1. Ilford County High School Higher Education Evening
Monday 21 March 2016

2. ILFORD COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL HIGHER EDUCATION EVENING
PROGRAMME
Facts and figures about UCAS applications
How do students make choices?
The Personal Statement & Reference
Finance
Break and Questions
Oxbridge Applications.
Medicine/Dentistry/Veterinary applications
Final Questions

3. Popular and Competitive University Courses

4. Universities With the Highest Points Scores
Cambridge (602)
Oxford (572)
Imperial (568)
LSE (533)
Durham (524)
St Andrews (517)
UCL (502)
Edinburgh (484)
Warwick (482)
Bath (479)
Source: 2016 Guardian University Guide

5. How Do I Get All Those Points?
Grade A* A Level 140 Grade A 120 AS Level 60 Grade B Grade C Grade D Grade E 40 20

6. What An Offer Might Look Like
Computer Science, Newcastle University
AAB
Must achieve three A Levels in this grade range.
Chemistry, Hull University
280 points from 3 A Levels (C in Chemistry)
Could be achieved by BBC or ACC
EPQ is not a required qualification, but may be included in an offer.
Southampton, Bristol and Birmingham, among others, are making alternative offers to students who complete an EPQ in addition to 3 A-levels (e.g. applicants with three A-levels get an offer of A*AA; applicants with 3 A Levels plus an EPQ get an offer of AAA plus a specified EPQ grade).

7. Guardian 2016 University rankings based on:
Student satisfaction with
Course
Teaching
Feedback
Student – staff ratios
Spend per student
Entry standards
Value-added score
Graduate prospects

8. Guardian 2016 Top Universities
Cambridge 100
Oxford
St Andrews 91.8
Surrey
Bath
Durham
Warwick 84.6
Imperial
Exeter
Lancaster 82.1

9. The Russell Group Birmingham LSE Bristol Manchester Cambridge
Newcastle
Cardiff
Nottingham
Durham
Queen’s, Belfast
Edinburgh
Oxford
Exeter
Queen Mary
Glasgow
Sheffield
Imperial College
Southampton
King’s College
UCL
Leeds
Warwick
Liverpool
York

10. Most Competitive
Ratio of places to applications: LSE 11 UCL 10 Edinburgh 9.4 Bristol 8.1 King’s 8.1 Warwick 7.2 Bath 7.9 Leeds 7.7 Durham 6.5 Birmingham 6.5

11. Dropout Rates 2016 (%) Highest Lowest London Met 17.7 Oxford 1.5
Uni. Of West of Scot. 17.6
Bolton
South Bank 13.8
Uni. Of West London 13.7
Middlesex 12.8
Uni. Campus Suffolk 12.5
City
Uni. Of East London 11.9
Roehampton 11.8
Lowest
Oxford 1.5
Cambridge 1.6
St Andrews 2.0
Bath 2.1
Bristol 2.2
Durham 2.3
Exeter 2.5
Sheffield 2.7
Newcastle 2.8
Southampton 3.1

12. Competitive Courses Course
Universities Requiring Highest Points Tariff
Accounting & Finance
Strathclyde, LSE, Glasgow
Chemical Engineering
Cambridge, Imperial, Strathclyde
Chemistry
Cambridge, Durham, Oxford
Civil Engineering
Cambridge, Imperial, Bristol
Dentistry
Cardiff, Glasgow, Dundee
Economics
Cambridge, Oxford (+ Management) LSE
Electronic & Electrical Engineering
Cambridge, Imperial, Glasgow
English
Oxford, Durham Cambridge
History
Mathematics
Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial
Medicine
Cambridge, Cardiff, Oxford

13. Should I Take A Gap Year? This is entirely up to you.
Some people benefit from this, others do not.
Pros
Cons
Chance to undertake work experience and gain other positive experiences.
An extra year in which to mature and become more independent.
Earn money to finance HE life.
A break from academia.
You get out of the habit of studying
Few decent job prospects during the one-year gap.
Some universities may not be keen – check.
Gap Years can be wasted.

14. Where Do I Start?

15. Make The Right Choice 20% of students drop out of university.
10% do so in their first year.
30% wish they had studied something else.

16. The Main Reasons Students Drop Out
Wrong choice of course.
Wrong choice of university.
Poor advice or did not listen to advice.

17. Which Subject Should I Take?
Consider:
Aptitude
Enjoyment
Careers
There is a much wider range of degree subjects than A level courses – there are 90 courses beginning with the letter A alone!

