2014-2015

Fab5 Award Winner 2015 - Phil Poskitt

Having been out of education for more than 5 years, I felt a little anxious about getting back into studying. It took me a lot of time & thought to decide on what I wanted to do as a career. After much research and experience through volunteering, I aspired to study Paramedicine at University.

I had applied previously to study Paramedicine at University; unfortunately I wasn't successful. My feedback was due to not having recent evidence of academic study and a lack of relevant experience. I knew a lot about the role & had met with several Paramedics to talk about their career? but universities really wanted to know that I would be able to fulfil this role, that I was a mature & responsible person, caring, compassionate and had the ability to cope with the possible stresses of a highly demanding course.

Over the last year, I gained a whole wealth of experience through a range of voluntary positions; I also started & completed my Access to HE Diploma (Nursing, Midwifery & Healthcare Professions) through DistanceLearningCentre.com. I only have great things to say about them. All of the staff have been incredibly friendly & helpful, the other students have been great to talk with, and most importantly - the course has been enjoyable all the way. Not only have I thoroughly enjoyed taking this course & learnt a wealth of information (on top of full-time work & volunteering), this course has helped me to secure a place at university for September this year. My aspirations have finally become real!

...And to those thinking that they could never go back to doing a course (to further themselves academically or to help achieve their aspirations of a particular career), it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. All I can say is a big thank you to everyone! (Jun 15)

Jan 2017 update: Phil is in his final year of his Paramedic Practice course at Sheffield Hallam University. He only has a couple more weeks of the actual university aspect of things; then only a period of placement to get his hours up before signing off as a qualified Paramedic under registration of the HCPC!

Phil's pure passion and interest in prehospital care has led him to specialise in the areas he enjoys the most. He is now working towards achieving a Diploma in 12-Lead ECG Interpretation with the SCST (Society for Cardiological Science & Technology). He has also recently been asked to go back to Sheffield Hallam as a qualified Paramedic to assist in teaching the ECG modules.

Fab5 Award Winner 2015 - Nicola Theaker

After discovering that my qualifications were too archaic to apply for a midwifery degree, I found the DistanceLearningCentre.com website. The home page and information was easy to follow, offered the course I needed and listed all the universities that had accepted their students; I quickly applied.

Despite the warm welcome, the Access Course has been no easy task. The depth and breadth needed for good grades was challenging but it encourages study and research to a high level which I was fascinated with. The tutors' encouragement and support enables you to build confidence, a learning style and deal with personal crises or academic struggles. And when they are not there at 2am and weekends, the forum is brimming with topics and students helping each other. Help with UCAS was also an invaluable part of the package.

I found keeping a routine of learning and producing assignments along with weekly tutor contact got me through the tough level 3 assessments enabling me to achieve a complete distinction portfolio and offers from the universities I applied to. I have learnt a great deal about myself as a learner as well as the subjects.

I would recommend DistanceLearningCentre.com to anyone who asks and say 'Don't wait'. Life throws all sorts at you; it did to me, as well as looking after 3 young children which necessitated mainly late night studies. Planning in rest and catch up days meant a study/life balance that was manageable whilst achieving my aspirations! (Jun 15)

Nov 2017 update: I am now a 3rd year midwifery student at the University of Central Lancashire. The course is interesting as it uses Case Based Learning (CBL) to teach, which means that different topics are introduced and a scenario including elements of the topic is 'revealed'. The course is 50/50 uni and placement time, arranged in blocks. I really love my time out on placements, the people I have cared for are amazing, the mentors are lovely pacing learning which promotes skills and knowledge. Some days (night shifts) are mega busy.

I still do a lot of study into the night after the kids are in bed, sustained by coffee, but that can wait; I'm loving it and the end of the course is in sight. Pursue your dreams - I have and so glad I took this path. The DistanceLearningCentre.com support really prepared me for the studying.

Fab5 Award Winner 2015 - Geraldine Avis

I have wanted to become a mental health nurse for many years even though I have had a successful career in finance. I decided to get the required qualifications and came across the Distance Learning Centre website and really liked the look of the course with its balance between psychology and biology and decided to do the access course which I commenced in April 2014.

