Uni or not? or what? (bit long)

[boschy]

Not sure if this is the right place.... but would love some thoughts!

DD1 is in Y12. Totally not academic, still hasnt got maths GCSE. Also dyslexic. Last summer's GCSE results weren't great.

She is hoping for a B in photography A level at the end of this year, plus a C in sociology. She dropped philosophy and ethics A level but it was too late to start another A level course (bit annoyed about that, teachers pressured her to stay because she is verbally fantastic - she liked the subject but simply could not write the essays). She's also just finishing a GCSE in child development and hoping for an A in that.

She's going to a uni taster day at the start of next term, but she is not convinced she wants to go. She says she'd like the social side, meeting new people, living somewhere else (but not too far away!!) etc etc, but the courses she would be interested in, eg photography, are not necessarily those that would lead to employment, and she is scared of the prospect of student debt. Also she would like to earn some money!

I think she would be well suited to an apprenticeship in something like arts management but because of her lack of written skills I dont know if this would hold her back.

I have said that if she wants to go to uni she should go, but with the proviso that she (and we if required) checks out the course content, tutor support etc and looks at post-grad outcomes. School is supportive, but in terms of career advice they put them into the uni group or the non-uni group, and if you dont know you get put in the uni group (which is fair enough I think).

A lot of her friends are expressing surprise that she's not definitely planning on uni, but she is very practical and not prepared to do it for the sake of it iyswim.

So please, any thoughts on how to advise her? what would you suggest for a young adult who has the gift of the gab, a lot of common sense, but strictly limited ability to write anything down. If it helps, her CAT scores put her quite low (well, OK really rather low), but her emotional and verbal intelligence are a completely different matter.

If she is not sure, little harm will come of her doing a couple of years work, sussing out what she enjoys, and then going to Uni aged 20 (so still younger than many 3rd years) and getting real value out of her degree

the fact that 48% of student loans may never be fully repaid shows that degrees are NOT a path to riches any more
go because you know why you want to, not because you cannot think what else to do

Agree very strongly with Talking. And that's from the perspective of a university teacher. I find it very sad to see these youngsters who end up in the wrong course, just because they felt it was expected of them. Better to take the time to think about what you really want to do before jumping blindly.

Having said this, I think you should also reassure your dd that if or when she does decide to go to university, many universities are far better resourced to deal with dyslexia than schools are.

I would not totally dissuade someone from choosing a career with poor prospects (my own dd is applying to stage school and my own academic specialism is so narrow that it can hardly be called a career). But I do think if you do you need to go into it with your eyes open and simply be the kind of person who cares so much about this one thing that you are prepared to take big risks to have your chance. Most people don't care that much- and then it would be silly to take the risks.

Do I father she is only doing 2 A levels now although she started 3. If that is the case a degree in photography is a bit unlikely. Even the most practical of degree courses want 260-300 UCAS points. My DD was expected to get BBC at A level for her Photography Degree offers. However, there are Foundation degrees but she would need an Art A level to pursue this. Maybe an HND in photography might be attainable.

I also think apprenticeships are very difficult to obtain and usually the people chosen could easily have gone to university. In the fields you mention, there are lots of graduates in those fields looking for work. I would honestly look at HND type courses.

I think the suggestion of an HND is a good one. As a f'rinstance here is an example HND arts courses.

It is also worth exploring what assistance could be available to your DD through Disabled Living Allowance. This can be there to help your DD with additional costs she might incur because of her dyslexia.

Higher education has a lot of experience at supporting students to achieve their potential if the student seeks that help and makes use of it.

Your DD sounds like she has a lot of potential. Her predicted grades are testament to that. My DH is pretty much straight down the line dyslexic. As he said it makes all aspects of study just so much more effort.

Hi Boschy, it sounds as if your DD could do with some individual careers advice from a professional Careers Adviser. If you live in England, her school should employ somebody to give impartial advice to its students - ask what is available. Alternatively, it is possible to see a Careers Adviser privately. To be certain of choosing somebody qualified & experienced, look at the Professional Register of the Career Development Institute: www.theCDI.net

I think that the biggest issue is what sort of career area would suit her. Although she has an interest in photography, and, presumably a talent in this area, you also say that she has the gift of the gab, and is emotionally very intelligent. She could use these skills in a number of different ways. Her best next step may vary, depending on what career direction would suit her. One of the main barriers she may have to overcome is lack of Maths GCSE at grade C+ - I presume she'll be attempting this again in June?

There would be nothing to stop her applying for apprenticeships this year, to start after her AS exams. They are advertised via: www.apprenticeships.org.uk/ in England (and via www.careerswales.com in Wales). She could register, search for vacancies & apply to any that interest her whilst she is waiting to see what her summer exams turn out like. Apprenticeships are available at different levels (see my blog post trying to explain them!) bit.ly/1kyASZR. So, in principle she could apply for Level 3 apprenticeships, which are equivalent to A level standard, and they could lead onto Level 4 etc etc - providing they don't require GCSE Maths. Because apprenticeships are practical, she won't need to write essays, although she will be required to demonstrate her ability to do the job.

Alternatively, she could consider doing a Foundation Art Diploma course at a local college after finishing her A levels. These are 1 year courses, designed to give artistic/creative students time to explore the world of art & design to find their strengths, try out new media e.g. ceramics, and to build an impressive portfolio to get her onto the higher education course of her choice. With a good portfolio & the Foundation Diploma, it would be possible for her to get onto a good photography degree with only 1 A level e.g. see this course at the London College of the Arts:
www.arts.ac.uk/lcc/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-photography/.

Alternatively, she could consider a 2 year Foundation Degree, straight after A levels...

In fact, there are so many directions that she could take, that they can't be covered here. I'm conscious I'm already going on a long time!! Lol.
She will find lots of information on National Careers Service: bit.ly/1aRyYxV
Careers Wales www.careerswales.com and about higher education routes via www.ucas.com.
Good luck!

Perhaps she should start looking at good gap year experiences for her. Maybe for example a local photographer would be willing to offer her some part-time experience. Or she could set up her own web site (e.g on wix.com) and showcase her talents this way for potential gap year experience or college/uni. As others have said, unis can actually offer far more support for dyslexics than school. Also, even if she hasn't got 'good' grades there are foundation courses which all but guarantee entrance to the degree course if/when passed.

I think it shows originality and courage to swim against the assumption that the only way to success is via uni or college. There are many other routes if you are creative, determined and simply look out for opportunities. And there are people out there making a living out to the things she is passionate about. I'd say there is no point in her going to uni simply for the sake of it, but because she has found something she is passionate about.

thanks all, sorry to post and run on Friday but w/e was a bit hectic.

There are some really good thoughts here, I will have a chat with her. her thinking over the w/e was to stay on at school for Y14, so start another 2 year A level course in Y13 iyswim. then she could also work part time during Y14 because she'd only be doing one course that year.

she's planning to make postcards from some of her work and get the village shops to stock them so she's going to work on that this hols and also look at getting her website up and running.

That HND photography course looked really good actually... school is strong on apprenticeships too, so I think they will probably advise her well - she's just finding it a bit difficult when other students say things like "oh arent you going to uni? how strange". but she has always ploughed her own furrow, so peer pressure wont be an issue. she likes to get things sorted, so is feeling a bit unsettled I guess. thanks again for your input!

Our local uni (and therefore presumably others) offer lots of their degree courses including photography with a kickstarter foundation year.

However, having a degree is definitely not the be all and end all anymore and it is more important to do what suits her, not what her friends think.