Preparing for study
As well as coming from a wide range of backgrounds, our students have a variety of academic qualifications and experiences. Some of you may not have studied for a while, or not have much previous academic study experience. During the first year of our BSc in Acupuncture we will help you to gain the academic skills you need to succeed on the course and there is extra help if you need it from our study support tutors. However, you can help yourself to prepare in advance for studying with us - in a variety of ways.
IT skills
If your IT skills are a bit rusty, or you have not worked much with IT, we recommend you take a basic IT course such as CLAIT or ICDL. You can access these courses online or get in touch with your local Further Education College to see what they have on offer. Not only will you find enhanced IT skills useful on the course but they will stand you in good stead when you are running your own business as a fully qualified acupuncture practitioner.
Paul Davison - graduate
"I am from an army background and hadn’t done much academic study before, so the NCA’s advice about preparatory online courses in study skills was very helpful. I took a couple of free courses in the year before I started at the NCA including the courses.org “Learning how to learn” which helped me to recognise how I learn and put strategies into place. Now I am in practice I am glad that I did this and would highly recommend looking into what’s available and choosing the right preparation course(s) for you."
Introduction to academic learning
If you are returning to study after a long break or have English as a second language, you may have concerns about being ready to study at university level. There are some free online courses which you may like to study, before coming to the NCA, or within your first year here.
We also recommend the following book to all students who have not studied for a while:
Burroughs, C., 2019. The Return to Study Handbook: Study Skills for Mature, Distance, and Workplace Learners. London: Kogan Page.
Study skills
We highly recommend this book as a helpful guide if you are returning to study after a long break: Burroughs, C., 2019. The Return to Study Handbook: Study Skills for Mature, Distance, and Workplace Learners. London: Kogan Page
Taking an A level or O level
Taking an A level or GCSE is a good way to get back into academic study and your local Further Education College will probably provide A level and GCSE as night classes. We suggest Human Biology as a useful area of study – however any subject will get the grey matter working and get you back into study mode.
Getting hands on
Taking an introduction to bodywork course or another complementary discipline such as aromatherapy can be a great way of learning how to work with people in a healing environment.