I had a demanding job in finance at the time and couldn't afford to give up work and so knew I would have to be disciplined and motivated to complete the course in my spare time but the course had the flexibility to enable me to do that while still working.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the course although I found it quite challenging, requiring a lot of motivation and self discipline but I have learned a lot and found it very well organised with excellent and interesting study modules. Both my tutors were supportive, knowledgeable and quick to come back with answers to queries. They gave excellent feedback and understanding of what was expected to enable me to improve.

From around October onwards I had a lot of personal issues to deal with and my tutors were both helpful, supportive, giving me practical help and without their support I would not have completed the course, with as many distinctions as I achieved. I would recommend distance learning centre course to anyone who wants to gain an access course to enter university. (Jun 15)

Feb 2017 update: Geraldine commenced study for a three year BSc in Mental Health Nursing at Birmingham City University in January 2016. She has successfully completed her first year and has just started her second year. "I am thoroughly enjoying the course and wished I had done this years ago. The distance learning diploma really prepared me for this course with the biology and psychology modules and I am really glad that I used this route for entry to my degree course."

They are professional, organised, and highly focused on the learner's experience - Christine Huntley

Fab5 Award Nominee

After many years of regretting not obtaining a degree in my early twenties I decided to fulfil my goal and embark on an online degree programme. I applied and was promptly told that I did not possess enough UCAS points to be eligible as UCAS no longer recognised my Level 3 BTEC qualification. I was very disappointed having built my hopes up and was looking forward to getting stuck into my degree. I started to look into online A levels and I subsequently found information regarding the Access to Higher Education Diploma. This was exactly what I needed! With the added bonus that I wouldn't have to do three separate A levels (two of which would have been in subjects I'm not particularly interested in) just in order to obtain enough UCAS points.

I was referred to DistanceLearningCentre.com by the official Access to Higher Education Diploma website. I was immediately impressed with the DistanceLearningCentre.com staff as I received a response to my initial enquiry within hours. I found their website to be very professional and I read many reviews raving about DistanceLearningCentre.com courses.

The online resources provided by DistanceLearningCentre.com are excellent, easy to use and understand. Learning outside of the classroom environment can be challenging however DistanceLearningCentre.com accommodates this very successfully by providing detailed unit materials and activities to test your understanding. You also receive one to one time with your tutors which is invaluable. All of my tutors were excellent, very helpful, clearly experts in their field and highly effective teachers. For example, part of my psychology diploma involved an inferential statistics exercise which I found particularly difficult. I emailed my tutor and we arranged a skype chat where she spent an hour teaching me the fundamentals and talking me through how I should approach my assignment. This hour was invaluable! It all made so much sense after speaking to my tutor which put my mind at ease straight away.

In summary, I would highly recommend DistanceLearningCentre.com for Access to Higher Education Diplomas. They are professional, organised, and highly focused on the learner's experience. (Nov 14)

My tutors were encouraging, inspirational and believed in me, even when I didn't believe in myself - Olivia Edkins

Fab5 Award Nominee

Before I started the Access to HE Diploma in Psychology, I was going through some personal difficulties, including anxiety, and my future had seemed very uncertain. As a result of this, it made it inconvenient to take up a HE diploma at an actual college, so I opted for distance learning. It had been over two years since I had written an essay in English, much less one at this level, and DistanceLearningCentre.com allowed flexibility in study, self-paced learning and constant support from great and accomplished tutors! Without the face-to-face interaction and immediate guidance within a learning environment, it was essential to have a high level of commitment and self-motivation.

The entire experience has really helped me with my confidence and self-discipline. I learnt how to work very independently, whilst balancing up my academic studies with other demands.

Initially I lacked confidence in my abilities, therefore working well up until each deadline, feeling as if I would never be able to achieve the grades I needed in order to be accepted into university. However, after the first three assessments I progressed significantly and I started to feel more confident, over-coming my constant self-esteem. But the resources and support I was given were brilliant, as my tutors were encouraging, inspirational and believed in me, even when I didn't believe in myself.

I am now heading off to Nottingham in September to start my BSc in Psychology. All thanks to DistanceLearningCentre.com! (Nov 14)