Essential Guide to Going to University: Costs, Courses, and Applications

1. GOING TO UNIVERSITY

2. QUESTIONS • Why go? • What will I do? • How much will it cost? • Which course? • What qualifications do I need? • Which university? • How do I apply? • What happens next?

3. WHY GO? • Employers like graduates (transferable skills) • Graduates are less likely to be unemployed than non graduates • 2009, average starting salaries for graduates around £27,000 • Graduates earn, on average, 20-25% more (£130,000) over their working lives than those with 2 or more A Levels • Gain independence • Chance to live away from home • Make new friends, enjoy new experiences

4. WHAT WILL I DO? • Undergraduate Degree Course • Completed in 3 - 4 years • Single or Combined subjects • Sandwich course combines 1 year’s work placement with 3 year’s study • BA – Bachelor of Arts • (Humanities, Social Sciences, Arts) • BSc – Bachelor of Science • (Science, Technology, Business) • Foundation Degree Course – vocationally inclined, 1 or 2 years • HND – Higher National Diploma 2 years

5. What will it cost? Tuition Fees • The maximum fee payable for 2010/2011 is £3290unless you are studying at a private institution • The Tuition Fees Loan is not means tested • You must be eligible for financial support • You will not have to pay anything upfront • The payment of the fees will be made directly to the University/College by the Student Loans Company • There will be a report out later this year which will advise the Government on fees; they may well go UP!

6. Maintenance Grant 2010 / 11

7. Maintenance Loans 2010 / 11

8. HOW MUCH WILL IT COST? (For a typical 3 year degree)

9. AAAAAGH! TOO MUCH – HOW WILL I PAY IT BACK? • Repayments are based on how much you earn, not how much you owe • Repayment is calculated using a formula: • Salary minus £15,000 (x9%) = Annual Repayment • Eg £16,000 salary, minus £15,000 (x9%) = £1,000 x 9% = £90 pa = £7.50 per month

10. PAYING IT BACK • Earn under £15,000 = no repayments • Earn £20,000, repayments = around £37.50 per month • Earn £25,000, repayments = around £75.00 per month • Earn £50,000, repayments = around £262.50 per month • From 2011, graduates will be able to have payment breaks totalling up to 5 years without repayment • Any debt not repaid after 25 years will be written off!

11. SETTING THE SCENE • 325 Universities / Colleges • 50,000+ courses • 327 • 50,000+

12. APPLICANT FIGURES FOR 2010 ENTRY • Total Applicants 570,566 (up 22.9% on 2009) • Number of places on offer • (approx) 350,000 • So, 38.66% of all applications were REJECTED • Source UCAS final figures for 2009 entry and 2010 application, www.ucas.ac.uk

13. Top 10 subjects by application January 2010

14. WHERE DO I GO? • Close to home? • Away from home? • In the city? • In the country? • Near the coast?

15. HOW DO I CHOOSE? • Visit open days • Taster days • Talk to students • Choose 5-10 and find out more • UCAS convention

16. WHAT AM I LOOKING FOR? • Campus / Non-campus • Do you like the area? • Reputation – league tables • Accommodation • Cost • Self catering • Catered • En-suite • Broadband • University or privately rented • Study facilities – IT / Library • Sports & Social • Make an informed choice

17. WHICH COURSE? WHICH UNIVERSITY? WHAT QUALIFICATIONS DO I NEED? HOW DO I APPLY? Gaining a place at university or college has two stages: • Research • Self presentation (i.e. the UCAS application)

18. THINK ABOUT • What do you enjoy in school/outside • List your possible careers • Discuss Options • Research your interests • Does your potential career choice require any specific qualifications?

19. Paper based research • 2011 Checklist • 2011 Big Guide • UCAS subject guides

20. ELECTRONIC RESEARCH • www.unistats.com • Compare entry requirements and other information for different subjects and institutions • Read what over 177,000 students felt about the quality of their time at university • Find out what sort of jobs graduates are doing 6 months after leaving their course

21. Electronic research UCAS website can help with: • Links to HE websites • Stamford Test • Course Search • Entry Profiles • Bursary and Scholarship Comparator • Entry Requirements www.ucas.com

