Success at Corsham6th & Applying to University

1. Success at Corsham6th& Applying to University 2018

2. Student Finance & Money Matters

3. Student finance • True • True, but Gov’t recently sold old debts • True • True • True, but loan may not cover all costs • True • True, but your disposable income will be lower • You don’t need cash to pay for university • There are no debt collectors • Earn under £21,000 and repay nothing • After 30 years the debt is wiped • Loans for living costs are available (depending on where you live, study and household income) • Paying fees up front could be a big mistake • Student loans do not go on credit files and does not affect getting a mortgage

4. Student Finance • UCAS website has a number of useful, very short videos explaining Student Finance which are worth looking at for an overview • www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/undergraduate-student-finance-and-support • If you are on Facebook, it’s worth ‘liking’ Student Finance Facebook page for reminders and information

5. Paying it back after finishing university • The Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates only the 23% HIGHEST-earning graduates will completely repay their loan. • Effective marginal tax rates 2017/18

6. Applying for Student Finance & how much will I get? • Apply online www.gov.uk/apply-online-for-student-finance • Students can apply soon after Christmas; they don’t have to wait for final offers. A reminder goes on the weekly bulletin. • Before this time you can get a rough idea of what you might get by using the calculator www.gov.uk/student-finance-calculator • All students can have a loan for the fees and a minimum loan of c£3900 • Any additional amount students receive will depend on: • where they are studying – in or outside of London • where they will be living – at home or away • household income • You will need to provide evidence of household income and this is based on the tax year ending 18 months prior to the start of the course. However, if household income has changed by more than 15% it may be worth completing a ‘Current Year Income Assessment Form’

7. Do parents have to contribute? • Moneysavingexpert.com gives useful info: http://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2016/09/02/how-much-are-parents-supposed-to-give-their-children-when-they-go-to-university/ • An article in The Financial Times 26th May 2017 by Martin Lewis also talks about this www.ft.com/content/16ee17c0-3979-11e7-ac89-b01cc67cfeec • But, likely ‘Yes’

8. What might I have to contribute?- based on household income – - and will depend where in the country the student lives

9. Approximate monthly private rental around the country – after a year in halls(NB halls normally 10 month contract, private normally 12 month contract) • Liverpool £225 • Swansea £296 • Manchester £300 • Cardiff £317 • Portsmouth £325 • Bournemouth & Loughborough £350 • Warwick £368 • Southampton £385 • Bristol £396 • Bath £450 • Oxford £464 • Belfast £472 • Worcester £476 • Cambridge £592 • Guildford £650 • London £720

10. What about living costs? • Average monthly bills, eg water, electricity, broadband £35 - £60 depending on number sharing • General living costs, eg food, going out, phone contract, trip(s) home, c£50 per week • 1st semester tends to be the most expensive due to: • Set up costs eg kitchen equipment, bedding • Joining clubs and societies; Sports clubs will also incur insurance costs • Initial food shop • Railcard purchase? • Christmas?

11. Current students’ advice • Take advantage of discount cards, eg Railcard, NUS Card, Uni ID card, Unidays • Don’t buy recommended course books until you really need them – or use the university library • Go to ‘Freshers Fayre’ and pick up some freebies • Think about part time or holiday jobs • Check out other discounts – don’t pay full price if you don’t have to

12. Is there any additional money available? • Yes • Research and apply • University bursaries available: for high achieved grades and/or household income • Bursaries or scholarships via professional bodies eg Institute of Civil Engineers • Wiltshire Community Foundation offer means tested University grants – www.wiltshirecf.org.uk/grants-to-individuals - keep an eye on the bulletin. Applications will open January 2018 • Bursaries are often offered to students after a placement year • Relevant holiday/part time work – look at large companies that may have trusts

13. Success In Year 13 2018

14. Attendance • More flexible system • If free period 1 or 5 • Form submitted to adjust timetable (ILP) • Must register if on site • Must sign in and out • Must register at least once per day • Must attend all tutorials and assemblies

15. A* • If gained an A at AS • Gain 90%+ at A2 • = A*

16. A Level Results 2017 • A-E pass rate was 99% • Proportion of A*A grades reached over 18% of all entries • Grade A*- B pass rate reached 48%

17. A Level Headlines • Some of the achievements were particularly noteworthy: 2 students getting into Oxbridge. • 8% of students achieved AAB or higher in at least 2 “facilitating subjects*”

18. Now is the time to • Finalise your choice of Universities and degree courses • Register with UCAS and start filling in the application form. • Have the 1st draft of your personal statement ready to develop • Visit Universities or check out a virtual tour online

19. Key dates 2017/2018 • 15 October - closing date for Oxbridge, medicine, veterinary science – School deadline FRIDAY 29th Sept. • 17th November School deadline for all other applications ( 10 weeks away) to ensure your application is sent before Christmas • 15 January - MAIN UCAS CLOSING DATE • 26 February - UCAS Extra begins (for late applicants, those that have changed their mind or those who have no offers) • 31 March - majority of decisions made by institutions

20. Making an application • Over 50,000 courses to choose from • Only have five choices available on your form – Blind process • Only 4 for Medicine, Veterinary Science & Dentistry • Oxford OR Cambridge • UCAS processes over 2 million undergraduate applications a year • Lots of competition – it is important to have a strong application form

21. Making informed choices • Research the 4 C’s (course, career, campus and city) • Be realistic about your choices, for example: • 2 ambitious entry requirements to aim for • 1 match to your predicted grades • 2 lower entry requirements to fall back on. • Use UCAS Course search to find all the available subjects and courses, shortlist your preferred courses and compare these using www.unistats.co.uk.

22. UCAS: Universities will respond with an offer in either grades required or points required The EPQ also attracts AS points, and is the only AS equivalent that can be awarded an A*

23. The Personal Statement • 47 lines • 4000 characters including spaces

24. Excellent Personal Statement Clever, high impact opening sentence - this is usually written last to avoid getting a ‘block’ about it Over half about the subject area - shows real passion for the subject area - academics are passionate about their subject! Work experience/career aspirations Super-Curricular Shows real personality

25. Deadlines • These are real deadlines! • 15 October - closing date for Oxbridge, medicine, veterinary science – School deadline FRIDAY 17thSept. • 17thNovember School deadline for all other applications ( 10 weeks away) to ensure your application is sent before Christmas

26. Help and Advice • We are here to do this; CORE sessions, external experts, 1:1 advice, 6th Form careers adviser- Kate Hall • Bath University – Personal Statement workshops The application should come from a notional 17 /18 Year old . Plagiarism software will be used on the personal statement.

27. Help • Please encourage students to read their emails • UCAS – Parent Guides • Check access awards, scholarships & bursaries on university websites