Year 12 H.E. Information Evening

1. Year 12 H.E. Information Evening Welcome

2. Why go? • Are there improved job prospects? • Graduate employment continued to increase from 2009-2011 despite the recession! • The norm for job advertisements is to ask for a degree!

3. What should I study? • Vocational degree? • Continue a favourite subject? • You don’t have to decide on a career! • Consider joint honours or a modular degree • Some courses may be in subjects you haven’t come across or thought about yet!

4. Employers Most interested in the class of degree – how hard did you work at university? Secondly, which university did you go to – how hard did you work at school? Thirdly, what subject did you study – all degrees give transferable skills!

5. Most Popular Courses 2011 • Medicine/Dentistry 10.8:1 • Teacher training 7.9:1 • Nursing 7.9:1 • History 5.5:1 • English 5.7:1 • Maths 5.5:1 • Business 5.4:1 • Psychology 5.8:1 • Law 5.4:1 • On average in total 5.8:1

6. How long will it take? • For most honours courses last 3 years • Foundation year • Foundation degrees (HND) 2 years – work related courses sometimes with a top-up year to convert to an honours degree • Sandwich degrees – include paid work placements – usually 4 years

7. Where to study? • 100 000 courses • 900 institutions • 200 providing traditional undergraduate experiences

8. What is the best university? This question should be - what is the best choice for me! Only thorough research can help here and we have lots of resources!

9. Hardest to get into? • Bristol 10.6:1 • Durham 6.5:1 • Birmingham 7.8:1 • Leeds 7.6:1 • Newcastle 6.8:1 • York 6.4:1 • 10,000 fewer places are on offer in 2012 Source UCAS data 2011 Entry

10. But… • English at Durham is 20:1 • Veterinary science at Nottingham is about 12:1 • Midwifery at Leicester is 5:1 Source: Most recent data available from universities own websites

11. Oxford and Cambridge • Candidate profile tends to self select • You should have all A and A* grades at GCSE • You must have a genuine enthusiasm/passion for the subject and have done a great deal to research it outside the classroom • Ask subject staff for reading lists early (before the summer) and try to arrange tutorials about the topic you have read with subject specialists

12. Oxford and Cambridge • Can you carry out an informed debate about an area of your chosen subject that interests you? • Do you regularly read a newspaper and can you discuss the articles you read with others (even people you don’t know well) showing you have considered the issues in depth? • Carry out careful research into the course and college of choice – which experts teach there? What groundbreaking work have they done? • Make sure you know about the selection procedure in advance and plan written work samples and prepare for tests

13. NEVER MIND THE GRADES, WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND? From 2012 UCAS will give data on the applicant’s school, showing average GCSE and A-level performance and the proportion of pupils in the neighbourhood who go on to higher education.

14. Things to investigate • The course structure and teaching styles • The location • The accommodation • The fees • General living expenses • Travel to and from home • Size • Facilities • Flexibility

15. What do people get wrong? Top reasons for dropping out; I applied because everyone else did I found out the course wasn’t what I thought it would be like I didn’t like the accommodation and felt homesick

16. Where do I start? • Where do you see yourself in 5 years time? • Where do you want to live? • What is your ideal course?

17. What about living at home? • Can you find a quiet place to study? • Do you have access to a good library? • Do you have 24 hour access to an internet computer? • Will you miss out on the social life? • Will it be cheaper? • Are there any special reasons you need to stay at home? • Are you afraid of losing touch with your friends?

18. What resources can I use for my research? • The internet – each student has received a comprehensive list of website addresses • The careers office; Brian Heap – books on courses and offers Websites Prospectuses Open Days

19. Personal Statements Play a large role in whether you get an offer – most courses don’t interview On average admissions tutors spend five minutes reading each application An important opportunity to differentiate you from the competition

20. Selection Criteria • Academic ability and potential • Motivation and suitability for the course • Commitment and self-discipline

21. A word of warning- Originality • Your personal statement is meant to be exactly that: personal to you • So, by all means take advice, but no more help than this • Some universities will use other samples of your writing (e.g. an LNAT essay) to verify whether you did write your personal statement

22. What happens next? • In July students receive predicted grade bands from subject teachers based on module results and performance so far • Research has already started • 22nd June is UCAS/ Careers day. You will be shown how to apply online and receive a workshop about your CV/personal statement

23. In Summary • Year 12 students should have started their research • We recommend students should have a personal statement and have completed the application by the end of July • The target for all applications is October Half Term

24. HIGHER EDUCATION APPLICATION PROCESS May 2012

25. Actions to be taken – (by end of Term 6) • ‘Wish list’ completed • Start looking at places or courses (depending on what you want) • Check if there are additional requirements for your course e.g. BMAT Test • Prepare Personal Statement (we have a Personal Statement day on 22nd June) • Start the electronic application form (again, there will be time set aside on 22nd June to do this). • Think about visiting some of the Institutions you are interested in.

26. Year 13 -Term 1- 2011 • Complete your application form (All electronic)– You will have to complete sections on: • Personal details • Additional information • Courses you are applying for • Qualifications you have taken and are going to take (you will need to know which boards, when you took them and grades obtained).

27. Year 13 -Term 1- 2011 (Cont) • Employment details (including dates) • Any information re disabilities (there is usually help available to you). • Personal Statement (VERY IMPORTANT – your chance to ‘sell yourself’ to your Admissions Tutors) • Get your hard copy checked and signed as correct by your tutor. • Hand it in for your School Reference to be prepared

28. Deadlines • October 15th 2012– All applications for Oxford, Cambridge, courses in Medicine, Veterinary Science and Dentistry must be received by UCAS + additional application material to the institution (Oxford and Cambridge) • End of Term 1 – KGGS target for students to have completed their applications – the sooner you do this, the better your chance, institutions start making offers straight away. • January 15th 2013 – Official UCAS closing date • March 15th 2013 – Closing date for some Art courses.