18. Degrees And Career Choice
Fewer than 5% of jobs in the commercial and business sector require specific degrees.
The key factors for employers are:
A good degree from a good university
Personal qualities (e.g. adaptability, creativity, self-management, teamwork)
Work experience.

19. Common Misconceptions
If I wish to become a solicitor or barrister I must do a Law degree.
40-50% of the Top 20 Law Firms’ intake is from non-Law graduates
If I wish to become an Accountant/Actuary etc. I must do an Accountancy/Finance degree.
5% of Engineering students and 5% of History graduates typically enter these professions.

20. For which type of course should I apply?
Single, or combined honours
Sandwich
International component
Assessment
Entry requirements
Topics being studied

21. Which Institution? Location (home or away? campus or city?)
Distance from home.
Transport costs.
Size and facilities
Entry standards
Accommodation
Cost of Living
Drop-out rate
Employability

22. What You Need To Do:
Consult the UCAS website. The “Entry Profiles” section is especially useful.
Consult the institution website.
Look at HE Guides (Heap, Times etc.)
Visit the institutions you are interested in.
or ring admissions tutors.
Discuss options with the 6th Form team.
Visit HE careers-related websites:

23. What You Need To Do: Personal Statement: Reference Read widely
Visit relevant places of interest
Go to public lectures
Seek work experience
Reference
Make a consistently good impression.

24. The Process

25. The Application Process
Final deadline for UCAS forms - 15th January of year of entry.
Final deadline for Oxbridge, Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science is on15th October before the year of entry.
It is extremely unwise to apply late.

26. Your timetable
Now
Begin to look into possible courses and universities.
Begin to plan your Personal Statement.
Arrange careers interview if you would like to have one.
May
Sit exams. These results will largely determine which courses and institutions you can apply to.
June
Attend the school’s HE Day and attend open days.
Meet your UCAS referee.
Register on UCAS Apply.
Write the bulk of your Personal statement.

27. Your Timetable (cont.) September
Predicted grades are issued. These will be based upon AS results and are likely to be the same grade.
Finalise Personal Statement and application form.
October
Applications submitted to UCAS.
Those who fail to meet these deadlines will be severely disadvantaged.

28. The Application Process
Choose up to 5 universities.
Complete your Application and pay online.
Your Referee completes a Reference online.
Your Application is checked by Mr Pearson.
Your Application is sent to UCAS, who send it to your 5 universities.
You may be interviewed or made an offer.
You may be contacted by the university within days or maybe not until March or April.

29. Acceptance And Rejection

30. Offers There are two types The majority will be conditional.
Unconditional (U) - already qualified for entry.
Conditional (C) - when further examinations are still to be taken, offer is conditional upon passing at a specified standard.
The majority will be conditional.
Some universities are now making unconditional offers to students who choose them as a “firm” option:
Attractions: Reduces pressure
Concerns: Relaxed approach to A Levels will affect long-term employability.
All offer details will be sent to you by UCAS.

31. Accepting offers
After the final decision has been received, applicant has to decide for each offer:
Firm Acceptance - F
Insurance acceptance - I
Decline - D
Only ONE firm acceptance and ONE insurance may be selected.
Insurance offers should always require lower grades.
All other offers must be declined

32. Main Reasons For Rejections
Inadequate qualifications.
Unrealistic applications.
Poor Personal Statements, including lack of specific subject information.
Poor predicted grades or GCSE grades.
Not enough relevant recent work experience.
Poor interview performance.

33. Getting Your Place Take examinations.
DO NOT BE AWAY ON HOLIDAY WHEN EXAM RESULTS ARE PUBLISHED
UCAS confirmation begins:
Your first choice place is confirmed - UCAS will ask you to confirm acceptance.
Your first place is NOT confirmed but your insurance place is - UCAS will ask you to confirm acceptance.
Neither place confirmed - enter Clearing

34. Finance

35. Finance
There are three main sources of government-supported income available to you:
1. Maintenance loan. This is repayable and available to everyone, although the amount varies depending on parental income.
2. Tuition Fee loan. This is repayable and available to everyone. The maximum tuition fee any university may charge is £9,000 subject to “tough” participation and access criteria. At present 65% of institutions charge the highest rate.
Most universities also offer bursaries. You will be advised if you are eligible for these during the finance application process.

36. Highly Competitive Universities
You should be considering a highly competitive university if:
You have 5 or more A* grades at GCSE.
You expect to achieve at least 3 high A grades in AS Levels this summer.
You are prepared to go through a rigorous interview process.
You are prepared to sit additional examinations or tests.