22. THE UCAS WEBSITE

23. WHICH COURSE?

24. 1 2

36. HOW MANY COURSES CAN I APPLY FOR? 5 Courses Invisibility of choices 1 Personal statement 4000 Characters long

37. ARE ALL UNIVERSITIES THE SAME? • Red Brick – older, established universities • New – formed from the old Polytechnics • Russell Group – 20 research-intensive universities (some red-brick, some new): • Birmingham LSE • Bristol Manchester • Cambridge Newcastle • Cardiff Nottingham • Edinburgh Queen’s Belfast • Glasgow Oxford • Imperial Sheffield • King’s Southampton • Leeds UCL • Liverpool Warwick

38. Russell Group – Aims and Objectives: • inspiring the best undergraduate and training the best postgraduate and postdoctoral workers to create the next generation of innovators and leaders • maintaining and developing through their strategic planning processes, research teams, research facilities and scholarly resources capable of matching the very best competition internationally • directing research resources to wherever particular research work can be best undertaken to the highest international standards • focus for best research, including the commercialisation of research ideas and innovations • taking a central role in the development of UK policy and development, through commissioning research and public analysis of the very highest quality.

39. COMPARISONS – BUSINESS DEGREES

40. MAKING YOUR CHOICES • You apply on-line via www.ucas.ac.uk for up to 5 courses • Cost: • £11 to apply for 1 course • £21 to apply for 2 – 5 courses • You don’t have to apply for them all at the same time • Pay on-line by card

41. WHAT ARE ADMISSIONS TUTORS LOOKING FOR? • Independent learning skills • Motivation and commitment • A realistic understanding of what the course entails • Good numeracy and literacy • Essay writing and research skills • Time management skills • Enthusiasm to learn and to go beyond the syllabus • Potential for success on the chosen course

42. WHAT EVIDENCE DO ADMISSIONS TUTORS USE? • GCSE results • AS results • Other academic and vocational attainment • Predicted grades • Personal Statement • Reference • Admissions tests • Piece of written work • Portfolio • Interview • Audition

43. PERSONAL STATEMENT • MUST be personal – UCAS now uses software to detect plagiarism • Hit them hard with why you’re interested in the course • Show enthusiasm • Let them know what you’ve learned from your work shadowing / community service / academic studies • Show your commitment to study and voluntary work • Possibly outline your career aspirations • 4000 characters, including spaces • Spelling, punctuation and grammar must be PERFECT! • Attend the sessions on personal statement writing

44. ADMISSIONS TESTS • Applying for Medicine / Dentistry / Veterinary Medicine / Law / OXBRIDGE? • Chances are, you’ll have to take an additional test.

45. Transparent selection process Admissions tests: • UniTest • UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) • Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT) • Medical School Admissions Test (MSAT) • National Admissions Test for Law (LNAT) • Oxbridge Tests: • History Aptitude Test (HAT) • Modern & Medieval Languages Test (MML) • Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) • Sixth Term Examination Papers (STEP)

46. ADMISSIONS TESTS – WHAT ARE THEY AND WHY TAKE THEM? • Cognitive ability tests (verbal reasoning, numeric reasoning, abstract reasoning, decision making) • Knowledge tests – supposed to be GCSE level, but need to be able to reason with the knowledge • Writing ability tests • Examination supplements • Attitude and personality tests • To enable universities to choose more reliably between highly qualified applicants • To ensure that selected candidates have the mental abilities, attitudes and professional behaviours required for success

47. BMAT – THE BIOMEDICAL ADMISSIONS TEST • University of Cambridge • A100 Medicine • A101 Graduate Course in Medicine • D100 Veterinary Medicine • Imperial College London • A100 Medicine • University of Oxford Medical School • A100 Medicine • B100 Physiological Sciences • Royal Veterinary College • D100 Veterinary Medicine • D101 Combined Degree Programme • University College London • A100 Medicine

48. UKCAT – THE UK CLINICAL APTITUDE TEST • Consortium of 26 Medical and Dental Schools: • Aberdeen Leicester • Brighton & Sussex Manchester • Cardiff Newcastle • Dundee Nottingham • Durham Oxford • East Anglia Peninsula • Edinburgh Queen Mary • Glasgow Sheffield • Hull York Southampton • Keele St Andrew’s • Kings St George’s • Imperial Warwick • Leeds Queen’s Belfast

49. LNAT – NATIONAL ADMISSIONS TEST FOR LAW • Used by: • Birmingham • Bristol • Cambridge • Durham • Exeter • Glasgow • King’s • Nottingham • Oxford • UCL

50. HOW DO I TAKE THEM? • There are 365 testing centres around the UK • You go to them • BMAT advertises cost as £32.10 • You’ll pay a test centre £62 to take BMAT • £60 UKCAT • £40 LNAT It’s YOUR responsibility to organise!