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Higher education

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

Confused about what I need to do!?

7 replies

BlueeSpottyTiger · 30/08/2021 18:03

Hey guys... I'm just wondering if anyone can Point me in the right direction with a few things.
I was originally accepted for the uni course I wanted straight from college.
However at the same time I got a full time job and at the time the money seemed great (eye roll)
This was about 10 years ago.
I am now 28, working part time since having my two children aged 3 and 5 and would really like to get back to studying. I would love to become a midwife!
I have the required GCSEs and I did a relevant Btec at college with a grade DDD which means I would be able to apply for this type of course.
But.... I have no idea at all how to start the whole process again.
My partner works full time.
Do I apply for the course first then for funding? Or do I apply for funding first so I know it would be feasible to leave my well paid job to then apply for the course.
I don't know what funding I could be eligible for like grants, loans, bursaries etc to help me study.

Can anyone point me in the right direction with anything AT ALL.

Thanks in advance Smile

OP posts:
EeeByeGummieBear · 30/08/2021 18:23

I've no idea I'm afraid- but have you tried contacting a University admissions department to see if they could advise? Or they may be able to point you in the right direction.
Good luck!

titchy · 30/08/2021 18:25

Apply for the course then the funding. You can use sites like 'entitled to' or search for government student loan or NHS websites (google - I'm not doing that for you).

But a ten year old BTEC won't be enough - you'll need to do an Access course and get some relevant voluntary experience if you're not working in a similar area first. Midwifery is incredibly incredibly competitive.

Booknooks · 30/08/2021 18:36

Midwifery is highly competitive, not to put you off at all but to manage expectations, your application needs to be excellent. Many universities also stipulate that you need to have studied in the past few years, so you may need to do an access course, it's worth checking the info pages of the unis you are interested in applying to. In general though the process is:

Apply via UCAS, I believe they open in Oct still for applications, you need 2 references, a personal statement and to choose your university choices in order of preference.

You hear back from universities regarding whether you have been successful at securing an interview or not, this can be months after sending off your UCAS application.

If you had an interview you will be informed of the outcome, if successful it will either be conditional (if you are awaiting exam results), or unconditional (if you have everything you need, it means you deffo have a place).

When your place has been confirmed you apply for student finance, I believe the bursary is applied for separately, but either way you don't need to really worry yet.

I'd start looking at access courses, some you take a loan out for and don't have to pay back if you go onto further education, others you pay for. You can do them online or at college if a local one offers it, but you'd have to be quick to even have a chance at a place for this year.

Also start looking at how to enhance your application, it's hard to get ward experience at the moment, but check out free courses online, volunteer with breastfeeding support and local groups etc.

BlueeSpottyTiger · 30/08/2021 19:03

Booknooks- Thank you so much for the reply, that is super helpful to me! I'll look into the access courses!
I love the idea of the breastfeeding support volunteering etc. I have 4+ years personal experience and with that know the whole spectrum of issues/ problems that can come with it! I'll definitely look into that!
Thanks again Smile

OP posts:
Booknooks · 30/08/2021 19:08

@BlueeSpottyTiger

Booknooks- Thank you so much for the reply, that is super helpful to me! I'll look into the access courses! I love the idea of the breastfeeding support volunteering etc. I have 4+ years personal experience and with that know the whole spectrum of issues/ problems that can come with it! I'll definitely look into that! Thanks again Smile
Feel free to PM me if you like, there are a lot of resources online and links I'm happy to send across to you that might help :)
SometimesRavenSometimesParrot · 31/08/2021 18:59

UCAS opens in summer of each year, and you can submit your application from September. The deadline is January but the earlier you submit the better.
You’d need to be contacting your local college for access courses over the next few weeks for a September 2022 start, but there is no universal deadline for FE college applications so I would suggest getting on with it sooner rather than later.

Every access course is delivered differently so you’ll need to work out how it applies to your life, can you still work etc, can a partner support you?

Spend the next academic year before you start your access course gaining the experience a previous poster has discussed. Although you have valuable personal experience, a university will expect more.

SweetBabyCheeses99 · 31/08/2021 19:14

Sorry if this sounds harsh but if you’re not able to do the research yourself to find out how to go to University then you’re probably going to struggle with the demands of Higher Education! It requires a lot of independent learning and research skills. Rather than asking someone on here to spoonfeed you, why don’t you look into it yourself? Consider it the first test.

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