Transcript Slide 1

Open Day Parents’
Presentation
What I hope to cover …
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What is Higher Education?
The benefits of Higher Education
How to advise your son or daughter
Research!
Applying to University
Supporting your child through the process
Support at Birmingham City University
Why choose us?
What is Higher Education?
 Higher Education (HE) qualifications
• Qualifications that are ‘higher’ than A Levels (or equivalent)
• Bachelor’s degree, either in arts (BA), sciences (BSc) or specialist
(BMus for Music, BEng for Engineering, BEd for Education)
• Honours degree
• Joint Honours degree
• Major/minor degree
• Sandwich course
• Higher National Diplomas/Certificates (HND/C) and Diplomas of
Higher Education (DipHE)
• Foundation degree (FdA/FdSc)
 HE institutions
• Over 500 HE institutions
• Over 50,000 courses
The Benefits of Higher Education
Investment for the future
 Develop skills and knowledge
• Career paths in professional disciplines
• Employers look at your skills as well as qualifications
• Transferable skills
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Enhancing career prospects
• Some roles require a degree-level qualification (eg medicine, law, teaching)
• People with degrees earn an average of £12,000 a year more than non-graduates:
over a working life that could be over £500,000 more! (source: Office for National
Statistics)
• More chance of promotion
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Personal growth
• Independence
• Motivation
• Self-confidence
Advice to offer your child during the
application process…
How should a student choose the right course?
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What subjects do they enjoy?
What skills do they have and what are they good at?
What do they enjoy studying and why does it interest them?
What career/job would they like to pursue?
Have they considered courses they haven’t studied yet?
How do they choose the right Institution?
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Academic ability required
Size and location of the university
Accommodation
Facilities
Support available
• If your son and daughter is torn between similar courses at
different universities, they should take a look at the course
modules and find out about the way the subject is taught.
Research!
Personal Research
UCAS
information and
other reference
material
Advice and
guidance
services
Prospectuses
Directories
Colleagues/friends/
professionals
University and
college literature
Websites
HE conventions
Decision to
apply
Student registers with UCAS
and completes application
Open Days
and visits
Applying to University - the facts
Fact: Each year UCAS handles over two million applications for places over
500 institutions
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UCAS - Universities and Colleges Admissions Service
www.ucas.com
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‘Apply’ is a secure, web-based online application system
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Flexibility, save as you go, up to date information, help available
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Maximum of five course choices (some exceptions)
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Only one personal statement
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£23 Registration Fee (two to five choices), £12 for single choice – Pay online
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Tracking service
Applying to University - the process
Mid September
• Opening date for UCAS applications / Finance
loans through Student Finance England
15 January
• Main closing date for the receipt of UCAS applications.
• 15 Oct - Oxbridge
• Acknowledgement letter (AS2), Track
• Visit days and interviews
End of March
• Universities to respond to applicants by 31 March
• Replying to offers, (unconditional, conditional, reject)
April
• Replies due back from applicants with decision about which
offers are to be accepted, one firm and one insurance
• UCAS Extra (26 Feb – 6 July)
May /June
Mid August
• Exams!
• BTEC/AVCE results usually arrive in July. GCSEs
• A and AS level results – Clearing
Supporting your child through the process
• We suggest students start their research process early
• They should consider different institutions and course structures
• They should familiarise themselves with the UCAS website (as you may
wish to in order to assist them)
• They should attend UCAS Higher Education Conventions and visit
university Open Days
• We suggest that students build on existing skills and experiences
• The personal statement is a highly important part of the UCAS application.
Students should be encouraged to undertake extra-curricular activities
(voluntary and part-time work, clubs, etc) to enhance the statement
• They should check and re-check their UCAS applications – the personal
statement should be drafted and re-drafted before submission
• They should keep to the UCAS deadlines.
Research allows an informed choice.
A well informed choice can lead to a
happy student.
A happy student is successful!
Support at Birmingham City
University
• Mentoring scheme (assigning your son or daughter to a second or third
year student to help them settle into University life)
• All students are assigned a Personal Tutor
• Free study skills workshops
• Student Services team provides advice about money, part-time jobs,
health, wellbeing and childcare support
• Careers Zone: gives access to qualified careers consultants (who can
advise on CVs, interviews and self-employment) throughout our students’
studies and for up to five years after they graduate. They also promote
work placement opportunities.
• OpportUNIty: student jobs on campus
• Disability advisers offer a wide range of support
• Multi-faith chaplaincy
• Student halls of residence: friendly and affordable, with 24 hour security
So what does Birmingham City University have
to offer…?
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Acting and Theatre
Architecture / Landscape Architecture
Art
Built Environment
Business
Computing and Technology
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Education and Teacher Training
Engineering
English
Fashion / Textiles / Interior / Three –
Dimensional Design
Film / TV / Sound / Multimedia
Technology
Health and Social Care
Jewellery / Silversmithing
Law
Media and Communication
Music
Nursing / Midwifery
Social Sciences
Visual Communication (Graphic Design,
Illustration etc)
Why choose Birmingham City University?
• A top 30 university for placing students in graduate-level jobs
Sunday Times University Guide 2013
• £180 million investment programme a top 10 university for facilities spend
Complete University Guide 2013
• 90 per cent of students in work or further
study within six months of graduating
DLHE Survey 2012
• Award-winning student support
Winner – “Outstanding Support for Students”
Times Higher Education Awards 2010
Our approach
• We focus on professional practice and employability
Our staff have excellent links to and come from industry – working with the
likes of Apple, Jaguar Land Rover, Cisco and Cartier
Our courses are underpinned with practice-based learning and experience
We ‘future proof’ our graduates by providing skills for real life
• We take pride in our friendly, inclusive attitude
Recognised sector-leading partnerships between staff and students
Outstanding student support
• Providing real-life experience
We offer practical solutions for business through placements, graduate
employment and knowledge transfer
Gain work experience through OpportUNIty - Student Jobs on Campus
Find out more…
www.bcu.ac.uk or Course Enquiries Team 0121 355 5595
www.facebook.com/birminghamcityuniversity
www.twitter.com/MyBCU