Transcript Applying To University: Getting Ready

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 Alevels
• Genuine academic
interest
• Can’t think of what else
to do
Why University?
• Graduate career
prospects
• It’s expected
• Natural next step after Alevels
• 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!
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