Options for continuing education after leaving school Higher Education Options for continuing education after leaving school

Options University is one of many options available for your child when leaving school. If they are still not sure of whether it is right for them, there is plenty of help and advice available from Mrs Pickford or myself, or from Connexions. www.notgoingtouni.co.uk

Support at Rickmansworth School UCAS Convention A series of Tutor time sessions on Higher Education Should I go to university Choosing a course Filling in the UCAS form Writing a Personal Statement HE Tutors HE Day – Summer term Open Days Support on results day

What could higher education do for my child? Higher education is about your child taking their education to the next level and fulfilling their potential. As well as opening up new career options, higher education means opportunities to meet new people and take part in a wide range of social and sporting activities. It can also help develop a sense of independence - without the immediate pressures of full-time work.

Higher education and career prospects More and more, employers are looking for skilled and educated workers. A higher education qualification can help your child get into an exciting range of careers. And on average, graduates tend to earn substantially more than people with A levels who did not go to university. Projected over a working lifetime, the difference is something like £100,000 before tax at today’s valuation.

Is higher education right for my child? University or college is an option for everyone who has the ability to succeed in higher education. Once university was seen as being only for those from better-off families, but this is no longer true. More people are going into higher education than ever before - including students from all backgrounds, and at different ages. So even if no-one else from your family has been to university, there’s no reason why your child shouldn't.

What can my child study? There’s a huge range of courses on offer, from ancient history to hospitality management to veterinary nursing. It’s important that your child studies subjects they enjoy, but if they’re planning to go to college or university they should check what subjects they need to get on the course they want. For example, if they’re interested in a science course or career they may need GCSEs, A levels or equivalent qualifications in science subjects.

How do we apply? The vast majority of courses require you to use the UCAS website A few courses are available on CUKAS or by applying directly to the college The first thing to do is register on the UCAS website and start using Course Search Students have up to 5 choices – they can apply to 5 different universities and if they choose to apply for more than one course at a university, these count as separate choices

www.ucas.com

Sending the application Our students will need to use the Buzzword ‘RICK14’ when they register so that their application gets attached to our school When they pay (£23 for 2 to 5 choices) and send their application, they are actually sending the application to school We do a few admin checks here but the application is their responsibility so they must be happy with it before it is sent We will then write a reference for the student and send the application to UCAS

Key Dates Mid-September 2012 - Applications can be sent to UCAS 15 October 2012 - Application deadline for applications for all medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and veterinary science courses and for all courses at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge (School deadline is 7 Oct). 13 December 2012 – School Application deadline 15 January 2013 – Main Application deadline 24 March 2013 - Application deadline for some art and design courses

Other parts of the application process Extra Clearing Adjustment

Important points to consider Entering unit or module details for AS or A levels is optional - check the Entry Profiles in Course Search to see if universities want your units or module results and add them if they do When registering with UCAS, students can specify a person as a ‘nominated access’. This person can make decisions on their behalf if they are unable to We strongly advise that students are not away when their results come out (14th August 2014)

www.rickysixth.wordpress.com

Any questions?