A levels - distance learning??

[Shongi]

G'day all... was wondering if anyone can help out with some info.

I am a mature student itching to do medicine. I have a 1st class in economics and will have 2 masters degrees by the time sept '07 comes along, however, i do not have tradtional A levels as I did my schooling in South Africa + at the time i could not have given a damn about studying which lead to rather average results.

...blah blah long story blah blah...

I need to swat up on chemistry, biology and physics before i even attempt admission to a GEP course. (already emailed admission depts of a number of uni's offerring GEP's and majority suggest i get A level subjects in Chem and Bio and possibly physics.)

Has anyone done A level bio, chem and phys through distance learning, in particular, ICS or Oxford distance learning?

They appear to be a good option, however, if they are just plain cr*p i'd really like to know before making a decision on how i am going to get A levels out of the way.

I don't have the financial luxury of doing an access to med course otherwise i'd be be on one from next september... this is also why i need to apply to GEP courses... so i kind of have to work full time and do my studying in my own time, hence my interest in distance learning... though i understand i have to organise a lab to do chem prac's.

also...

to current med students...

how relevant are A levels in terms of content... i'm sure Human Bio helps tremendously, but does chemistry help significantly?

Shongi

[kidaz]

Hiya Shongi!

I have the same issue. Did you get an answer, or come up with your own solution? I just want a place to do the exams, I'm quite confident of teaching myself the a-level (chem).

Rory

[Shongi]

G'day Kidaz

Sorry for the delayed reply... been a bit busy.

Still havent come up with a solution, but i'm looking at 2008 / 2009 entry, so i have a little bit of time.

After reading a number of threads on this site, it seems to me that the best way for me to do my a-levels is through evening classes rather than distance learning as this at least gives me access to the practicals, though i did read somewhere that Oxford Distance learning helps with regards to getting coursework marked and validated.

I'm also of the 'do it myself persuasion', hence my drive to do a GEP course (hopefully at Swansea... pls pls pls let it be Swansea)

To be perfectly honest i'm more concerned about the GAMSAT and UKCAT than i am about A levels. At the moment I am trying to find HCA work somewhere to get relevant experience under my belt.

Shongi

[KKerr]

Hello you two

Just wanted to let you know my experience... was in a similar position to you Shongi (did I spell that right) - did most of my undergraduat education in the states and therefore do not have traditional A-levels. One of the Uni's I wanted to apply to was going to require me to do them (Chem, Bio and Physics) - so i bought the distance learning courses from Oxford Distance Learning. The courses themselves are very good - at least the materials they send you - however, the difficulty really is finding a place to do the Chem practicals and to sit the Chem practical exam. I manage to sort both of these things out - luckily I work for edinburgh Uni - so the Chem department here was willing to help me. I was allowed to go along to all of the first year Chem labs - most of which overlapped with the A-level syllabus. Finding a place to take the exams was a bit more difficult - but I did eventually find a place, again in Oxford, called Oxford International. They were pricey - about £700 to do all 3 at AS and again the same at A2. All that said, studying the courses was very straight forward - if you have any science background, the material level is very easy to handle. As it turns out, the Uni that wanted me to do the 3 A-levels rejected me before interview! So the £900 I spent on the courses was a bit of a waste. I am not going to finish them as I already have 2 offers from other unis that arent requiring them. I have offered them up for sale (£150 each including the text books that I bought to go with them) if either of you are interested you can PM me. Buying them from me means you wont have access to a tutor or anyone to grade your assignments - so it depends on how much help you think you will need to get the courses done. You could, of course, always find a tutor in your area.

Hope this is helpful - best of luck!

p.s. if you decide to do GAMSAT - studying the A-level phyiscs is good prepartation, but you will need to do a little more for the Biology and Chem - as they are a mixure of A level and uni level on the test - however, I found I could do both simultnaneously - which I did until i got my rejection!