Year 12 or Level 3 Year 1 ‘Getting Ahead’

1. Year 12 orLevel 3 Year 1‘Getting Ahead’

2. Aims and Objectives • Consider how you can strengthen your university application • Consider what you will do after you finish your studies • Consider the university application process • Signpost to other sources of information

3. It’s tough out there! • University places are highly sought after and getting one can be very competitive • Some courses are more sought after than others • It’s no longer good enough just to have a degree

4. Research! Research! Research! Things to think about:- • Courses of interest: specialism, combined studies, entry requirements, work placement year, assessment methods, where will this degree take you, what you are actually being taught, contact time with tutors/lecturers • Institutions of interest: Home or away, campus, city, college of H.E, good local transport network, local part time job opportunities, any bursaries/scholarships on offer? • Which qualification?:Foundation degree, HNC/HND, Honours (BA/BSc/BEng/BEd) • If you're not too sure what you want to study. Think me,me,me -in which industry? -indoors/outdoors? -formal/casual? - in a team/self-employed? -office environment? - job with further training -apprenticeship -school leaver scheme

5. Where to research? • www.ucas.com (course entry profiles) • www.prospects.ac.uk • www.push.co.uk • www.uni4me.com • www.direct.gov.uk • www.connexions-direct.com • www.careersa-z.co.uk • www.notgoingtouni.co.uk • Publications: e.g. The Guardian, The Times • Career advisors/Connexions • Individual institutions-websites/open days/ prospectus • Individual company websites

6. Think Ahead: What do employers really want from Graduates? • Imagination and enthusiasm • Ability to use IT • Willingness to learn • Higher level problem solving activities • Creativity • Leadership • Communication Skills • Customer focus • ‘Can do’ attitude • Ability to work in teams • Ability to adapt • Work Experience

7. The importance of Work Experience ‘All work experience is good but relevance to your career choice and interests should be the fundamental factor behind arranging unpaid work experience’

8. Benefits of Work Experience • Needed for particular Careers e.g. Nursing, Medical Related, Teaching, Law • Helps identify possible Career options • Employers love it! • Helps build your skills • Excellent addition to your CV • Establish a network of contacts • Gain a supportive referee

9. for finding Work Experience • Identifying an opportunity • Recognising a broad occupational area and what you want to achieve from the placement • Think about your interests • How much time do you have to spare? • Relevance to your degree subject? • Identify companies you are interested in • Write to HR manager to apply • Prepare for your interview • Show a positive can-do attitude • Treat it seriously

10. Volunteering • Volunteering is another great opportunity to strengthen your skills profile and can help you decide what it is you want to do • www.do-it.org.uk • www.volunteering.org.uk • www.vso.ork.uk • Vinspired.com

11. The University Application process • UCAS stands for the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service • If you want to go to University or a College of Higher Education full time then you can apply through UCAS • UCAS can help you find the right course and University for you and has lots of other useful information about H.E

12. Application Process • Registration • Personal Details • Additional Information- Equal opps. etc • Choices: Courses/Institutes • Education • Employment • Personal Statement (4,000 characters/47 lines) • Reference • Declaration • Pay and Send (If you are at a school or college when you apply they will deal with the payment to UCAS)

13. Personal Statement ‘The hardest thing I have ever written in my life’ Your life in 47 lines Who will read my personal statement? • Admission Tutors within each school/faculty will read your PS • They will have a criteria that they want you to cover and evidence before they make an offer or call you for interview • This checklist ensures the application process is fair • They have a very tough job and will be incredibly harsh!

14. Potential Criteria • Is the student suited to the course they are applying for? • Does the student have the necessary qualifications and qualities for the course? • Is the student conscientious, hardworking and unlikely to drop out? • Will the student do their best and cope with the demands of the course? • Can the student work under pressure? • Will the student be able to adjust to their new environment at university? • What are their communication skills like? • Are they dedicated to this course and have researched it well? • Do they have a genuine interest in the subject and a desire to learn more about it?

15. Essential requirements • Reasons for choosing the course and evidence: Knowledge of course content • What you hope to gain from the course and university as a whole, career/personal development • Career aspirations • Relevant background to show how your current educational course has prepared you and information on work experience/other relevant studies • Any other interests that will help to describe you as a person e.g. hobbies-types of reading, sport, travel, music etc 2/3’s Last paragraph

16. What Happens Next? • Your application is processed • You’ll receive a Welcome letter and a Personal ID number • Your application is accessed by the Universities and Colleges • Your application is considered against the Institutions admissions criteria and decisions are sent back to UCAS • You can view decisions on the UCAS ‘Track’ application

