Year 12 Higher Education Information Evening

1. Year 12 Higher Education Information Evening Welcome!

2. Choosing the right course & university

3. Why consider university? Graduate skills employers look for: Self reliance, people skills, team work, presentation skills, communication, leadership, IT skills, numeracy, problem solving, technical skills, business acumen, diplomacy, dedication, time management • Do what you love doing • Many jobs require a degree • Develop valuable skills • Better jobs and prospects • Earn up to 50% more • Study abroad or do a work placement • A good time; new interests and experiences

4. Graduate premium and employability • The Times reported in 2017 that graduates can expect to see their lifetime earnings increased by over £177,000 over similar students who finished their education with two or more A’ Levels. • Over 40% of the jobs in the UK economy are now graduate level, therefore a degree is an additional qualification when seeking employment • A good degree (First or 2.1) DOES make a difference in the competition for jobs – but so does work experience…… • The ten universities most targeted by Britain’s top graduate employers in 2015 were Manchester, Nottingham, Warwick, Cambridge, Oxford, Durham, Bristol, Imperial College London, University College London and Leeds. • BUT……recruiters stated that graduates who have had no previous work experience at all are unlikely to be successful during the selection process and have little or no chance of receiving a job offer for their organisations’ graduate programmes.

5. What do graduates earn • Graduate starting salaries at the UK’s leading graduate employers reach an average of 25,000 and a median of £30,000 • More than a quarter of top graduate programmes will pay new recruits more than £35,000 when they start work and four organisations are offering salaries in excess of £45,000 to this year’s graduates. • The most generous salaries in 2017 were those on offer from investment banks (median of £45,000), law firms (median of £40,000), banking & finance firms (median of £36,500) and oil & energy companies (median of £32,500), Dentistry £34,840, Chemical Engineering £31,824. • One of the highest published graduate starting salaries for 2108 is Aldi (£44,000 plus Audi A4 car) • https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/careers/what-do-graduates-do-and-earn/

6. Graduate earnings

7. How to choose a course • Academic interest • Career requirement • Transferrable skills • www.ucas.com ‘Search’ Tool for courses • Look for related courses e.g. English and Creative Writing; English Literature and French Studies; English and American Literature. See ‘subject guides’.

8. How to choose a university • Course is paramount • content of modules • method of teaching • method of assessment • work placement/sandwich course • length of course • length & organisation of terms • lecturers & department specialisms • entry requirements – can include GCSEs as well as A-level/BTECs

9. Revised UCAS tariff for A Levels • A* 56 points BTEC Distinction* • A 48 points BTEC Distinction • B 40 points • C 32 points BTEC Merit • D 24 points • E 16 points BTEC Pass • Extended Project Qualification is half an A level so worth half the number of points above.

10. Location • Distance? • Cost of travel? • Cost of living? • Facilities & attractions

11. Old or new?

12. City or campus? Size?

13. Quality and reputation • Main league tables • Subject tables • National Student Survey • Russell Group • Sutton Trust • 1994 Group The top ranking universities require the highest grades.

14. Facilities • Accommodation • Libraries • Sports facilities • Student services • Clubs & societies • Music & arts • Shops....

15. Cost of study • Tuition fees – mostly £9,250 • Living costs • Accommodation • Bills – TV, utilities, phone & internet • Food • Travel costs • Course materials • Social life

16. The competition… • The trend in the last 10 years has been an increasing number of applications but it has fallen slightly in the last 2 years (so has the number of 18 year olds). • UCAS placed 535,200 out of 718,400 applicants into higher education in the 2016 cycle (74.5%) • 33% of 18 year olds entered Higher Education in 2018 – highest ever rate.

17. The competition... • 22,000+ students achieved at least 3 A grades in 2009 (almost double the figure for 1994). • In 2016 25.8% of all grades were A or A* • In 2017 13% students got AAA or higher • About 100,000 students get ABB each year Student attainment has increased since the mid 1980’s but since 2011 has declined slightly.

18. New trend: unconditional offers • The number of unconditional offers has increased dramatically from 2,985 in 2013, to 67,915 in 2018. This rose further to 87,500 once students had accepted a firm conditional offer. • This was 0.3 % of all offers in 2013 and 7.6% in 2018.

