Year 13 Post 18 Preparation Parents’ Evening University Preparation

Choices at 18 Higher Education (University - Degree, Foundation degree, HND, HNC) Further Education (College - e.g. Art Foundation, further A Levels etc) Employment (job, apprenticeship)

Why HE? It will develop personal skills and give students a wider understanding of the world Develops career related skills It is the only entry route into many careers It is the most common entry route to many other careers There are only a small number of job opportunities in the north-west which make use of A Levels or equivalent qualifications It is an enjoyable experience for most students

What input have students already had? Input from Staffordshire and Liverpool John Moores Universities on how to write a personal statement Talk from a local university on ‘Why HE?’ Visit to the Higher Education Fair at the G-Mex Centre Optional talk from a Year In Industry representative Input from tutors on reviewing their skills in preparation for what to include in their personal statement Access to a Connexions Advisor CV building and letter of application writing Reminders in the Daily Bulletin, assemblies and in mentoring interviews about what stage of the process students should be at

What should students have done by now? Made a decision about what they want to do when they leave Congleton High School i.e. work or university (if they fully haven’t decided, we would encourage them to apply to university anyway) Made an appointment with the Connexions advisor if they still need advice Decided upon what courses they wish to study and at which universities – these choices must be in line with predicted grades Audited their skills in preparation for their personal statement Begun working on their personal statement

Choosing courses Most courses in HE are first degrees called Bachelor degrees – usually last 3 years Some degrees last for 4 years (e.g. Pharmacy, Teaching, Modern Languages) and some last for 5 years (e.g. Medicine and Dentistry) Foundation degrees or HNDs can lead to the equivalent of a first degree with 12 or 15 months further study. Sandwich degree courses – include a year of work experience

Which subject? Students might be considering: One or more of their present subjects (content of courses will differ at degree level compared to A Level and between universities) A subject that is in/directly related to a future career (research is crucial here) A new subject that may not be related to a particular career (introductory reading is important) Joint / combined courses which allow choice (can be complementary subjects e.g. History and Politics or contrasting subjects e.g. Engineering and Spanish)

How do degree subjects relate to careers? There are qualifying professional degrees (e.g. Medicine, Nursing, Teaching) from which a significant proportion of graduates go into relevant professions. There are general vocational degrees (e.g. Business, IT) from which most graduates go into one of the careers related to that subject. There are semi-professional degrees (e.g. Law, Accounting, Psychology and Architecture) which give the first part of a professional qualification but from which many graduates go into other careers

How do degree subjects relate to careers? Continued… There are degrees which appear to be related to a future career (e.g. Media, Criminology, Sport) but which with a few exceptions are not intended to give students specific vocational skills and qualifications There are traditional academic degrees e.g. English, History, Biology which give students a range of skills which are seen as valuable by a wide range of employers. Estimates vary but between 30% and 60% of employers do not advertise for graduates with a specific degree subject.

Popular courses Art and DesignLaw Business studiesMedia and Journalism CriminologyMedicine Drama, Theatre Studies and Acting Nursing and Midwifery EnglishPhysiotherapy Forensic SciencePsychology Social work ITSport

Competitive Courses Students applying for a competitive course must have a Plan B which is realistic and which they feel happy with Researching courses is important i.e. does the course only have a small number of places? Sometimes students face disappointment even with excellent grades and a fantastic personal statement and reference, for courses such as Physiotherapy or Medicine Thus alternative planning is crucial!

Choosing universities Students will need to consider: In which place they want to live Which universities offer the subject they wish to do with the course content they wish to study Which courses ask for the grades that they are likely to obtain What the costs are of being a student at different universities What the status is of different universities / courses Any other personal reasons

Applying to HE – the UCAS process Online application system via ‘Apply’ Students can have up to 5 choices of courses Each institution will not be able to see an applicant’s other choices before making an offer but all institutions know how many choices have been made All institutions see the same personal statement Students do not list their choices in order of preference when they fill in their online application

When to apply Closing dates for Oxford, Cambridge, Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science are 15 th October and 15 th January for all other courses / universities Our internal deadline is 15 th November Why? – early application is strongly recommended as admissions tutors are likely to be more selective in the later stages of the application cycle (I.e. late November onwards), particularly with popular subjects £19 fee – we won’t send the application off until the fee has been paid – cheques payable to Congleton High School

Personal Statement This is where students sell themselves and convince Admissions Tutors to make them an offer. It should include: Strong motivation and reasons for choosing a course Interest in present studies (especially if linked to UCAS choices) Relevant work experience, skills, knowledge etc Interests, activities and responsibilities both within and outside of education Career ideas and plans for the future

Admissions Tests Some Universities require students to sit admissions tests as a way of selecting the most suitable candidates for their courses Students should check what the deadlines are for taking such tests Examples of tests in use include: LNAT – National Admissions Test for Law (however some universities may have their own deadlines) BMAT – Biomedical Admissions Test for Medicine and Veterinary courses. The test covers scientific knowledge and applications as well as aptitude and skills.

