Ten Top Tips for parents Assistant Principal/Head of 6th Form Applying to Higher Education Ten Top Tips for parents 2017 - 18 R.Elmes Assistant Principal/Head of 6th Form

Ten top tips Information-gathering Choose course/s Choose university/ies Personal statement Meet UCAS deadline Check UCAS application in progress Check finance application in progress Visit university/ies Make CF and CI choices Send them on their way rejoicing

1. Information-gathering How you can help? Course choice University choice Student finance Student life Where do you find it? UCAS Course Search (http://www.ucas.com/students/coursesearch/) University & college prospectuses (paper & online) Student Finance England (http://www.studentfinance.direct.gov.uk/) Student survey reports (http://www.thestudentsurvey.com/) League tables (eg. The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/) Standard references (eg. Heap’s University Degree Course Offers)

2. Choosing courses What do you need to know? How can you help? How many choices do they have? Course content, structure & assessment Required subjects & grades Other entry requirements/ preferences Graduate career prospects How can you help? Is it really what they want to do? Do they know what it’ll be like to study this course? Is their application realistic? Will they achieve their course goals? Will success on the course get them the career that they want?

3. Choosing University What do you need to know? How can you help? Will it deliver the course they want in the way they want it? What’s the reputation of the course at that university? What’s it like to study there? What’s it like to live there? How can you help? Open days/ visits: go with them? Talk to staff & students Recommend use of online social networking (eg. UCAS Connect, http://www.ucasconnect.com/) NB: get behind the prospectus’ glossy photos!

4. Personal Statement What do you need to know? How can you help? What it’s for: supplementing qualification data What goes into it: evidence to show commitment and passion for the course How it’s written: grammar, spelling, style How can you help? Getting the evidence: eg. work experience, voluntary work Advising on content: curbing excesses of expression! Proof-reading: checking the grammar & spelling Timing: of evidence-gathering activities & of writing Start NOW!

5. UCAS Deadlines What do you need to know? How can you help? Deadline for Medicine, Dentistry, Vet. Science, Oxbridge 15th October 2017 School deadline – 20th October 2017, UCAS deadline – 15th January 2018 Deadline for Art & Design courses (March 2018) Deadline for making CF & CI choices (May 2018 – but can be done as soon as all 5 replies are received. How can you help? In the nicest possible way: hassle them! Do a flow chart together See information on Parents’ section of UCAS website (http://www.ucas.com/parents/applying/) Start NOW!

6. After you’ve applied… What do you need to know? How can you help? That the application is proceeding That offers are coming in What the offers mean How can you help? Get familiar with UCAS Track together (http://www.ucas.com/students/track/) Check courses & uni choices on Track are correct Get familiar with UCAS Tariff together (http://www.ucas.com/students/ucas_tariff/) Make sure the offer is understood – if not, ask the university or RE

7. Finance Application What do you need to know? How can you help? How to complete the SFE online application What information needs to be included Deadlines (Open from February through to May 2018) How can you help? Do the application together You’ll need to fill in the means-tested data on income Ensure deadline is met Check application is being processed Check reference letter arrives & that they take it with them to enrolment See information on http://www.studentfinance.direct.gov.uk/

8. University visits What do you need to know? How can you help? When to go: dates of open days What to do if you can’t make the open day What to ask/ look for when you get there How can you help? Get them to do some prior research, eg. Facebook Go together if you can (try to insist ...) Check alternative arrangements – eg Saturday visits Check OK with school Draft questions together in advance & get answers

9. Final choice of course What do you need to know? How can you help? Can get up to 5 offers: need to choose 2 CF = conditional firm: the place you really want CI = conditional insurance: 1/2 grades lower than CF Deadlines for making choices How can you help? Discuss outcomes of university visits Discuss most likely grades Look at practicalities: eg. distance from home to uni, from accommodation to study centres Be prepared to stand back!

10. University Life What do you need to know? How can you help? Budgeting & finance Independent living Study/ fun balance How can you help? Help with student bank account, how to do weekly budget Be prepared to drop everything & dash up there Be on the other end of the phone Be prepared to advise, worry & let them get on with it!

- University Admissions Tutors Advice from the Horse’s Mouth - University Admissions Tutors

Choosing course: tips from admissions staff ‘Don’t be afraid to contact a uni to find out more’ Shows interest and commitment Uni may make record of personal contact May use in decision-making Applicants need to show they’ve really thought about the course John Wheeler, Staffordshire University

Choosing course: tips from admissions staff ‘The best way to get a place is to prove you love the subject and all it entails’ Be focused when making choices Not all courses are the same Eg. medicine: what’s meant by Problem-based Traditional Case-led? Lucy Backhurst, University of Newcastle

Choosing course: tips from admissions staff ‘Don’t apply for lots of different types of courses’ Shows lack of commitment and not knowing what you want to do Sheila Byrne, Anglia Ruskin University ‘Use the Entry Profiles on the UCAS website...’ ...to make sure the course you’ve earmarked is actually what you want to study Daniel Cox, City University London

Choosing institution: tips from admissions staff ‘Never be afraid to ask questions, however intrusive’ Use the live chat line for applicants – ask: What are the rooms like? Who will you share with? What facilities are there? An informed choice is a better choice – get your choice wrong and you’ll live to regret it Nicola Rees, Kingston University

Choosing institution: tips from admissions staff ‘Apply early’ Don’t leave your application until the new year The best places fill up quickly – make sure you’re in the first tranche Look beyond traditional universities – don’t forget colleges, which can offer you the same quality degree as a university but usually a lot cheaper Philip Davies, Bournemouth and Poole College