You could consider enrolling to an access to HE course at college. It typically runs over 9 months. My classmates age ranges from 19-51. Im currently in the last leg of mine and it’s been an amazing journey. Apart from being a confidence booster, I feel really equipped for uni with academic writing skills, presentation skills and group working skills? Idk if that’s a thing. The ucas grade requirement differs based on what uni course you’ll be applying to and unis typically love access students. Best of luck with whatever you decide to do in the end :)
Either that or a foundation year. HE courses tend to be more general, e.g. a humanities course. Whereas foundation years set you up for the foundation of your degree, so if you want to study history then the foundation year will be just history (and essay skills) rather than a mix of history, English, sociology, and philosophy like a HE course would be :)
Edit: for example you would be eligible for a history foundation year at Oxford Brookes with 72 tariff points. You have 96 tariff points so you’d be accepted :)
If you want to go to uni, then definitely go for it! Obviously it depends what you want to study. What are you considering? Something like medicine or other STEM subject is obviously going to be difficult to get onto with your grades- you’d probably have to go to college and retake A Levels etc.
However an Access to HE course would be perfect for something in the humanities or less STEM focussed. Also it would teach you about academic writing and ease you back into education.
I think that, regardless of where you study, you’d really struggle going straight into education at 30 having not studied in 12 years. An Access to HE course would be really good for you.
Humanities would probably be the route, but something that's a step away from previous fields of work, if that's likely to make a difference. There's been an apprenticeship with coursework and classroom components on the more recent side of things, but not something I'd call academically intensive.
Would you suspect there's anything to lose by putting in applications for undergraduate courses and Access to HE at the same time, then simply backing out of the Access to HE before it starts if the uni applications are accepted without it? Besides losing out on the preparatory experience, that is. Maybe it isn't sensible, but I don't want to burn another year if I can get away without doing so.
I was kind of in the same boat in January, I'm 29, been a self employed carpenter since college, decided to apply for uni, eventually found my college btec and worked out my UCAS points, I have 78, and the course I applied for is 110-120, out of 5 choices I got 3 unconditional offers! So it's certainly worth a go, you'll never know if you don't try :)
Yes. You probably have enough UCAS points to do a foundation degree. Apply through Clearing as some uni would accept 32 points at that time depending on the course.
I just got into Goldsmith’s, Birkbeck, and Middlesex for applied psychosocial studies, psychotherapy and psychology at 35 as an American who failed high school back in 2006 and has been bartending and freelancing in film since.
You can get in if you write a banger personal essay. I wrote mine in 2 days on hardcore narcotics after ankle reconstruction surgery. First essay I've written in nearly 15 years. Got my acceptance 2 days after submitting it. You have so much more to say than most of 18 years writing about jobs and careers they don't know about yet.
What do you need the degree for? What do you need and want to learn?
I’m taking on $250,000 in debt because I need a MA and license to practice as a psychotherapist and all I do is think, read, and talk about that kind of work. I’m also not paying the private predatory US lender back so that immense debt is no sweat off my anarchist back, but you may have different principles and relationship with the government than me.
Why not apply and see how you feel after you get your response?
Hi, I was in the same position at the same age. My advice would be to have a laser focus on the specific course and institutions you want to get into, then find the admissions team and ideally the head lecturer for the course. Email them both asking to have a quick zoom or buy them a coffee as you're interested in the course, and have an honest conversation with them about why you want to do it and your background. Then write a banger of a personal essay.
My uni relaxed the grade boundaries based on this approach, as I demonstrated skills from the workplace, a good attitude and genuine enthusiasm about the subject and teaching. Best of luck!
>and I'm considering selling the business and giving it a shot. Is this a realistic plan, or am I likely to just get laughed at?
It is one realistic plan, and no you will not get laughed at.
Another realistic plan is to keep the business, and do the degree either part time (in the evenings) or via online/distance learning (eg the OU or Arden, just to name a couple).