Admissions Tests continued UKCAT – UK Clinical Aptitude Test. This does not test specific scientific knowledge but is designed to test aptitude, abilities and behavioural attributes which are considered to be required in these professional clinical careers. There is a fee to pay for each test

Interviews and Offers Each course/ department makes its own decisions on whether to make an offer Very few courses now interview applicants. Selection is based on the application form. Acting and Music performance courses will involve auditions. When all decisions have been made, applicants can accept up to two (one Firm, one Insurance) courses. The Insurance choice would normally be lower than the Firm but could be the same – it should be realistic and students should be happy about it as they may have to study there Some institutions may be flexible when grades are known

UCAS Extra This service allows unplaced applicants to make additional choices, one at a time Who is eligible? – students who have used all five choices and have not received / decided to not accept any offers Useful when a student’s choice of course/institution has changed since the original application was made Runs from mid March until June Students get more information on this in March.

Confirmation and Clearing When final examination results are known in August, UCAS will contact the applicant to confirm places if the conditions of any offer have been met (Firm or Insurance) Some institutions may be flexible by a grade and still confirm places even if the original conditions are not met Applicants whose firm or insurance offers are not confirmed are eligible for Clearing

Art and Design Courses Students applying usually need to complete an Art Foundation course before applying to HE This is preferable because it allows students to: Explore and demonstrate their creative interests and talents Experience a broader range of Art and Design which they may not have had the chance to experience at A Level Build up a portfolio of work Test their commitment to a career which can involve self- employment, part-time and contract work

Applying for Music courses at the specialist colleges Students should apply via CUKAS (Conservatoires UK Admissions Service) There are seven institutions hat collectively form Conservatoires UK Applications start in May with a closing date of 1 st October

The UCAS Tariff and Acceptability of Qualifications UCAS Tariff is a points system developed by UCAS to give numerical values for different types of qualifications (AS Levels, A Levels, Level 3 vocational courses and Key Skills) Many universities have used this to make offers to applicants, however many traditional universities still make grade offers like ABB or BBC. The new points information will be published to students later in the year

Student Finance – Tuition Fees Universities and colleges can charge up to £3290 a year as tuition fees These fees can vary between institutions and courses. Tuition fees do not have to be paid up front because all students can have access to a student loan for fees which is paid direct to the university or college This loan becomes repayable once a student has left their course and is earning above £ per annum Tuition fees in Scotland are lower (but most degrees in Scotland are 4 year courses)

Student Finance – Maintenance Grants A new maintenance grant of up to £2906 a year is available to students but depends on household income The full grant is available when household income is £ or less A partial grant on a sliding scale is available for incomes up to £ The grant is usually paid in instalments and does not have to be repaid

Student Finance - University Bursaries A bursary or scholarship is extra financial help for living costs. It would be paid by the university or college. Details of bursaries are available both on the UCAS and University websites

Student Finance – Student Maintenance Loans As well as loans for tuition fees there are also loans for living costs such as food, accommodation, travel, study materials etc Loan amounts depend on household income, where students live and how much grant they receive 72% of the maximum loan is available to all students but the remaining 28% depends on household income Like the tuition fee loan, this loan is to be repaid when students have left university and are earning over £ a year.

Application for financial support and the assessment process Applications forms can be accessed at Complete the online application and return the application form The application will be assessed Details of student finance will be received in writing Apply by 25 June 2010 if the application for finance depends upon household income If the application for finance does not depend on household income, the deadline is 23 April 2010.

A Year Out - Benefits Chance to earn money to help with finances for HE Opportunity t travel and learn language skills to experience different lifestyles / cultures A breathing space from academic study Time to consider options in greater depth Chance to broaden horizons by completing voluntary work / helping others Gain independence and life experience Chance to obtain relevant work experience

A Year Out - Drawbacks Loss of motivation for study Some projects require initial finance Students may drift if gap-year plans are not well thought out Could be delaying tactic to avoid making decisions

A Year Out – what to do Relevant work experience and paid employment (e.g. Year in Industry) Voluntary work to gain experience and skills See the world (e.g. Raleigh international) Travel to gain experience and skills (e.g. Camp America) Earn money – full time or casual employment If applying to university in their gap year, students are advised to apply through school and to make contact with us mid September the year before they wish to start their course

Employment – Post 18 Over the past 20 years many careers have moved towards graduate entry and careers requiring A Levels are fairly limited. Career areas that could be considered are: Accounting Administration Customer Service Banking Construction Engineering Police and Fire services Retail management Apprenticeships are available in many of these areas

Where to look for jobs Newspapers Connexions centres Websites Agencies

What can parents do? Nag!!! Ask students where they are up to with their UCAS application and encourage them to work on it / meet deadlines / ask for advice etc. Take students to open days to view universities