Questions to ask at open days

1. What are the library opening times? Do they change during the exam season?

2. Have you ever had any problems in your halls?

3. What services (laundrette, computer room, gym etc.) are there at the halls you’re looking at?

4. What support services are there (advice centre, money help, student services)?

5. What other computer/printing facilities are there on site?

COURSE SPECIFIC

6. How easy is it to find course material in the library?
7. How many contact hours/how many hours do you spend doing homework a week?
8. What are the tutors like?
9. What extra support could you get leading up to exams?
10. How many people are there on your course?

REALLY IMPORTANT

11. How many times have you been out at three in the morning due to a fire alarm?

Who to Accept

Just over a week since I sent off my application, I’ve received responses from all but one of the universities I’ve applied to. Success! Now I, like many teenagers, have to face the decision of picking my firm and back up choices.

Last year I knew for sure where I wanted to go. I did the whole preparation: going to see the university the summer before, reading every detail on the website, visiting accommodation. Southampton was going to be my firm choice. That was a certain.

My back up choice was a little more difficult. Normally, it’s important that your back up choice has lower grades than your first. This is because the point of the back up is that, if you don’t get the grades needed for your firm choice, you have the back up to fall back on. All my offers last year requested ABB (with the exception of Edinburgh, who wanted 3 As and there was no chance I was getting that). Really, choosing somewhere with the same conditions as Southampton meant I didn’t have a back up, but I put down a university anyway (UEA) in the hope that they might let me in with lower grades should I fail to get my A.

A lot of people know what university they want as their firm choice, but less are sure of their back up. It does matter though. The last thing you want on results day is to face the fact that, not only are you not going to your dream university, you’re going somewhere you’re going to hate. The same amount of research has to go in to your back up as your firm.

This year, however, I haven’t had the luxury of months of open days and research. A look on the website has been all I’ve had.

At the moment (with two universities still not with a decision) I haven’t made the choice of where to go. The three offers I do have are unconditional (well, Southampton Solent would like to see my certificates, but that’s it), so if I pick any of them as my first choice there is no need for a second.

Until the last two decisions have been made, I don’t want to make a choice. There will be research until I have all five replies and, hopefully, by that point I’ll have a good idea where I’m going.

 

 

University Interviews And Applicant Days

Thursday was the deadline for UK university applications (sort of) and now comes the stressful time of waiting to see if you’ve done enough, if you’re grades are enough, and if you actually remembered to put down all your qualifications.

Some universities give offers (conditional or unconditional) based simply on the UCAS application they have received. Others require applicants to go to an Applicant Visit Day. Usually, this means that you have the offer as long as you show up for the day. Last year, I attended one for UCL. This is more a chance for you to get to know the university, so you have no regrets about attending come autumn, and is similar to an open day, but directed specifically at you and the course you are interested in. It’s a good place to ask questions. You already have the offer, now it’s their turn to try to impress you and get you to chose their university over the others you have received offers for.

Make sure the university is right for you: the course, the location, and the extra activities that may be available. It’s all very well and good the university being the leading researcher in your degree area, but if you’re not happy living in the middle of a busy city, maybe one located there isn’t the best for you (one of my main reasons for not accepting UCL (that and the dead body)).

Inverviews are a little different. Your offer is more likely to depend on how you act in the interview, though some universities set interviews just to ensure students are enthusiastic about the subject rather than to test knowledge. A lot of the time, the interview will be based upon your personal statement. This is the best reason to not lie on your personal statement (other than dishonesty being greatly frowned upon by universities). You are going to look like an idiot if you do not know anything about playing the flute if you have clamed to be a top level flute player. The interview isn’t there to make sure everything on your personal statement is true, just to find out a little bit more about you and to see if the university thinks you are suitable for the course.

Like the Applicant Visit Day, this is also an opportunity for you to ask questions about anything and everything related to the course and university. It is your chance to find out every piece of information you have. Do not pass it up.

Some universities may ask for something specific in preperation for your interview. For example, I was asked to do a small talk on a geophysics related subject for an interview at Southampton University. Again, this wasn’t to test my knowledge, but my enthusiasm for the course. It is always a good idea to check and double check if you need to do a presentation, talk, or another piece of work for your interview. They are not always needed, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Other tips for both applicant days and interviews is to arrive on time and to know how you’re getting to your interview before hand (both mistakes I have made).

But keep calm. The chances are, if you’ve made it this far, they’re interested in you.

Some UCAS Advice

It’s the time of year again when students frantically strive to get their UCAS applications as shiny as they can be and send them off to prospective universities. Many students have already sent off the form, with only a few weeks until the applications are closed.
This time last year, I had everything done, or almost done. Personal statement written, almost all my qualifications listed, and a pretty good reference from my tutor. But, as it seems I will be starting the UCAS process again now, I’m doing some tips on getting UCAS sorted.
On what authority? Last year I got offers from all five of my chosen universities and, even though I didn’t meet the grades for at least one of the universities (not one I accepted).
So here are five tips for those still facing the confusing process:
1. Do not forget to put down any of your qualifications.
Especially if it’s an important qualification. When I applied, I forgot to include my English Language GCSE before I spent it off. I then had to email all my universities to make sure they all knew I could speak English.
It wasn’t until after I’d let them know that I received any offers. It was a stupid mistake, and not one I’m planning to make again.
2. Get as many people as possible to read your personal statement.
A lot of people will tell you that the personal statement is unimportant, only there for interviews, but I disagree. It did come in very useful in the only interview I had, but it was good enough to get me an offer from a university who expected grades much higher than the ones I was predicted to get.
Getting people to read my personal statement, especially the teacher most closely related to the subject I wanted to do, helped point my statement in the right direction.
3. Don’t lie in your personal statement.
This might seem like a given, but it’s important. There’s exaggerating connections between irrelevant subjects to make them seem less like a waste of time, which is good, and there’s lying.
4. Try to include as much as possible into your personal statement.
What may seem completely irrelevant to your course can be twisted around to your advantage. Being in the school band. Being a writer. Studying politics. These were all things that I put into my personal statement when I applied to study geophysics, and the first two were talked about in my interview. If you write about things from the right angle, you can include pretty much anything. Dedication. Commitment. Hard working. Any extra-curricular you do is an example of all these things.
5. Read all the advice UCAS has put out there.
There are video explanations on how to do different aspects of the application, which are actually surprisingly useful.