Higher Education Evening University Applications and Admissions Process - 8th March 2012

Higher Education Evening

University Applications and
   Admissions Process

      8th March 2012

Why?
•! 19% graduates go on to higher degrees or
   professional qualifications
•! Graduates aged 21-30 earn 40% more than those
   without degrees
•! Graduates aged 31-40 earn 65% more than those
   without degrees
•! Over half of ‘graduate jobs’ are non subject specific -
   for example 1 in 5 City Fund Managers are Science
   Graduates
•! Increasingly careers require a degree
•! A degree is a prerequisite to certain careers such as
   Medicine, Law, Veterinary Medicine/Science
•! Transferable skills

Defining Moment
•!   Three to seven years of education
•!   Future employment
•!   Financial investment
•!   Ever changing…
•!   10-20% of students drop out in Year 1
•!   Around 30% of students say ‘I chose the
     wrong course’

“You spend three years of your life at your
chosen University so it's important that you find
out everything you can about it before you
apply. Make sure the course is right for you, by
checking out all the details on the web and in
booklets and be sure that the place is one you
could happily live in.”

Dr Gail Ashton, admissions tutor, English,
University of Manchester

UCAS Journey
•!   Choosing courses – June to September 2012
•!   Applying - October to December 2012
•!   Offers - October 2012 to May 2013
•!   Results - August 2013
•!   Next Steps - August to September 2013
•!   Starting University - September/October 2013

UCAS Calendar
                Summer Year 12

•! June/July: Start to research courses that
   you are considering applying for. Start to
   visit the Universities you are particularly
   interested in applying to. You can do this
   through their open days and other events
   taking place that you should investigate
   through the University website

Summer Year 12
•! Life After Uplands Conference : Three days at
   the end of term. In College with Form Tutors and
   visiting guests working on personal statements,
   references, CVs, interview skills and discussing
   post-Uplands plans. July 2012
•! July - August: Do some research over the
   summer, so that you are well prepared and ready
   to complete your UCAS application when you
   return to College in September
•! Open Days

Autumn Year 13
•! September: Start to complete your UCAS
   application. The deadline for submission for
   most courses is 15th January, BUT…
•! October: If you are applying to Oxford/
   Cambridge or for Medicine, Dentistry or
   Veterinary Medicine/Science the deadline for
   sending in your application form is 15th
   October
•! 24th March: Some Art and Design courses
   have a March deadline

Autumn/Winter Year 13

Spring/Summer Year 13
•! April: By the end of April, once you have
   received all your replies, you must reduce
   your choice of University from five to two.
   You then need to decide on a first and second
   choice of University – these are known as
   your ‘firm’ and ‘insurance’ offers
•! May: 5th May is the last date Universities
   and Colleges can make a decision on your
   applications received by 15th January

Finance
Expenses
•! Tuition Fees
•! Living Costs
Support Available
•! Tuition Fees Loan
•! Maintenance Loan
•! Maintenance Grant
•! Bursaries and Scholarships

Summer Year 13
•! June: 6th June Applicants receiving decisions
   from all their choices by 5th May must reply to
   their offers by this date
•! 30th June is the last date that UCAS will
   accept applications for specific courses. After
   this date you have to go through clearing

Summer Year 13
•! July: Clearing entry forms begin being issued
   to eligible applicants
•! August: A Level exam results are published.
   You will receive confirmation of your place at
   University if you meet the entry requirements.
   If not you can go through clearing or consider
   the alternatives, e.g. re-sits, employment,
   modern apprenticeships, a gap year or
   reapplying next year. You may need to speak
   to a careers adviser

And Finally…

•! 1st October – Finally… they depart the nest…
   (500 days from today)
•! Or your Gap Year begins…

Undergraduate Study
         Opportunities Abroad
                   2011:

At the Westminster Education Forum on
higher education it was revealed that
research suggests there are currently around
22,000 British students on degree courses
abroad; approximately 1.7 % of Britain’s
entire student population

What Can you Study in
•!Biosciences
                    Europe?!
•!Business/Management                   •!Medicine
•!Communication Management              •!Nutrition
•!Digital Media/Gaming                  •!Performing Arts
•!Engineering                           •!Physiotherapy
•!Environmental Science                 •!Psychology
•!Hospitality & Tourism                 •!Sports Science
•!International Law                     •!Veterinary Science
•!International Relations/Politics
•!IT & Software                     There are currently almost
•!Media & Entertainment            700 courses taught through
•!Management                                   English

THES Rankings (Europe)
       Universities offering one or more courses in English
17   Leuven                   51   Groningen      89 AU Barcelona
18   Utrecht                  53   Nottingham     95 Umea
19   Gottigen                 63   Rotterdam      97 Milan
22   Leiden                   64   Warwick        108 Tilburg
23   Lund                     64   UCD Dublin     109 Queens
24   Durham                   65   VU Amsterdam   111 S. Denmark
30   Amsterdam                76   Pompeu Fabra   114 Linz
34   Delft                    77   Tubingen       130 Aalto
40   Eindhoven                83   Maastricht     132 Charles, Prague
42   Trinity College Dublin   84   Leicester      141 Sapienza Rome
44   Aarhus                   85   Twente         143 Jagiellonian
                                                  145 Surrey
                              88   Gothenburg
                                                  147 Cork

Tuition Fees (Euro)
•!   Denmark                           Free
•!   Sweden                            Free
•!   Norway                            Free
•!   Finland                           Free
•!   Austria                           Free -750
•!   Germany                           Free – 1500
•!   Switzerland                       500 - 1500
•!   Netherlands                       1771* [and loan]
•!   Italy                             800 – 3800
•!   Ireland                           2250

More in private universities/institutions
* NB: some Liberal Arts programmes more

Gap Year
•! Not necessarily a good or bad thing per se
•! It depends what you do with it…
•! It ought to be planned just as carefully as
   choosing a University/College
•! If you are going to go away, then decide
   when you will make your University
   application

Support, Guidance,
    Decisions!

College
             Student
Parents

Uplands
•!   Guidance and advice
•!   Ask questions
•!   Framework for personal statement
•!   Support in completing the application form
•!   Reference
•!   Estimated grades

Parents
•!   Support, encouragement, reminders!
•!   Guidance
•!   Questions
•!   What if…

Students
•!   Research course choices
•!   Research University choices
•!   DECIDE
•!   Complete application and personal statement
•!   Respond to offers
•!   DECIDE

Weblinks
•! www.ucas.com
•! www.direct.gov.uk
•! www.prospects.ac.uk
•! http://unistats.direct.gov.uk/
•! http://opendays.com/
•! www.braintrack.com/
There are links to the websites above on
   www.uplandscc.com click Sixth Form and then
   Life After Uplands