A Levels?

[JTBmum]

Hi, ds has committed to a TV project until December. He was half way through his AS levels when he started in April, and arranged with his school to go back and sit his AS next June, with the idea he would go on to do his A2s the following year (although he could go to a sixth form college to do this). By the time he finishes he would be 20, as he is turning 18 this summer. He is considering applying to drama school, either foundation or full degree and wants to achieve a BA qualification. He has also always liked the idea of studying architecture at some point in his life and does not want to spoil his options for the future. The thing is, having had a bit of independence and left school for a period, he is not that excited about the idea of going back to do his A levels. I dont think you need A levels to go to drama school, so presumably he could apply in December and has a chance of getting in. If he did get in and studied acting and achieved a degree, I am wondering if he wanted to do a further degree later on, would having a first degree mean it didnt matter if he had A levels? Or should we just make sure he finishes his A levels whatever?

[tikka]

I guess it would depend on what degree he wanted to do and where - as a mature student (as he would be by then) entry criteria are often different to those require of school leavers. if he had a portfolio of appriate evidence to show he has experience/aptitude/knowledge in the area he wants to study that might do it. I would suggest you pick a uni and a course and phone the admissions dept to ask.

Its quite hard to do A levels once you leave school, or are over 19 even at a college. You would have to pay tuition fees and also it may be harder to find A levels offered at adult ed centres in the subjects you want to do....so it maked a lot of sense to do them whilst they are offered to you, but its really hard if you have lost interest etc. I can see how independence/age etc would make it hard to go back to school.

You also need to think about the funding for 2 degrees. You may be financially secure and its not a problem money wise but - you only get a tuition student loan for your first degree. If you get a BA in Acting (say) and then decide to do a second degree of equivalent status (say another BA or BSc) you wouldn't be able to get another loan to cover the costs. Also the tuition fees are higher (often around £11000 instead of £9000) for the 2nd one if its of the same level.

We have been looking into this as ds isn't totally sure any more so he is thinking about doing a 2 year Acting foundation degree. He could then top it up to a full BA if he wanted to , or if he has decided to change direction a bit (film making atm!) he could then start a new 3 year BA and because this is a higher qualification (BA) than the foundation Degree (FdA) he would pay the £9000 a year rather than the £11000, and he would get a student tuition loan for years 2 and 3 of the BA, so he would only had to find the money up front for the first year of the BA.

Hope that helps.

Good luck with it, its such a hard one, but fantastic to have a TV project on the go. Well done.

[HK1]

Hi JTBmum,

If your dd is considering architecture it is VITAL to have A levels, architecture is a very popular course and without A Levels he wouldn't even be considered. As above, it would be very expensive to study A levels further on in his life if he changes his mind.

I'd also be very wary of saying that you don't need a levels or drama school as increasingly you CAN'T get in without. I know that Central School of Speech and Drama and RADA for example ask for 2/3 A levels at grade C or above. Almost all drama unis require A levels or BTECH points.

My advice for your son would be to stick with his A levels, but good luck whatever you decide.

[Welsh Mum]

Sorry but you are not correct about CSSD requiring A levels. Dont know about RADA but doubt it is the case there

[JTBmum]

Thanks for advice. I did check with RADA and they did say they didn't need A Levels. However most people are advising him to get A Levels out of way. He would need extremely good A Levels for architecture. He's at the age where he doesn't really knwhat acutely what he wants to do in the future. His latest interest is in art direction on film and TV. Not sure how you would achieve that!

[paulears]

The stats suggest that doing A levels as evening classes have better than average results. Mainly because the classes just give essential info and then let the people do the study at home. They're rarely very expensive (in real terms) but getting more difficult to find. The piece of paper isn't that important, but the knowledge certainly is. Going back to college to do A Levels in with the others would be frustrating for a twenty odd year old - and you also need to check that funding will be available. If he enrolled on the AS/A2 level, and then left, he may well have used the funding up - and if he did get it, then he could run short for Higher Education. The usual advice is to pay for the A Level, to keep funding rights intact. Always best to check with the Local Authority.

[pg]

RADA did not ask for A levels (ds had his offer before he knew his results) and neither does Oxford School of Drama. Entry to drama school is by audition, and although a good standard of education is never going to hurt your chances with anything in life, not all drama schools have A levels as a pre-requisite for drama school entry. If you go to NCDT.co.uk you can find all the accredited courses and look at the entry requirements for each school. I've had a quick look through and they all seem to ask for slightly different things.

Here is RADA's

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

candidates must have complete fluency in the English language.
the minimum age for admission is 18.
you will need to demonstrate an intellectual, creative and practical ability to undertake degree level training.

[HK1]

I have quoted this from CSSD's website, look under any acting course then the "admission" page:

"Entry Requirements
Minimum entry requirements: 2 A Levels at C, 3 GCSEs at C, and selection by audition. Normal offers may be higher and depend upon expected grades and audition performance. Exceptionally applicants who do not meet this requirement, but demonstrate appropriate potential, may be accepted."

Drama Centre

"■A Foundation Diploma in Performance (level 3 or 4)
■A pass in 1 GCE A Level
■Passes at GCSE level in 3 other subjects (grade C or above)
OR

■Passes in 2 GCE A Levels
■Passes at GCSE level in 3 other subjects (grade C or above)"

Drama Centre do have a Directing BA but as above, it is vital to have A levels...Unfortunately exams are becoming more and more vital even for vocational professions as I have learnt
"

[Welsh Mum]

[quote=" Exceptionally applicants who do not meet this requirement, but demonstrate appropriate potential, may be accepted."

"[/quote]


This is their "get out of gaol" card - it allows them to take people who audition well without the necessary grades etc. They would not choose someone with the grades over a candidate without thembut who has a fanastic audition.

My DD is in CSSD so I am very familiar with their requirements.

[tikka]

We have been looking at Acting BA at Uni, which i know doesn't compare with the drama schools you are all thinking of BUT if you can't get in at one of the top Drama schools and you decide to try Uni instead then you do need A levels.

We went to an Open Day on Saturday and the Head of Dept explained that the 'admissions' dept weed out all the applications from students who don't have enough UCAS points (300-320 in this case), or have a weak Personal Statement, or who don't show commitment to acting. Those that get past the first hurdle are called to audition etc and spend a whole day working with the tutors.

You could do an amazing audition, but it you can't get past the admissions people you wouldn't get a chance to show your skills. I know they have a different admission route for mature students, but I don't know how old you have to be to be called 'mature'. I expect if you apply at 20 then you still need those UCAS points.

tikka

[tikka]

PS forgot what I wanted to say!!

I asked if OU units could be counted towards the UCAS entry requirements and they said 'no' . They count A level, BTEC, Lamda etc but not OU becasuse it is level 4 work and they only count level 3 qualifications!

tikka

[Welsh Mum]

A Drama degree at uni is very different to vocational training and so the course requirements are different. I am not suprised they will have A level requirements, these courses will also have essays, exams etc which are not part of vocational training.

Some uni Drama courses do not even have auditions to get in.

[tikka]

Yes, drama degrees are generally theory based, but I was talking about an 'acting' degree that describes itself as actor training and is very practical, with a little bit of writing but no exams!

tikka

[Welsh Mum]

OK didnt notice that. If it is a practical course cant see why having 3 B's or better is relevant though