Summer holidays are a great time to start thinking ahead to the next stage in your academic career. The new school year seems far away and the more preparation you can fit in now, before life gets busy again, the better. We’ve put together some handy hints to help you narrow down your options and encourage you to use your downtime wisely! You’ll certainly reap the rewards come autumn.
Top Tips For Choosing Your University Course
1. Start by identifying the subject or subjects that you love and that you’re good at. Does the prospect of studying them for another 3-4 years excite you? Think about what interests you and how your future career might look. If you already know what you’d like to do, this will guide your decision. And if you don’t, spend time researching possible careers (and relevant courses) related to the subjects you enjoy. Answer the question: what inspires and motivates me?
2. Once you’ve decided on a subject area (or a couple of subject areas), it’s time to read up on the available courses at different universities. If this seems overwhelming, use the subject and course guides on the UCAS website to filter your choices and then click through to each university’s own website. Allow time to read about the individual modules included in each course – and their assessment methods. There may be some courses or modules which really do or don’t appeal!
3. Seek out advice to help you refine your plans. Do you know anyone who is studying now or graduated recently? Find out what worked for them and how they chose their course. Is there anything they know now that they wish they’d known earlier? Talk to parents, older siblings, family members, friends and teachers. Look online for objective reviews. Try chatting to current students on UCAS’s Unibuddy and have a look at the university and college league tables on The Complete University Guide. Some university websites also have a chat function where you can speak directly to current students. Why not give that a go?
4. Consider creating a spreadsheet to narrow down your choices. Give each university / course combination a mark out of 10 for each of the factors most important to you. Is the university renowned for your subject? How likely are you to receive an offer based on your predicted grades? Is it important for you to spend a year abroad or in industry? Where would you rather live – city, countryside, campus? What are the transport links like? How about the cost of living and accommodation? Do you mind how far from home you’ll be?
5. Sign up for Open Days (or virtual Open Days) and visit as many of your shortlisted choices as you can. Before you go, spend even more time researching the specific courses and modules on offer and make a list of questions you want to ask the staff and student ambassadors while you’re there. Make notes during your visit because all your visits will merge into one once you’re back home!
6. As you probably know, you’ll be able to submit applications for five different university courses so it’s a good idea to choose courses with a range of entry requirements so that you have different options on results day! Good advice is to include a couple of courses with grade requirements higher than your predicted grades, e.g. if you’re predicted ABB you can apply for courses asking for AAB or AAA, a couple of courses that have the same entry requirements as your predicted grades, and one or two ‘bankers’. These are courses with grade requirements lower than your predicted grades, good to have up your sleeve just in case you don’t get the grades you’re hoping for.
Here at Titanium Tutors, alongside our subject specialists, we also have a great team of tutors with expertise in University Applications and Academic Mentoring. So, even if you just need a helping hand to get the ball rolling, feel free to get in touch here and we’ll be happy to talk you through the process. Good luck!
And keep an eye on our blog for more interesting reads!
Blog Post Crafted by Sue
Sue co-manages our Admin Team, and has a strong school teaching background.
Sue graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Italian and Latin from the University of Hull and subsequently completed an MA in Language Teaching while teaching at Westholme Upper School in Lancashire (where she also set up the Italian Department). As well as her passion for languages and ancient history, Sue loves discovering new countries and cultures. She completed the London Marathon in 2012 and keeps intending to lace up her running shoes again!
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