17. University Offers • Unconditional Offers: no additional requirements attached • Conditional Offers: you may have to get certain grades in your exams • If you accept a Conditional Offer you may also accept a second offer (Insurance offer) in case you don’t make the grade for your first choice • Once you have decided which offer to accept and any insurance offer you must decline all other offers • If you do not want to accept any of the offers you have received you can decline them all and become eligible for ‘Extra’ or ‘Clearing’

18. What happens if I don’t get a uni place? • This is something you may need to consider and is the reason you should always choose institutions with a range of entry requirements • UCAS Extra, UCAS Clearing • You may have to consider a different course at short notice ‘For many employees academic discipline is irrelevant - personal qualities and transferable skills are more important’ • You may have to consider a Gap Year or doing something else

19. What if I don’t want to go to uni or haven’t made up my mind yet? • If you are not sure if you want to go to university you could still apply and decide later • School Leaver Scheme • Apprenticeship • Work with training • Get self-aware! • Remember you can go to university at any time in your life!

20. What else do I need to consider? Before University • Student Finance: www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance • Further Work Experience/Volunteering • UCAS application • Draft Personal Statement After Graduation • Further study • Travel/Gap Year • Graduate Scheme

21. Student Finance • Universities can charge up to £9,000 tuition fees per year • Some universities charge different prices for different courses • You will also have the other costs involved in going to university

22. The cost of university and financial help available There are 2 main costs of going to university • Tuition Fees • Maintenance Fees Student Support available • Tuition Fee Loan • Maintenance Loan • Maintenance Grant • Extra Support if you have special circumstances

23. Tuition Fee Loan • To help with the cost of tuition fees to a maximum of £9,000 • Available to all eligible students • Not based on household income • Paid by Student Finance England direct to university or college • Repayable when you finish your course

24. Maintenance Loan To help with living costs-entitlement depends on : • Household income • Where you live whilst you are studying • Year of course Repayable when you finish or leave your course

25. Maintenance Grant • To assist students from lower and middle income backgrounds • Generous grant available if your household income is less than £25,000 per year. Part grant available if your household income is less than £42,000 per year • Non-repayable

26. Other financial support available • There may be university and college bursaries • Extra help for students in special circumstances e.g. students with a disability or with dependents • Certain courses may attract their own funding for example NHS and Social Work courses • National Scholarship Programme • Part Time job

27. University/NHS Bursaries and Scholarships • It is worth checking to see if the universities you are applying to offer any additional funds to do the course • Check out their websites or ring the admission tutors to find out if the department or university offers additional bursaries and what the eligibility criteria is • Some NHS courses (Nursing, Operating Department Practice, Midwifery, Social Work) currently offer bursaries to help fund these courses

28. National Scholarship Programme • Available for bright potential students from lower income backgrounds at universities charging tuition fees of more than £6,000 per year • Institutions may offer one of the following • A fee waiver or discount • A free foundation year where leading to progression to a professional career (for courses with high entry requirements) • Discounted accommodation or other similar institutional service • A financial scholarship/bursary-capped at £1,000 • Universities will decide the eligibility criteria • Information about the NSP will be found on the university website and UCAS

29. Loan Repayments • A small amount of interest is charged from when loans are taken out until they are repaid in full • Repayment begins the April after you finish or leave your course (as long as earnings are more than £21,000 a year) • Repaid through tax system • Any outstanding balance written off by government after 30 years

30. Repayment Examples: A comparison • As the average starting salary of graduates in England is between £16,000 to £19,000 this will mean a significant proportion of graduates won’t repay anything for the first few years

31. Part Time Students • Part Time study is becoming more popular as students can offset the costs of studying by working at the same time • From 2012 for the first time part time students will be able to apply for student loans (as long as they study for 25% of their time) • Part Time students will pay back their loans the same way full time students do-when they are earning over £21,000 per year

32. Things to remember • Benefits of a Degree! • Student Debt is ‘Good’ Debt (no bad credit ratings) • You pay your loans back a little bit at a time • Loans repayments are wiped after 30 years • If you lose your job or are out of work your repayments stop • You can take a break from paying your loan • Banks like to offer incentives to students to open student accounts with them e.g. Natwest offers a free 1 year Railcard

33. Further Information • www.ucas.com • www.prospects.ac.uk • www.thestudentroom.co.uk • www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance • www.notgoingtouni.com • www.push.co.uk • www.connexions-direct.com • www.do-it.org.uk • www.volunteering.org.uk • www.realgap.co.uk Publications: The Independent (Clearing Lists)

34. Time for Action • Set out a list of goals • What do you need to do now? • What is the timescale? • Plan, Prepare, Proceed, Reflect • What have you learnt? • Has this changed your goals? • What do you need to do now?