The University Dream – Getting in the Back Door

Becoming a graduate is fast becoming a pre-requisite for so many careers and positions.  While a university qualification is not, by itself, a measure of competence for many roles, huge numbers of jobs are now open only to individuals who possess at least a bachelor’s level of education.  Indeed, take up rates of young people entering higher education in the UK alone have nearly reached the 50% mark (though they’re not all graduating of course).

For many people, particularly in older generations when access to University education was more limited, the prospect of going on to study is an unobtainable dream.  However, things have changed in the past few decades with many more institutions offering university level qualification and many of these are only too eager to get more students from all walks of life.  Enrolment rates amongst young and mature students are up across the board. 

Keeping Up Appearances

Despite their commitment to opening their doors wider, and the need to do so driven largely by changes in funding for Universities and other higher education bodies, they still need to keep up their standards.  This means not accepting just anyone onto their courses unless the administration board can reasonably expect the student as capable of passing the course.

There are two things that course administrators want to see from applicants:

  • Examples of competence of learning; prior school qualifications and the like. 
  • A background in the subject at an earlier related level.  For example, mathematics qualifications or financial work experience for an economics degree.  Biology for taking on a medicine programme. 

For many people, this can be difficult to obtain.  Many people simply don’t thrive under the traditional school system were “One Size Fits All”, but might excel at University where a more independent approach to study is required.  As a result, they may not have the grades they need to apply for their course. 

Making the Grade

An excellent way to make up the shortfall in grades that a person might have is to begin independent study in their own time.  There are a huge range of potential courses available easily over the internet which make it easier than ever before to develop a background in academic study as a bridge to University. 

Indeed, higher education institutions love seeing evidence of independent learning from applicants on their courses, as this is precisely what they will ask of their students.  Enrolling in a distance learning course is an excellent way to build the skills necessary for success in any education enterprise – persistence and initiative. 

And it isn’t just for those who may have struggled at school – even at the highest echelons of education having a distance learning course, particularly a relevant one to the subject you want to study, can be the deciding factor in the offer of a place. 

LEAVE A REPLY

BLOG CATEGORIES

MOST POPULAR

ADL Success Stories – Dairy Cattle Farming with Annabella Baker

Education opens doors to success windows of opportunity and in at least one case, gates to new possibilities. Such is the case with ADL success story Annabella Baker.  Originally from Italy, but now living in the UK, Annabella faced a tragedy all too familiar to many when she lost her airline job during the Covid

Read More »

Horticulture – Learn the Basics: Three Problems for New Gardeners

Gardens are hard work.  Behind every immaculate lawn and carefully tended flowerbed is a never-ending struggle between nature and gardener. Of course simply leaving the garden to its own devices isn’t really an option; Untended, plants will grow freely for the whole of spring and summer and even into autumn. Worse yet, an uncared for

Read More »

Henry Hoover’s Broken Plug

Some stories of educational achievement soar into the heavens.  Of individuals who through hard work and toil overcame the challenges in their life to achieve. Certainly, at ADL we’ve seen and helped many individuals achieve their dreams through completing a course which helped them get a place at university or begin a new career. This,

Read More »

King Charles and the Grey Goo

If you’ve been in the UK over the past weekend you might have noticed you had a day off on Monday (or looked on enviously as other people had a day off).  The coronation of a new monarch in Charles the Third means a new era. One that the Monarch is especially keen does not

Read More »

Could You Be a Personal Trainer?

If you’re looking for a side business or career that combines a love for fitness and a mentoring role. personal training might be for you Personal training is at it’s heart all about being able to help people live healthier, happier lives.  By combining physical exercise with essential lifestyle changes like diet they help their

Read More »

SIGNUP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

Scroll to Top

REQUEST A CALLBACK

To speak to one of our course advisors, please enter your name and phone number below and click the "Please Call Me" button. We will call you back as soon as possible!

By submitting this form, I provide my consent to ADL to contact me via email or telephone, regarding the course I selected. All information provided is protected in conformity with our Privacy Policy.

CONTACT US

required fields are marked with *

By submitting this form, I provide my consent to ADL to contact me via email or telephone, regarding the course I selected. All information provided is protected in conformity with our Privacy Policy.