You could consider enrolling to an access to HE course at college. It typically runs over 9 months. My classmates age ranges from 19-51. Im currently in the last leg of mine and it’s been an amazing journey. Apart from being a confidence booster, I feel really equipped for uni with academic writing skills, presentation skills and group working skills? Idk if that’s a thing. The ucas grade requirement differs based on what uni course you’ll be applying to and unis typically love access students. Best of luck with whatever you decide to do in the end :)
Thank you, very useful info.
Either that or a foundation year. HE courses tend to be more general, e.g. a humanities course. Whereas foundation years set you up for the foundation of your degree, so if you want to study history then the foundation year will be just history (and essay skills) rather than a mix of history, English, sociology, and philosophy like a HE course would be :) Edit: for example you would be eligible for a history foundation year at Oxford Brookes with 72 tariff points. You have 96 tariff points so you’d be accepted :)
If you want to go to uni, then definitely go for it! Obviously it depends what you want to study. What are you considering? Something like medicine or other STEM subject is obviously going to be difficult to get onto with your grades- you’d probably have to go to college and retake A Levels etc. However an Access to HE course would be perfect for something in the humanities or less STEM focussed. Also it would teach you about academic writing and ease you back into education. I think that, regardless of where you study, you’d really struggle going straight into education at 30 having not studied in 12 years. An Access to HE course would be really good for you.
Humanities would probably be the route, but something that's a step away from previous fields of work, if that's likely to make a difference. There's been an apprenticeship with coursework and classroom components on the more recent side of things, but not something I'd call academically intensive. Would you suspect there's anything to lose by putting in applications for undergraduate courses and Access to HE at the same time, then simply backing out of the Access to HE before it starts if the uni applications are accepted without it? Besides losing out on the preparatory experience, that is. Maybe it isn't sensible, but I don't want to burn another year if I can get away without doing so.
what about open university
Let's assume the intent is to go the traditional route for the sake of this question.
I was kind of in the same boat in January, I'm 29, been a self employed carpenter since college, decided to apply for uni, eventually found my college btec and worked out my UCAS points, I have 78, and the course I applied for is 110-120, out of 5 choices I got 3 unconditional offers! So it's certainly worth a go, you'll never know if you don't try :)
Really glad to hear that. What's your course? Does it tie in well with the carpentry?
Yeah building surveying:)
Yes. You probably have enough UCAS points to do a foundation degree. Apply through Clearing as some uni would accept 32 points at that time depending on the course.
I just got into Goldsmith’s, Birkbeck, and Middlesex for applied psychosocial studies, psychotherapy and psychology at 35 as an American who failed high school back in 2006 and has been bartending and freelancing in film since. You can get in if you write a banger personal essay. I wrote mine in 2 days on hardcore narcotics after ankle reconstruction surgery. First essay I've written in nearly 15 years. Got my acceptance 2 days after submitting it. You have so much more to say than most of 18 years writing about jobs and careers they don't know about yet. What do you need the degree for? What do you need and want to learn? I’m taking on $250,000 in debt because I need a MA and license to practice as a psychotherapist and all I do is think, read, and talk about that kind of work. I’m also not paying the private predatory US lender back so that immense debt is no sweat off my anarchist back, but you may have different principles and relationship with the government than me. Why not apply and see how you feel after you get your response?
Honestly the access course is amazing and gets you ready for university
Hi, I was in the same position at the same age. My advice would be to have a laser focus on the specific course and institutions you want to get into, then find the admissions team and ideally the head lecturer for the course. Email them both asking to have a quick zoom or buy them a coffee as you're interested in the course, and have an honest conversation with them about why you want to do it and your background. Then write a banger of a personal essay. My uni relaxed the grade boundaries based on this approach, as I demonstrated skills from the workplace, a good attitude and genuine enthusiasm about the subject and teaching. Best of luck!
>and I'm considering selling the business and giving it a shot. Is this a realistic plan, or am I likely to just get laughed at? It is one realistic plan, and no you will not get laughed at. Another realistic plan is to keep the business, and do the degree either part time (in the evenings) or via online/distance learning (eg the OU or Arden, just to name a couple).