less competitive universities in london - for master's/post grad

hi,

i'm graduating in june with a b.a. in modern art but my gpa isn't the best.  i do better on standardized tests, but i'm not even sure if those are required for admission to uni's in britain.  anyway does anyone know generally if there are universities that are fairly easy to get into for grad study in london, or manchester or glasgow? i'm not even sure what i want to study and i'm not planning on applying for another year at least, but any info would be greatly appreciated as it is hard to find this kind of info online because it seems all that's out there is which places are hardest to get into. thanks!

lisa

for anyone reading this, i think i answered my own question.  i read another post about someone going to the open university http://www.open.ac.uk/ and it looks perfect.  pretty cheap comparatively and open admissions for the most part.  for people who go there, do you like it?

hi,

i'm graduating in june with a b.a. in modern art but my gpa isn't the best.  i do better on standardized tests, but i'm not even sure if those are required for admission to uni's in britain.  anyway does anyone know generally if there are universities that are fairly easy to get into for grad study in london, or manchester or glasgow? i'm not even sure what i want to study and i'm not planning on applying for another year at least, but any info would be greatly appreciated as it is hard to find this kind of info online because it seems all that's out there is which places are hardest to get into. thanks!

lisa

The only problem with Open University is you can't get a student visa from there. 

Try London Metropolitan (used to be Polytechnic of North London) or University of East London (Used to be North East London Polytechnic) they may not have such exacting entry requirments.  Metropolitan has a high proportion of overseas & mature studnts.

for anyone reading this, i think i answered my own question.  i read another post about someone going to the open university http://www.open.ac.uk/ and it looks perfect.  pretty cheap comparatively and open admissions for the most part.  for people who go there, do you like it?

I could be completely wrong about this, but i dont think anyone actually 'goes to' the Open University... isn't it distance learning?  Kind of like a correspondence course with a degree at the end?

To be perfectly honest, no one ever checked my credentials to get into the Univ. of London. Though I did enter into a Diploma/Conversion Course for the first year so maybe that's why and then I was admitted straight on to the MSc course after that.... But seriously when I applied they didn't even request my transcripts - just proof that I had the degree I said I had....

Uni of London checked all mine.  I had to bring a copy of my BA diploma down to Registry even!  I think because you did a conversion course, it doesn't matter.  But going right into an MA, they check!  Of course, they check AFTER I was admitted to the course. 

Uni of London checked all mine.  I had to bring a copy of my BA diploma down to Registry even!  I think because you did a conversion course, it doesn't matter.  But going right into an MA, they check!  Of course, they check AFTER I was admitted to the course. 

They did want to see my diploma, but that was after I was admitted as well - so it couldn't have had much bearing on initial admissions! They never asked for my transcripts though. 

hmm i didn't think about the student visa thing... i do kinda need that since frankly half the point of wanting to study in britain is to be able to live there longer than 6 months.  have you guys used u.s. loans to finance college? i tried to find a list of programs you could use stafford loans for, but the only definition i found for "eligible programs" was that a student had to go more than half time.  anyway thanks for the info! do you like the university of london? or london metropolitan or university of east london if anyone goes there?

I had US loans funded through MOHELA and AES.  I applied through TERI and then TERI sold my loans (normal practice).  When you do your FAFSA, there's a list of the universities you want your score sent to.  Uni of London is on it, as are any schools that accept Title IV funding from the US Dept. of Education.  I had a good experience, would go back to do my PhD if I could afford it.  Uni of East London is in a rough part of town but that's all I know of it. 

To be eligible for a student visa, you have to be full time so it makes the Stafford loan requirement moot. 

great, thanks.  hey at u of london did they just check your diploma or your transcript too? also what is your masters in?

I had US loans funded through MOHELA and AES.  I applied through TERI and then TERI sold my loans (normal practice).  When you do your FAFSA, there's a list of the universities you want your score sent to.  Uni of London is on it, as are any schools that accept Title IV funding from the US Dept. of Education.  I had a good experience, would go back to do my PhD if I could afford it.  Uni of East London is in a rough part of town but that's all I know of it. 

To be eligible for a student visa, you have to be full time so it makes the Stafford loan requirement moot. 

I teach at two universities here in London (they were both former Polys) and I teach a class for the Open U.  The Open U is not the answer for you, unfortunately because of their policies.  Plus, you'd be all on your own.  All the unis in the UK are desperate for money from international students, so depending on how low your gpa might be, you might want to even try applying to your dream university (as long as it's not Oxford or Cambridge) in addition to the less competitive ones.  I did my MA at King's College, University of London back in the 80s and my gpa for my BA was pretty average.  I do remember having to send transcripts and possibly even letters of recommendation.

pcb

great, thanks.  hey at u of london did they just check your diploma or your transcript too? also what is your masters in?

They only checked my diploma. I didn't send my transcript....

MSc in Child Development

They've obviously made things a lot easier.

I had to submit transcripts, my diploma, write 2000 word essay and have 3 letters of reference.  I went to the same Uni Anne goes to.. Uni of London, IOE. 

MA in School Effectiveness and School Improvement.