ACCESS COURSE - Are you on one, have you been on one?

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Im trying to do a report for my local college. If you have been on an Access course and gone on to higher education, or benefited from it, or if you are on one, I need your opinions!

Can you tell me why you went on the course, how you found out about it, how you coped with childcare, what you got out of it mentally (self esteem etc) and finally if you paid for your course or if you got assistance (this bit is optional).

I dont think my college promotes the course locally and it may be scrapped next year. It has totally changed my life and I want to tell them why it is so important.

Thanks

i went on one - my college at the time had a creche. our financial means at the time (14 years ago) were such that the course was free to me.

it offered me the chance to gain entry into university.

without this i would still be on minimum wage

Custy - can you tell me what course you did and what you went on to do?

back then it was just an access course ( i am sure they are more refined these days) but i literally got to pick from a range of subjects so i did, English Lit, Sociology, History for social scientists ( not making that up promise!) IT, something about politics and ...i cant remember.

i went on to do an English Degree.

which would have been totally impossible without a creche

and i would have debated hard about starting my degree if the student loan system was in place.

as it happens it started in year two - by that time i was already invested!

I do one. It's an access science course. I do it full-time (2 yrs, I'm on my first) and as it's f/t I don't have to pay any fees as long as I have good attendance.

I researched it after deciding I wanted out of retail and to either be a speech therapist or midwife. Then I got talking to someone one day who had just finished the same course I was thinking of doing and found out a lot more info from her. It's just seemed right for me and I went for it.

I haven't got any assistance atm as I applied for student finance but as there was no more funding left. I'm now waiting for the college to decide if I can have money off their support funds. I work p/t so I'm not too worried if I don't get anything.

Childcare - they have a creche but it only does half days so I fitted my timetable around me and my dp's days off. My mum looks after ds for two days and I give her a bit of money for that myself.

I completely flunked my science A-Levels due to ill health. I went back to college a few years later and got an HNC in business and marketing, accepted for marketing course in uni but turned it down as I realised my heart wasn't in it.

Self-esteem wasn't really an issue with me as I knew I would be up to the challenge through already being a mature student (with far less responsibilites then). However, I love studying a subject that really interests me and excites me. I spend most of my free time studying and I enjoy it - something that didn't happen in school. I finally feel at the age of 30 I know exactly where I want to go with my life and as a mature student am more determined to do it.

I done the access to health course. I went on to do a degree in child nursing although I didnt complete for personal reasons. The college supported me with childcare and paid for my son to use a local nursey. I think I paid £10 per year.

I finished my access to health course in june and start my degree in sept
my college paid for my childcare during timetable , my friends that have started their degree's this year have said that it has given them a massive head start against other students , more so the social issues in health care lesssons that we all hated so much at the time

I did an Access course, part- time over two years.

It was an open course, I just chose the subjects I was interested in, although of course there were core subjects necessary for certain degrees.

I am now a final year social work student.

The course was the best thing I ever did, It gave me the confidence to go to university( and the qualifications). I found the learning environment very good, with a varied range of ages.

I did not pay fees and had 90% of my childcare paid for me, because Dh was on a low income at the time.

I am in a very small class at university, we are all mature students, and in our first year there was a huge difference between those of us that had done an Access course and those that hadn't. We just seemed more prepared for it all I think.