19. Degree Apprenticeships

20. Degree Apprenticeship

21. Useful Wesites • http://university.which.co.uk/teachers/introduce-higher-education-options/higher-and-degree-apprenticeships-guide-download • https://www.notgoingtouni.co.uk/ • https://www.ucas.com/apprenticeships-in-the-uk • https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship

22. The year ahead

23. What’s happening now? • Researching courses and universities • Thorough research is essential: - UCAS website www.ucas.com - Institution websites - Prospectuses: official and alternative - Open days - Good university guides - Unifrog • Registering with UCAS and starting to complete the application form • Drafting a personal statement • Check if an admissions test is required and register

24. The Unifrog tools Recording what you’ve done Making applications Searching for opportunities Drafting application materials Activities Post 16/18 Intentions UK universities Personal Statement Exploring pathways Competencies Locker US universities CV / Resumé Interactions Careers library Applications list European universities Subjects library Teacher References Know-how library Oxbridge Common App Essay MOOC Apprenticeships College/ Sixth Form Canadian universities Asian universities Special Opportunities

25. Careers Library • Over 1000 career profiles • Presents information from a range of sources • Includes qualifications and skills needed, interviews with industry professionals and labour market information • Explores progression opportunities and what a working week really looks like

26. UK Universities • Students can enter subject of interest and projected grades to see all relevant university courses available in the UK • Rank and filter opportunities by factors like hours of lectures, price of accommodation and graduate job rates • Get direct links to university information pages, with impartial information on courses and institutions • Save unlimited shortlists to refer back to later

27. Apprenticeships • Students can find live apprenticeship vacancies • Vacancies are updated daily • Rank and filter opportunities by factors like distance from home, weekly wage and application deadlines • Direct link to the ‘apply’ page • Each apprenticeship vacancy includes practical information about the opportunity, employer and training • Save unlimited shortlists to refer back to later

28. Special Opportunities • Includes £5 million-worth of grants, bursaries, scholarships, contextual offers and extracurricular activities • These can be filtered by circumstances or characteristics, depending on the access requirements of the opportunity • Includes direct links for applying • Unlimited shortlists can be created and referred back to

29. Parents & guardians, get signed up! Go to www.unifrog.org/student and click ‘Sign in for the first time’ You’ll be asked for some details and a form code. This is what you need: kshsparents After signing up, log into Unifrog using your email address and password via the student sign-in page!

30. SJSF Events • Friday 7th June – UCAS Launch and Personal Statement Workshop • Friday 28th June – SJSF Destinations trips: Nottingham University or Lincoln University or Lincoln College • Friday 5th July – Cambridge Open Day • Monday 15 – Friday 19 July: Work Experience week • Wednesday 4th September: Apprenticeship talk at Carre’s • Wednesday 30th October: SJSF Careers Fair • March 2020: SJSF Apprenticeship Fair

31. Essential Resources • Heap Guide • Heap online – all Year 12 students have passcode for this • Times Good University Guide • Student planner pages 131 - 155 • KSHS Guidance booklet ‘Purple Booklet’ • https://www.theguardian.com/education/universityguide • https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/ • https://university.which.co.uk/

32. Autumn Term • Teachers give predicted grades - indication of likely grades next year, so assess likely offers of different courses • Complete the remainder of the application form • Meet with tutor and subject specialist to finalise personal statement

33. How to apply • Applications are online through UCAS website • Can choose up to 5 courses (usually similar courses at 5 different universities) • Before students send applications they should see Miss Chant for final checks • Fee is £25 (£20 if only one course): paid online with a debit/credit card • The School Reference is added once the student has paid (written by tutors & subject teachers) • School sends the final application

34. September/October • Can apply from 4th September 2019 • Early deadline: 1st October – Conservatoires (Music) • Early deadline: 15th October - Oxbridge - Medicine - Veterinary Medicine - Veterinary Science - Dentistry • Some students may need to take aptitude tests e.g. BMAT, UKCAT, LNAT; Many Oxbridge courses – let Mrs Parsons know.

35. November-March • Later applications: we aim to send off all applications by Christmas • Official UCAS deadline is 15th January 2020 • Art and Design courses may have a 24th March deadline • Interviews – mock interviews offered • Start receiving offers

36. What happens when the UCAS form has been sent? • UCAS send your form to all the chosen universities at the same time - they cannot see the other choices • Each university only receives details relating to that particular university and course • Some universities/courses will interview but most will send details of the conditions of an offer (or rejection) • News appears on ‘track’

37. Spring • Receive all offers from UCAS (usually by early May but can be June) • Decide which ones to accept and which to reject: usually you accept a conditional firm offer (1st choice), and then a conditional insurance offer (2nd choice). • If no offers received, you can use ‘Extra’ (25th February to 4th July); Clearing opens 5th July. • Apply for Student Loans online by end of May

38. Summer • Take examinations • Results Day: 13th August 2020 • Check UCAS website for confirmation of offers • If unsuccessful, go through ‘Clearing’ or take a Gap Year to re-apply; or reconsider your options. • Opportunity to go through ‘Adjustment’ if you get higher grades than expected • Go to university!