Transcript Student Preparation and Application Deadlines

Welcome to
Higher Education
Information Evening
Introduction
Laurence Job
Assistant Principal
WHY HIGHER EDUCATION?
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Choice of course
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Less unemployment - more versatile
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Greater earning power
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An investment
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The experience itself
Higher Education –
Making the right choice
Stella Barnes
H.E.& Careers Adviser
The Universities &
Colleges Admissions
Service is a UK based
charity whose main
role is providing the
application process for
almost all British
universities
 Applicants submit a single application via the UCAS online
Apply service
 Early applications are specifically required for Oxford &
Cambridge Universities & Medicine, Dentistry & Veterinary
Science Degree courses
 Q.E. students receive targeted support throughout the
UCAS process & particularly when writing their personal
statement
Higher Education - a great deal of
choice
 More than 55,000 courses exist at over 340 providers
including Universities, H.E. Colleges & F.E. Colleges offering
Degrees, Foundation Degrees & Diplomas
 At Q.E. more than 700 students apply through UCAS each
year & they choose to study at between 80 – 100 different
institutions spread geographically from Falmouth to Cardiff
to Norwich to Aberdeen & Belfast
 An increasing number of students are choosing to study
abroad either full time or for a year as part of a UK degree
in e.g. Switzerland, the Czech Republic, North America &
Australasia
Current situation in H.E. (1)
Increased competition between H.E.
providers has led to a marketing frenzy
which has resulted in: Targeting applicants & sometimes
exerting undue pressure on them to make
early acceptance decisions
 A rise in the number of
UNCONDITIONAL offers
 An increase in financial incentives
Current situation in H.E. (2)
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Increasing popularity of Vocational Degrees
Increasing popularity of part-time study
alongside work as grants & loans are now available
Encouragement for students considering applying
to H.E.Is in Northern Europe – mainly Holland,
that offer Degrees taught in English at e.g. 1700
Euros tuition fee (some are free)
Increase in PRIVATE H.E.Is e.g. BPP,
New College of the Humanities & University of
Buckingham - wide range of fees usually higher
than the State sector e.g. £18k per year
Graduate employment prospects
In a 2014 High Fliers Research survey, the
majority of employers said it was unlikely
that an undergraduate without any work
experience would get a job. As more than
three-fifths of graduate employers provide
placements, typically as part of degree
courses & a similar proportion offer summer
internships, it is important for applicants to
be aware of this in order to be competitive.
DEVELOPMENTS
A greater emphasis on “value for money”- students
as consumers making more use of student
satisfaction surveys - UNISTATS appears on all
H.E.I. websites
Increased parental interest in the quality of H.E.
staff/student contact time & feedback
An increase in “HYBRID” degrees e.g. the Ernst
Young / Lancaster University & PWC/ Newcastle
University models
Greater collaboration between H.E.Is in course
delivery & provision of facilities
Existence of Foundation Degrees of 2 years plus
top-up of 12/18 months which suit some students
who want a “stepped” approach
Ryan - A Foundation Degree
success story
Foundation Degree in Sports Coaching at
Myerscough College, Preston.
Coached Soccer in the U.S.A.
Returned to Darlington & began work at EE
Took some part time courses at Q.E. to help
him return to learning
Gained a place on the 1 year top-up Degree in
Sport Coaching at Newcastle College
Has progressed to postgraduate training to
teach P.E.
3 Ingredients for SUCCESS
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RESEARCH – Do not SKIMP on this
make FULL use of both paper and web
based RESOURCES
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COMPETITION – Be aware of this
there is NO EXCUSE not to be well
informed when you apply
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STRATEGY – Develop a REALISTIC
PLAN
An ESSENTIAL Resource
www.qeliz.ac.uk – follow
the “After Q.E.” tab –
there are a lot of useful
websites linked to this
and it is FREE
Our Q.E.Careers/H.E.website
ENHANCED RESEARCH is
ESSENTIAL
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Use the HEI websites & their social networking
pages to full capacity and if information is hard
to find contact course leaders/admissions tutors
direct- many prefer e-mail
Do not rely too heavily on “league tables”
Visit - either formally or informally & use
YouTube videos of campuses
Use other websites for a balanced picture – a
useful one is www.whatuni.com. -don’t accept the
heavy marketing & “hype” at face value
Use www.whichuniversity.co.uk to compare
H.E.Is
Useful resource UNIFROG available on Moodle
H.E.I.s other factors
Physical / Reputation
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UK or abroad
City centre/rural
Campus
Employer contact
Collegiate
Large/small
Facilities
Accommodation
Cost
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Distance from
home
Teaching quality
Research
Staff/Student
ratio
Entry grades
Assessment
Progression
How Can College Staff Help?
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Encourage feedback from students
at all stages of the application
process & check progress on UCAS
Adviser Track
Challenge ANYTHING that seems
odd as H.E.I.s make mistakes
Play “Devil’s Advocate” if students
are in a sea of confusion especially
due to strong marketing
Our College mantra for H.E. advice
& guidance to students is:-
“The BEST University is the
one
that BEST suits your
individual needs”
Student Preparation for H.E.
Applications
Support so far………
Throughout the year
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- Work with tutor. Advice and guidance
from College’s HE & Careers Advisers
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January –March
-Tutorial programme on Higher Education
-Visits to universities
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29th April
- HE Convention at Teesside University
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8th June – 19th June - A2/HE/Careers fortnight in college
- Talks, tutorials and subject based sessions
- research tasks for students
- time to develop CVs in preparation for job
applications for both full- time & part-time
jobs as well as internships whilst at
university
The Future (1)
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Summer holidays
– individual research, university
visits and undertaking wider reading and/or
voluntary work to strengthen university
applications
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First week back
- Further research on university courses in light
of AS results
- Advice on writing effective personal statements
- Meetings of students applying to Oxford and
Cambridge and for Medicine,Dentistry &
Veterinary Science
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September
- Identification of student intentions for
next year
- Agreement of individual deadlines
- Start of UCAS drop-in sessions
The Future (2)
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25th September
– Internal deadline for applications
to Oxford/Cambridge and for
Medicine,Dentistry and Veterinary
Science
- Deadline for students applying for
competitive courses
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23rd October
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27th November
- Internal deadline for remaining
H.E applications.
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15th January
- Final deadline for receipt of
applications at UCAS.
The Future (3)
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Progress of applications monitored using “Track”
section of UCAS website.
For some subjects (at certain universities) there are
additional tests which students have to sit
For some courses students may be called for
interview.
Responses (offers/rejections) from universities
within days/weeks/months of receipt of applications.
Final CF & CI choices should be made by May onwards