BA degree + no a-levels..advice?

[tw5]

I have 3rd class BA degree and never sat for A levels. Ive been going over some other peoples posts in (vaguely) similar situations and noticed that 2nd degree + GAMSAT is potentially a viable plan. But for someone with no A-levels, do you think it would good idea for me to undertake 3 or 4 A-levels + 2nd science openU degree, or is that near impossible to accomplish in 2 years (and score the needed AAA and 2:1) thanks for any help or advice, i really appreciate it, and thanks for reading this!

[Iceman10]

I would do one or the other, not both. The first thing you need to ask yourself is can you afford to pay the fees and living costs for the 5 year courses. That will be £36k plus whatever food, rent and bills will come to (potentially £50k-60k). Another point is that no one knows what the future holds for government funding for graduate courses.

If you can afford that then you could sit A-levels and try, but bare in mind that you'll need AAA, some universities may also not accept people onto 5 year courses if you have a degree (SGUL is one). A-Levels are initially a cheaper way of getting in but if you're unable to get a place they may not help you in whatever else you might choose to do career wise.

You could also apply to Peninsula, they'll overlook the degree if you score very high in the GAMSAT exam. The Peninsula (Exeter) option would allow you to apply in the next cycle so its the fastest option. This would mean that you would be putting all your eggs in one basket, instead of having 4 options, you would only have 1.

The second degree option would open up graduate courses for you. As it stands, you'd be eligible for funding and fee loans, but no one knows how long this will last. You could either go for a new degree or top up your current degree at the open university. You'll need a 2:1 to give you the most choice of universities. Some universities don't accept second degrees (I know BATL is one), if you don't get in the degree could help you as you could choose a field which you might be interested in. With the A-Levels you'll pretty much want to pick chemistry, biology and something else. The degree could take a longer period of time if you do a completely new one or if you replace a lot of modules.

Sitting the GAMSAT exam will allow you to apply to universities with big intakes (Swansea, SGUL & Nottingham). It is a very hard exam, I've not sat it but looking at the questions and seeing the length of the exam (5+ hours), it won't be a walk over.

Apply wisely and to your strengths.

Out of interest have you been able to use your third to find work? I have a third too and I may as well not have gone to university for all the use its been to me. We're in good company though Carol Vorderman & Hugh Laurie have thirds.

[tw5]

Thanks Iceman, great response, alot of info. Correct me if im wrong, but wouldnt a rigorous A-level schedule (for example, if I were to do chem, bio, and physics (or maths)) be a near perfect preparation scheme for the GAMSAT? btw, yes a 3rd has been pretty useless for me also.. --actually not so much useless as unused; i am still working at same job i had while in UNI. Thanks again for all the helpful info

[Iceman10]

A Levels would definitely be pretty good preparation for the GAMSAT exam. Although Acer say the chemistry and biology is first year degree level, a lot of people in this forum have said that A Level revision will suffice.