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BPP Accountancy Courses
by bhayanid
Having start my acca a couple of years back I am now getting to the end of the course and although I have done most of my modules at home, after an OK experience at Kaplan, I figured it was time to go for classes, to get that extra boost I needed.
With Acca and most other accoutancy course, there are two main schools that ... come recommend by the ACCA themselves, these schools are BPP, that I am reviewing, and Kaplan that I went to last year for a couple of modules. Usually peoples opinions are split down the middle in which school to choose, as prices are similar, as the options available and length and availability of classes, and the number of schools available. There are other colleges you can go to for ACCA classes, but these arent anywhere near as popular, however they are usually cheaper, which is why they are still in business.
In terms of the sign up process BPP was very easy, simply do it online, or if in my case, where the company is sponsoring, you just fill out a form, get your employer to sign agreeing to 30 day payment terms, email or fax it over to the offices at BPP, and 24 hours later you are all booked in for your classes. Nothing easier in life than that, well I guess it could be a bit easier, if it was all instant, but hey life isnt perfect.
In terms of the classes, there is not much to say, a class is just a classrom with other students, and the teacher has an electronic board to teach the class with. I have only ever gone for evening classes, and this was simila to Kaplans, although starting 15 mins later, and finishing 5mins earlier, so a little shorter, but with both classes you get a break in the middle. For example with BPP you start at 6:15, then a break at 7:30 for 10 min, and then the classea finishes around 8:35-8:45.
I can't really recommend on the teaching, as it varies depending on who is lecturing. For example having also used LSBF before I can see that each module varies in quality. I won't mention any names, but it put me of using LSBF off again, as I never knew what quality of service I would get. So far with BPP I found that both lecturers are decent, but one is definetily better than the other. I guess not much can be done, apart from hearing from other people about which lecturer to go to. In a way it becomes a case of choosing the lecturer, and not the college.
The price was around £600 for the module, and at 2.5 hours per class, and 8 classes in total, that comes to £30 an hour, which is a normal price. Of course its not cheap, but the benefits in the long term will practically double the salary you are getting before you completed ACCA. I am currently on 20k which is below market rate for the stage I am at of ACCA, but with the current state and the job crisis I will never ask for a payrise, on the completion of ACCA hopefully this December then I can go and search for a job offering closer to 40k.
The one main issue I have with BPP compared to Kaplan, is that they do not give an exam kit, it is meant to be a tuition course, however they are clearly trying to make you spend more money and go to the revision course, where they probabaly chuck in the practise and revision kit. At least with Kaplan they provided all the material. My company is not funding me to go for the revision classes, so I had to fork out my own money to buy the kits of Amazon, for all the modules I am taking.
Other positives of BPP over Kaplan is that they provide a free drinks machine, so I guess you can make up the cost of the revision kit if you get like 40 hot drinks!
I feel that the online learning at BPP could be made more interactive, and Kaplan has an advantage here with the online practise tests, although BPP does provide a useful hardcopy companion kit, so I guess in that sense you can take it on the move, so this events out, plus there are audio lectures for BPP online, although to be fair I have not had a chance to use them, but once I do, then I will come back to update this review.
Overall I do recommend BPP, but can not categorically tell you to go there for your ACCA classes, what I suggest is that first you find out the teacher that is teaching your class, and see if you can get an opinion online or from someone else, and then take it from there in deciding what college to go to.
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BPP Accountancy Courses
by ridgeway27
After careful research and investigations - and countless conversations with different course providers, I chose to study at BPP - they offer block teaching courses, and allow you to study as quickly (or slowly as you wish).
Having said that they are not the cheapest company to work with - however, as I was not paying, and the ... primary focus was placed on getting qualified as soon as possible - I went with them. It cost £1000 (this is two years ago) for Intermediate Level AAT and this included all study time, all exam fees, all learning materials, AAT annual membership and simulation fees.
Just in case anyone is wondering - the costs for all of these are as follows:
Registration (one off fee) £32
Annual Fee £71
and then depending on the level of the course at which you begin, there are examination fees. I began at the middle tier (Intermediate) so the cost for this (this year) £44 per exam (there are two)
Simulation exams are included free but retakes cost £11 or thereabouts (five need to be completed using the NVQ route to AAT).
As there isn't a BPP near me, I would have to travel to either Reading or Birmingham, and unfortunately, due to work commitments, I had to take a break, but I did pass the exams I sat - which just goes to show that this method of intense learning and taking the exam a week later can work. You do have to do some of the work yourself, but in all honestly, everything is so fresh in your mind so you almost refer back to what you had learned only the week before.
The classrooms were not too busy, and there is a canteen area with PC's available and open for anyone to use if they need to (at no extra charge). I am aware of other people who have been crammed into rooms though, so it is advisable to get there early until you know what the class numbers are going to be like - just in case. They deliver the course very quickly, so it is a case of 'blink and miss it'!
They sometimes off free tuition in case you do fail - it depends on the BPP centre and who you speak to, but on the whole - it is great as they deliver, their textbooks are well informed and they also supply little study notes which condense the information and aid revision.
I have since decided to complete this course at a college more locally and the difference in structure, organisation and delivery is amazing... perhaps it is unfair to compare the two as it is the first time they are delivering the course, and it is over three hours one evening a week - so a very different structure, but if there were a BPP closer by, I would choose to go back with them.
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Music at City University
by kjmccabe
Having Studied Music at City University from 2001-4 I cannot recommend this course enough. According to UCAS, the current entry level for the course is A Level at grades BBC to include Music plus ABRSM grade 7 on any instrument (or grade 8 if you wish to take performance tuition at Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
What I ... liked about the course at City was the flexibility and options available; you can specialise not only in Western Classical Music, but also in related areas of music such as technology, performance and composition or ethnomusicology - this is possible as the entire 2nd and 3rd year of the course is optional and includes no core modules other than Major Project (dissertation)
While I was at City, the breakdown of the course was as follows:
All first year students follow a common path of study, as I studied several years ago, I expect there are some minimal changes in this structure, but generally the modules I completed were as follows:
Music in Oral Cultures 1 (Introduction to Ethnomusicology)
Music in Oral Cultures 2 (North Indian Classical Music)
Western Music 1 (French Grand Opera)
Western Music 2 (Materials of Tonal Music)
Music Sound and Technology 1 (Acoustics)
Music, Sound and Technology 2 (Electro acoustic Composition)
Instrumental and Vocal Composition
Performance 1 (Solo Performance)
Performance 2 (Ensemble Performance)
This initial year opens you mind (and ears) to a wide variety of musics, providing the student with a good foundation to take on more specialist courses at levels 2 and 3. At the moment, the current modules on offer include, among many others:
Composition
Electroacoustic Composition
'Fact' and 'Fiction' : Representations of Composers
The Impact of Wagner
Mozart
African American Music Studies
Jewish Music Studies
Indonesian Music
Music Therapy
This really is a great course, and would recommend anyone interested in a varied programme of study which is different to many of the more traditional courses out there, check out the website: www.city.ac.uk/music
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