EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY , THE RIGHT NEXT STEP ?
FROM GRADING FIASCOS TO UNPRECEDENTED IMPACTS ON EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS , MANY ARE QUESTIONING WHETHER UNIVERSITY IS THE RIGHT NEXT STEP . WHILST 1 IN 4 PARENTS AGREE THAT THEIR CHILD ’ S LONG-TERM UNIVERSITY PROSPECTS HAVE BEEN DAMAGED IN THE WAKE OF THE PANDEMIC *, UNIVERSITIES ARE NOW PREPARING FOR A POST-PANDEMIC RUSH IN APPLICATIONS . SO , IS UNIVERSITY THE RIGHT CHOICE AND HOW SHOULD YOU PREPARE ? BY SAMANTHA READY
The start of a new academic year also brings with it the rollercoaster of next step decision making , including the often difficult decision about whether to apply to university , which course to undertake and when to begin ? And of course this year ’ s decisions have been further impacted by a loss of summer term university visits and UCAS preparation .
Here are my top tips for university applications and decision making :
1 . Break down the decision making and application process
It can be completely overwhelming trying to make so many decisions all in one go . Instead of dealing with the stress of everything as one big decision , break down the big picture of ‘ going to university ’ into smaller bite sized decisions .
The main thing for those that are unsure about whether they want to go to university at all is to keep options open . Remember , by completing an on-time UCAS application your teen is only deciding to ‘ apply ’ to go to university , not to attend an interview , not to accept an offer , not to enrol , not to start a course ; this can make the first step less intimidating , allowing much more time for final decisions about gap years , pandemic impacts and finances ; whilst not closing the door completely which could be ( and in my experience often is ) regretted come the summer !
Once the decision to ‘ apply ’ has been made , concentrate on type of course , start date , and institutions .
Remember that the UCAS application form is broken down into sections too , complete all of the personal information sections and education sections first and then focus research on courses next . Finally the personal statement should be done last to ensure it is suitable and relevant for the courses chosen .
The next decisions can be broken down into which offer to accept ( pros and cons lists can help this ), where to live , what finance to apply for etc .
2 . Where and what
There are lots of things to consider when applying to university , aside from whether further study is necessary , useful , relevant and appealing .
Ensure you factor in the following :
• Do you want to study close to home or live away ?
• Do you want to have a campus life , be in a big city , or be in a smaller specialist building ?
• Are there certain geographical areas that are better for the course you wish to study ? – e . g . music courses in cities or towns with a thriving music scene ; agriculture courses in rural locations ; marine biology close to the sea !
• The resources of your chosen department and student access to specialist equipment – the worst I ’ d seen was a dance course taught on non-sprung floors and a fabulous new media centre that was only accessible to third year students .
• The staff and research teams of your chosen specialism including the reputation of the department , institution and alumni .
• The entry requirements for the course .
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