37. Break & Questions

38. Oxbridge Applications

39. You cannot apply to both Oxford and Cambridge.
Why Oxbridge?
Quality of students
Quality of academic staff
Tutorial system
Facilities
Employability
Architecture
You cannot apply to both Oxford and Cambridge.
BUT not necessarily the best!

40. Profile of a successful Oxbridge candidate.
Reads avidly
Intellectually curious – doesn’t just learn the syllabus.
Potential for further intellectual development.
Enthusiastic and open-minded.
An excellent academic profile.
1A and 2A* predicted grades for sciences.
Capacity to cope with a busy life
Good interview skills
Well prepared for submitted work/tests

41. Applications Per Place (2014)
Cambridge:
Overall : 4.9
Computer Science 5.7
Economics 7.3
Engineering 6.6
History 3.1
Law
Mathematics 5.7
Medicine 5.7
Natural Science 4.8
Oxford:
Overall:
Biology
Chemistry
Computer Science 10.8
Economics & Management 13.3
Engineering 5.8
History
Law
Mathematics 5.7
Medicine 9.4
Politics, Philosophy & Economics 6.9
Physics

42. The Interview
Both universities interview everyone who meets their entry criteria.
This is a vital part of the process.
Candidates need to be interested in the subject, and have a breadth of knowledge beyond their A Level syllabus and set texts – begin this now!
Research the college and its staff before the interview.
You must be enthusiastic, knowledgeable and able to think on your feet.

43. Choosing A College
Do not get too hung up on this – if in doubt, submit an open application.
Choose a college which offers your subject.
Interviews are carried out at the college, except in Medicine and Law at Oxford.
Around 26% of Oxford applicants and 16% of Cambridge applicants who receive an offer will get it from a College to which they did not originally apply. 

44. Oxford Carries out 22,000 interviews.
Interviews students per vacancy
Varies greatly between subjects:
Economics & Management (25%)
PPE (46%),
Law (50%)
Chemistry (93%)
Theology and Oriental Studies (100%)
Pre-interview tests sat in school in most subjects.

45. Cambridge Carries out 14,000 interviews.
70-80% of applicants are interviewed, with the exception of Medicine / Veterinary Science (50%).
Moving to pre-interview or at-interview testing.

46. Oxford Employment Destinations

47. Cambridge Employment Destinations

48. Supporting Oxbridge Applications
We are unlikely to support a candidate with fewer than 5A* grades at GCSE if they completed their GCSEs at ICHS; a lower number may be acceptable for students from other schools.
We must believe they have a strong likelihood of passing the entrance examination / pre-interview tests.
They must have achieved three very A grades at AS (e.g. 90% average) and be predicted A*AA at A Level.

49. Profiles Of Some Successful Candidates 2010-15B C D E F G H I
Subject
Natural Science
Econ and Management
Economics
Medicine
Chemical Engineering
History
Law
GCSE A* 11 9 7 10 8 5
AS UMS Average
96%
95%
94%
93%
97%
90%

50. Some Unsuccessful Candidates 2008-15
Student
GCSE A*
UMS Average
Note A 8
89%
We are unable to write strong references for these students. B 5
80% C 9
88% D
97%
Very competitive courses E 10
95% F
98% G
91%
Little knowledge or apparent interest beyond A Level syllabus H 7
93% I 6
94%

51. Choosing Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Science

52. Variety of Medicine Courses
Different styles of medical teaching:
Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial offer lab-based and scientific courses.
St George's, Liverpool and Cardiff offer patient- centred courses
Teaching is, to a degree, reflected in the admissions tests:
The BMAT is a very good test of a candidate's science proficiency
The UKCAT is intended to test for soft skills such as empathy with patients.
The Multiple Mini Interviews are designed to test problem solving, listening (e.g. taking a patient history) and reasoning ability.

53. Maximising Your Chances Of Getting In
Academic Criteria
6+ A/A* at GCSE
At least AAA predictions (AAB in mitigating circumstances)
A good BMAT / UKCAT score
Good AS results
The right ‘A’ Levels
Chemistry and usually Biology
Useful to have a contrasting art / humanity
WE WILL NOT SUPPORT CANDIDATES WHO DO NOT MEET THESE CRITERIA

54. Maximising Your Chances (cont.)
Work experience
Range and value
Glamour and ‘dirty end’
Short and longer periods
Recent
Be in good health
Finally: a realistic chance of getting in. We will not support applications from candidates without this.

55. Recent Applicant Profiles
Subject
No. A* GCSE
Offers
Dentistry
8.5
King’s, London 3
None
Medicine 10
Cambridge, UCL
9.5
Nottingham 8
5.5
UCL 6 5 2

56. Any Questions?