Applying to University

Mips

OK I can begin applying for 2011 in October, which will also give me a reference from my tutor at college, which I begin in September.

My questions are:

I have looked through courses and think that I will be most interested in history, but I am a little wary because I didn't even do it at GCSE level.

Should this cause me any problems?

And shall I apply to all 3 universities for a History Degree course?

I know its early to be asking but I really need to know everything sooner than later so I am fully prepared.



ETA: I am married with kids, and OLD

Lokolo

Ask the universities themselves. Contact the admissions tutor. I suspect you will find it harder.

Some universities might ask you to do a bridge course to catch you up on some stuff.

If you go, you'll have a lot more time to get on that Wii Fit

katieh86

Have a look in the UCAS guide as well!

hieveryone

A History degree is a hard slog, one of my friends has just finished one.

Why do you want to do it - do you have a career in mind or just because you think you are 'interested' in it? What's your college course on?

MrsManda

Are you doing a degree for a particular end goal or just doing a degree?
I know people who have done psychology degrees without studying it previously so you should be OK studying history with no previous experience (I know the subjects are different but both are hardwork and require a lot of essay writing and course work).

But you need to think hard about what you want to study because you are going to be spending the next three years of your life studying hard at it if you want to get a good classification. And you'll be juggling more responsibilities than the average student.

Even if you are sure about doing a history degree, what particular history would you like to study?

As you cannot apply for 2011 until October, it may be worth you working your way through some of the Open University's OpenLearn modules. They're freely accessible and will give you a taster for different subjects.

Good luck I'm married, though without the kids and although I have a different life to the other students on my course I still have a lot of fun and think the hard work is definitely worth it

Oldernotwiser

Why not do one of the OU's History modules this September - I do think they'll expect some previous subject study and you might find that although you enjoy reading about History, you don't actually enjoy studying it.

I mention this because it's where I find myself when it comes to studying History.

fleagle21

MrsManda wrote: »

I know people who have done psychology degrees without studying it previously so you should be OK studying history with no previous experience (I know the subjects are different but both are hardwork and require a lot of essay writing and course work).

Took the words right out of my mouth, cause I've just finished a Psychology degree, having never done it before - and having no A-levels either!

And, OP, I'm old and married too

juno

Unis will want to know why you want to study history, so if you haven't got any study experience then it might be an idea to read a few books or take the OU courses already mentioned. If you're old GCSEs are less important, but you still need to show motivation and a good reason for choosing to study.

nursenancy

Dippychick wrote: »

OK I can begin applying for 2011 in October, which will also give me a reference from my tutor at college, which I begin in September.

My questions are:

I have looked through courses and think that I will be most interested in history, but I am a little wary because I didn't even do it at GCSE level.

Should this cause me any problems?

And shall I apply to all 3 universities for a History Degree course?

I know its early to be asking but I really need to know everything sooner than later so I am fully prepared.



ETA: I am married with kids, and OLD

Well, if it is 2011 entry you are interested in there is still time to do a nightclass in history? I did higher history (in Scotland), it started in Sept and ran until May and we sat the exams at the same time as the School children. I would speak to the course leader and see if it is required, it may make the Uni course easier if you do. The nightclass would also get you into the way of studying again, very useful when going back to Uni as a mature student.

melancholly

fleagle21 wrote: »

Took the words right out of my mouth, cause I've just finished a Psychology degree, having never done it before - and having no A-levels either!

And, OP, I'm old and married too

i guess the difference with psychology is that it isn't a common a level (and most unis would prefer biology or chemistry as an a level anyway). i'd expect a more commonly offered school subject like history to be a bit different - but then again, i'm prepared to be proved entirely wrong.

OP - with mature students with different background, contact the unis direct. they'll all have different entry routes and may require different qualifications. it may not be easy to get that info from a prospectus aimed mainly at school-leavers.

fleagle21

melancholly wrote: »

i guess the difference with psychology is that it isn't a common a level (and most unis would prefer biology or chemistry as an a level anyway). i'd expect a more commonly offered school subject like history to be a bit different - but then again, i'm prepared to be proved entirely wrong.

OP - with mature students with different background, contact the unis direct. they'll all have different entry routes and may require different qualifications. it may not be easy to get that info from a prospectus aimed mainly at school-leavers.

Def correct about different entry for mature students - due to my absolutely no A-level situation(!) I did an access programme, which on successful completion from may-aug got me a place that september.