Applying To University: Getting Ready

The University Dichotomy• Students generally want to go to university to make themselves employable

• Universities are recruiting students they hope will be potential academics

Why University?• Graduate career prospects

• It’s expected• Natural next step after A-levels

• Genuine academic interest

• Can’t think of what else to do

Why University?• Graduate career prospects

• It’s expected• Natural next step after A-levels

• Genuine academic interest

• Can’t think of what else to do

Take a Gap Year?

Take a Gap Year?

Several advantages to not rushing straight to university

• Good to have a break from academia• Possibility of earning money to help fund all those books at university

• Chance to experience the world of work before making final choices as to degree

• Helps to mature you as an individual• Try travelling - Travel broadens the mind!

BUT, ONCE A STUDENT DOES DECIDE TO GO TO UNIVERSITY, THEY

NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

UCAS – What is it?• Central organisation through which applications are

processed for entry to full-time higher education (HE) courses in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

• They operate on behalf of all full-time higher education courses at member institutions:

• Undergraduate Degree• Foundation Degree• HNC / HND• Certificate / Diploma of Higher Education

The competitive advantage

Gaining a place at university or college has two stages: Research Self presentation (i.e. the UCAS application)

Choosing a Course – Student considerations

• Vocational interest/career? (Medicine, Law, Engineering…)

• If not sure about career, pursue your academic interest (History, English, Physics, Biology….)

• Look up new subjects (Marine Biology, Zoology, Social Anthropology, Archaeology, Astrophysics…)

• Remember that you will be spending a minimum of three years studying your chosen course/subject, and will ultimately be asked to pay back £27,000 for tuition alone

Researching Universities

• What sort of course do students want to study• Preference as to region? (West of England, the South, Midlands, is Scotland an option?)

• Students need to use university websites for university specific research. (most are uni name followed by .ac.uk, but Google searches are the way!)

• UCAS’s own site allows for comprehensive searches of all courses, with plenty of other good information (www.ucas.com)

Unistats (www.unistats.com) allows for comparative searches to be made:

University Rankings?

Ranking By Different Criteria?

Ranking By Different Criteria?

Self-Presentation – what’s needed?

• Student’s academic interest and achievement, evidenced by AS grades and extra reading or research or related work experience

• This feeds in to the Personal Statement on the student’s UCAS form (autumn of U6th year)

• Other interests – but unis not always that bothered by this; they are recruiting on academic criteria