Now, I've heard that doing an ATPL is like doing a degree in a year
I don't see how that can be true. I ended up with a first in my degree (from Birmingham, as it happens) and ignoring holidays (when i didn't study - I reckon about 12 weeks a year, cannot remember) effectively worked sixty hours a week for slightly over two years for that. A fifty hour week would have got me a 2:1. Given the timescale for an integrated ATPL theory course you cannot possibly cover the same amount of material as a three-year degree - there just isn't time.
I'm not trying to say the ATPL writtens are easy - they obviously aren't. Just trying to give a bit of perspective. Of course, you can do s*d all for three years and probably scrape a Pass or third but that's not much use in finding a job either.
(edit: got there just after FFF, as usual
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