course- I did a taster one for vet med with Edinburgh online a few years ago which was great.
Taking some GCSEs (English, Maths & Science would be a great starting point) would be good too - & many uni courses will ask for those as well as Level 3.