After A Levels

[MikeSamuel]

I was just wondering...I'm going to be applying for sponsorships etc... after A Level - (Summer 2002). I just wondered what everyone else generally does in the time in between the end of their studies, and the time when/if they are accepted for sponsorship.
I heard that BA course actually starts in around Feb!
What's the real story then...Should I apply for uni, and go - but be prepared to drop it should I get accepted. Or should I go out and work, and if I don't get in, attempt to self-fund...HELP!!!!

Regards

Mike

[This message has been edited by MikeSamuel (edited 03 June 2001).]

[MikeSamuel]

Please read me, don't shove me off the bottom http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/frown.gif

[spikyt]

yeh dont shove this off the bottom! a correct answer wouild be interesting to me too!

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BA wannabe!

[EGPFlyer]

Mike,
BA courses start every 2 or 3 months. in my opinion, you should apply for university as a back up..it wont hurt taking 2 days off to go to the aptitudes/final board. If you get in then you can quit, but if you dont then at least you wont have all of your eggs in one basket.

All the best,

P :)

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Dont leapfrog bollards while drunk. It hurts.....

[skysoarer]

My immediate response would be... if you can (or have the opportunity to) go to university then do it! Now is the best time.
Why do I say this? Ok, all goes peachy and you get on a sponsorship, get the ATPL and work for an airline for a few years. Then Bang, you fail the medical renewal on something uncorrectable such as a heart condition, epilepsy, blood pressure, etc. If your unlucky you may end up jobless, if you have a degree or equivalent then this is where it can kick in. Just the degree status can allow you to get a job in a wide range of interests, A-Levels aren't quite enough in todays competitive world but they're still good to have. Airlines running sponsorships will smile upon people who have done higher level education as it shows a willingness to work and research.

I was thinking much the same in the final year of A-levels and sent a letter to BA. The reply said call them, which I did and they told me the same ... I went to a Cabair seminar, and they reflected this.

Only if you are really confident that you could get other work if all went t*ts up, or none of your relatives suffer from conditions that you may have (just not showing, yet...), should you consider training straight after A-levels.

I do hope this advice is of some help. My email is [email protected] if you have any further questions, otherwise I shall monitor this thread to see how it progresses.

Best regards;

Graeme Scott
[email protected]

PS: Forgot to say- by all means apply to sponsorships to get experience in the sorts of tests/exercises they run. Sponsorships running through Cabair are good for this.

[This message has been edited by skysoarer (edited 04 June 2001).]

[Superpilot]

I personally feel a vocational qualification, such as a MCSE can often go a lot further than a degree. If like me, you are very eager to work in a professional environment but have neither the patience for, or interest in a degree, then get yourself one of these. I started of as a junior, no experience - just the pro status, my 4 year seniors are on a silly salary - and we didn't need a degree (just a different viewpoint). Of course other fields will require a degree.

[jonathang]

Dear MikeSamuel,

I was in a similar position as you were. I decided to go to Univercity while I apply for BA. It gives me something to do while I wait. I do however advise that you spend sometime looking at courses very carefully and ASK previous students what the course is like. I am stuck on a very boring course. Make sure you want to do the course for the right reasons.

JonathanG

[skysoarer]

Note I did say degree Or equivalent...

It really depends on what you want to do, so note the words of Superpilot.

I'm on a degree at RMCS near Swindon, and its pretty cool. Its actually a degree where you get a fair amount of practical experience whatever course your on. The only annoyance is that Cranfield is pulling the plug on undergrad courses in a couple of years as they want more students here and to cause overcrowding and RMCS don't want that.

Regards;

Graeme Scott
[email protected]
(or at least my email would be that if it would stop giving internal server errors...)