29. What happens next? • There is no timescale for the next part! • UCAS will acknowledge your application and tell you how you can follow your application on line. • Institutions will reply in no particular order. • Not many places or courses interview formally. Those that do are Oxford and Cambridge, health profession courses, veterinary science courses, teaching courses. • Other institutions and/or courses may ask you to attend an Open Day and talk to them informally.

30. What happens next? • An institution will give you one of three decisions: U – an unconditional offer. Very unlikely as you have not completed your ‘A’ Level qualifications yet. C – a conditional offer. This means that they are offering you a place subject to you achieving certain stated grades or a given number of UCAS points. REJ – your application has been unsuccessful. You can access these decisions on the Track section of the UCAS website. The decision is usually available here before you receive written confirmation so it is worth logging on to your Track section frequently to check.

31. Then what? • You do not need to do anything else until all of the Institutions have responded. • When this has happened, UCAS will send a confirmation of all of the decisions and also give you a date by which you will have to respond to those decisions. • It’s now time to make your mind up! • You can hold one Firm Offer and one Insurance Offer. If you are holding more than 2 offers, you must decline the rest. You need to have thought very carefully about your decisions before you respond.

32. What do I Need to Consider? • Check with your teachers that you are still on course to achieve your predicted grades. • If you have a points offer remember: An ‘A’ grade at A2 = 120 points ‘B’ grade at A2 = 100 points ‘C’ grade at A2 = 80 points ‘D’ grade at A2 = 60 points ‘E’ grade at A2 = 40 points AS grades are worth half so: An ‘A’ grade at AS = 60 points etc (The only anomaly there being that the Extended Project – equivalent to an AS level is the only qualification at that level to have an A* grade which is worth 70 points) We have given you a hand out tonight with this information on. • Also make sure you know if General Studies is included in your offer and also how many of your subjects you can count.

33. More Things to Consider! • It is sensible to include a lower offer for your Insurance Choice. • You don’t have to include an Insurance Choice – just remember that if you do you must have considered this as carefully as your Firm Choice as you could go there!

34. What if I Have No Offers? • You can apply to another Institution for another course in ‘UCAS Extra’. • If you wish, you can wait for results day and go into clearing.

35. Results Day • Time to open the envelope! • Most of you will have seen who is accepting you from your Track before you collect your results. • If you have achieved the conditions of your Firm Offer, nothing else to do other than celebrate! • If you have exceeded your Firm Offer, you can enter the Adjustment Period – but caution!

36. Results Day (2) • If you have just missed your Firm Offer, it is worth phoning the University to see if they are still willing to accept you. • If not, or you are well below your Firm Offer, have you made your Insurance Offer? If so, then it is that University who will be contacting you to confirm your place. If you are below this offer, again, contact them. • Still no joy?

37. Clearing • A system of students without places applying to Institutions with unfilled places. • You can apply to Institutions you had not previously considered for courses that were not on your original application if you wish. • Health warning! Clearing can be fast and furious – it’s easy to make hasty decisions which you later regret. • You will get further advice on clearing nearer the time.

38. Things to Bear in Mind • DO NOT plan to be away on Results Day! You really need to be in control and you can’t do that if you are not there! • Remember that if you hold an Insurance Offer and you are offered a place by that Institution, you must accept it or drop out of the system for that year. According to UCAS rules, you cannot decide that you would rather go into Clearing. • If you have to go into Clearing or have chosen to try the Adjustment period, be ready to take action. Get into the car and visit an Institution you had not previously thought of rather than take a chance!

39. Anything Else? • If you are continuing with Art study, you may be thinking of applying for a Foundation Course before applying for a degree. This means that you will have to fund yourself for this year – so think about where you will study. Take advice from the Art Department on this one! • If you are interested in studying Music at a Conservatoire, you can apply here alongside a UCAS application.

40. Worried about Finance? • It IS expensive and the whole thing sounds daunting. You will be given advice on this in Guidance. • Check out Institution websites to see what financial help they can offer. There are a number of scholarships available at each subject to specific conditions. • The Careers Library has books available for loan that give you excellent advice on Finance , Bursaries and Scholarships. • Martin Lewis has a very clear explanation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpgFYNcz54M

41. None of This is for Me • When you have thought things through carefully and investigated your options, you decide that Higher Education is not your choice, what then? • Tell your tutor and see either Mrs Macpherson or Mrs Tyler for individual help and advice.

42. Resources • There are many aspects to consider and a great deal of research to be done. • You can access the UCAS website: www.ucas.com from any of the school computers. • The Careers Library has a wide range of resources available to you – go and have a look! For example: • Guides to Institutions, including guides compiled by students themselves. • Books by Brian Heap such as Degree Course Offers – a fount of information! • Information on finance. • The ‘Getting Into…’ series – a valuable source of information particularly for gaining a place on competitive courses such as medicine and law. • Information on short courses available to you. • All of the University prospectuses. • Open Day dates. • Gap Year information. • Information on job applications. • And many more!!!

43. And Finally! • It may seem a long way off, but Y13 will tell you that this is not the case! • Make the most of the rest of Year 12 and do the research – it always takes you longer than you think. • Be clear in your mind that you have made your own decisions. • Aim high! • Good luck!