CHOOSING A COURSE AND UNIVERSITY MAIN TOPICS Choosing

CHOOSING A COURSE AND UNIVERSITY

MAIN TOPICS • Choosing your course • Choosing your university • Finding information • Timeline

CHOOSING YOUR LEVEL OF STUDY Honours Degree BA or BSc or BEng 3 or 4 years Foundation Courses Course before degree. e. g. Art foundation, Engineering etc. 1 year Foundation Degrees - Related to specific career paths - Designed with local employers - Can continue to honours degree in 3 rd year 2 years Higher National Certificate and Higher National Diploma - Practical subjects - Well-recognised by employers - Standardised qualification - Can continue to honours degree in 2 nd or 3 rd year 1 year 2 years

CHOOSING YOUR SUBJECT Over 38, 000 courses on offer! Favourite subject? Try something completely new? Develop out of school interest? Career in mind?

TRUE OR FALSE? Surf Science Extreme Sports Studies Fish Farming Fashion Sportswear Golfing Management Oscars Dress Design Parent Management David Beckham Studies Road Management Baking Technology

TRUE OR FALSE? TRUE FALSE Surf Science David Beckham Studies Universe Extreme Sports Studies Fish Farming Oscars Dress Design Golfing Studies Parent Management Fashion Sportswear Road Management

Length of course Modular Full-time / Part-time Course Structure Sandwich course Combined / Joint honours Major / Minor

COMPARING THE COURSE Content Teaching Styles Does it cover your interests? Lectures, seminars, practicals, independent study Look at specific topics Professionally accredited? Assessment type Class sizes www. unistats. direct. gov. uk

WHAT DID THEY STUDY? JOHN: Police Sergeant Marketing Management with Economics HANNAH: Primary Teacher American (United States) Studies TONY: ‘Contracts Director’ for architectural glazing firm DAN: ‘Marketing Executive’ for IT distributor HELEN: ‘Corporate Partnerships Manager’ for RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute) KAT: ‘Media Buyer’ for advertising firm TONI: Cabin Crew for Virgin Atlantic Biological Sciences Biology Psychology Politics and History of the Middle East with Arabic Primary Teaching

WHAT DID THEY STUDY? JOHN: Police Sergeant HANNAH: Primary Teacher TONY: ‘Contracts Director’ for architectural glazing firm DAN: ‘Marketing Executive’ for IT distributor HELEN: ‘Corporate Partnerships Manager’ for RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute) KAT: ‘Media Buyer’ for advertising firm TONI: Cabin Crew for Virgin Atlantic Biology Primary Teaching Biological Sciences Marketing Management with Economics Politics and History of the Middle East with Arabic American (United States) Studies Psychology

CHOOSING YOUR UNIVERSITY Entry Requirements Size Financial support Reputation Location Facilities

LOCATION

Campus or town? City or country?

HOW FAR?

ACCOMMODATION Where will you be based?

FACILITIES Student Union services Student Union Clubs and Societies Bars and Club nights Sports Facilities Libraries and Computers Part-time work

WHERE TO FIND INFORMATION UCAS www. ucas. com Prospectuses, web sites and course leaflets Open-days Exhibitions Admission Tutors Independent guides, e. g, Virgin, Times, Guardian, Brian Heap

TIMELINE 2013 Summer 2013 September onwards Register with UCAS Write personal statement Apply to UCAS October 2013 January – Easter Oxford/Cambridge/ medicine deadline 2014 Receive offers and choose 2 universities

THINGS TO REMEMBER § Start Researching NOW! § Don’t panic o Something for everyone o Career plans not vital § Research course content o Right level of study o Areas you are interested in § University choice o Realistic entry requirements o Visit before applying! § Deadlines and Timeline

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT UNIVERSITY www. unipodadvice. com

Any Questions?