will UK unis accept a degree mostly from non-traditional sources?

[sarahmac]

Hi,

Wow!  I can't believe I've been a member here since 2008.  Some of you as well as some members who no longer seem to be active, helped me change my life!  Thank you!

My daughter wants to attend a university in the UK.  She was homeschooled and didn't take the SAT or ACT.  She doesn't do well on timed tests because she experiences dyslexia and dyscalculia.  I mentioned this because almost every university we've researched in the UK is asking for the SAT or ACT scores unless the student has one year of RA credit from a US uni, an associate degree or, as you probably guessed, a bachelor degree.

She's finished 4 or 5 classes at Sophia and is working on Eng Comp I through ASU Earned Admission. We hope to continue using ASU EA for a minimum of 12 RA credits as well as Sophia so she can get a minimum of a AA or AS before she applies to a UK uni.

I think she's been out of school long enough to qualify for a Pierpont BOG associate degree though we are searching for other options as well.

Has anyone attended a UK or European university after getting a 2 year or a 4 year degree from one of the colleges or unis typically discussed in this forum?

Thanks!

Without wanting to sound unkind, I am genuinely not sure a UK university is her best option. The entirety of the UK education system is based on timed exams.

When we finish high school at 16 we take 8-10 classes worth of written exams (with generally 2-3 final exam papers per class, each of which is 2-ish hours long). Pre-university from 16-18 is more of the same: 3-4 courses, each consisting of 4-6 classes, each of which requires multiple timed hand-written exam papers. Though the exams get longer (3 hours). These are the exams that are worth college credit in the US.

This is how most university modules are examined too, and because British kids have been through this system they are expected to be very practiced at writing essays and long-format answers and proofs in timed conditions. No multiple-choice tests, not much graded homework, just one handwritten final exam in a proctored exam hall setting that is usually essay or long answer-based (or proof-based if studying a mathematics-related subject). Occasionally some classes will have a midterm, but it isn't that common.

If timed exams are something she struggles with, it would sort of be like setting her up to do badly knowing that this education system doesn't suit her. Allowances are of course made for dyslexic students, they often get extra time and may be allowed to type the exam, but dyslexic Brits have still been through this education system up until the point of starting uni - and so have intensively practiced coping with their dyslexia in this system if that makes sense?

If you have the money to support her, and her goal is to study in the UK or Europe, but not necessarily at a UK or European uni, maybe look into American colleges in the UK/Europe? There are quite a few and they follow the US educational style while still giving her that experience overseas.