studying

gonnabedebtfree

hi all i left school with no gcse's and regreted it straight away, didnt retake as i wanted to earn money. i went from job to job, met my now hubby and had a family. now i wish to retrain as a midwife which i know is really hard a so little places available at uni which i want to get in the best possible position. my youngest child is 4 months and wouldnt want to go to uni until she was at school for childcare reasons. ive checked out my local collage and they only do 2 gcses so does anyone know the best way i could somewhere to take gcse's?

Justicia

Not sure of an answer, unfortunately.

BUT, if you provide a rough indication of your location, perhaps others in the same general area may have some local suggestions for you?

jayII

Hi, have you looked at all the options for mature students? Depending on your age of course.

There could be alternative options such as an open university course followed by an access course.

You'd probably need to pass GCSE English and maths at some point, but you may be able to do those alongside an access course.

flea72

an Access to Health Science course would be your best bet.

gcse maths and english arent usually a condition of midwifery degrees, but you will have to complete and pass their in-house tests (which are a low end Level 2). you dont need any qualifications to get on an Access Course

competition is very high and if you are limited to going to your local Uni, then the pressure is even greater. expect to be up against 200 people for every place. but saying that, out of 10 people i know who applied to Uni for midwifery this year, 8 have got offers and the other 2 are on waiting lists, so i think some Unis do seem to keep it local

however, if you dont plan on going to Uni until your child is in school, you have many years ahead of you, and in that time the entry criteria and funding could change alot. i know since my friends applied last year, some Unis have upped their conditions quite considerably for next years intake

F

ka7e

There is a brilliant forum for all student and wannabe midwives -

www.themidwiferysanctuary.com

Lots of advice and personal experiences of applying for courses. Apart from showing evidence of "recent learning", a lot of importance is placed on life experiences. Some applicants are working part-time in child or health related jobs.

But, it is very hard to study full-time while running a home and coping with the demands of young children! The course includes 50% working full-time in your training hospital or in the community. Time has to be set aside for writing essays, case histories and projects.

When you qualify, the availabilty of jobs varies depending on where you live. London and the SE seem to take on the majority of their students but some areas take only a few. There is a national shortage of midwives but there is not the budget to employ them!

gonnabedebtfree

at the minute my local uni's want an access course and 5 gcse's

jayII

What about distance learning, such as this service aimed at home education?

Alternatively, could you study by yourself using online resources (like 'BBC Schools' and 'S-cool') and study books, then take the exams at a college or something?

I know you're an adult but might be worth speaking to parents on a home education forum, to ask if they have any ideas. Their children must take the GCSE exams somewhere.

Otherwise, have you contacted the college who run the access course to see if they will accept an OU level one course or if they have any other ideas?

doodoot

OP did they tell you that directly or did you find it in their literature?

If it's the former then I suggest that you look at enrolling at colleges to build up your GCSE's/level 2 qualifications.

If it's the latter then contact them and ask what their policy is for mature students with little to no qualifications.

I only have 3 GCSE's and have just graduated from Uni with a B.A. Hons - my Uni tends to rely upon personal experience, personality and personal statement as to why you want to do the course when it comes to mature students.

It doesn't state this in their literature and I only found it out when I went to their open day.

Dunroamin

I'd study the two GCSEs available (assuming they're English and maths) at your local college and see how you get on. Assuming that you can cope with them, your next stop should be an access course which will give you the entry qualification you need for university.

I'd take things in very gentle steps, particularly as your youngest is so young.