1. Welcome to Grey Court Higher Education Evening
Mark Alger – Kingston University – applying to university and student finance
Rrita Pula and Nina Hempstead – Grey Court Alumni – Student experience of university
Jane Higham – Head of Year 12– Unifrog and how to support your child with their next steps
Bernie Corrighan – Careers Adviser – Work Experience update
April Year 12. Thinking about going to university? This evening gives an introduction to what you need to consider and what to do next.

2. Employment/ Apprenticeship Gap Year Higher Education
Going to university is only one of the choices available to you after Sixth Form, at this stage consider all your options.
Higher Education

3. Students entering university in 2018 will face tuition fees of up to £9250 a year, so it is important to research thoroughly and choose wisely.

4. Higher Education? Why? Enjoyment of studying and of your subject
Different from school
Transferable skills
Wider choice of professions and careers
Possibility of higher salaries
Social life and entertainment
Independence
There are many advantages to going to university. Britton and colleagues: ‘there is no doubt that a degree offers a pathway to relatively high earnings for a large subset of graduates, from across a range of institutions’, that is, for most students going to university in Britain it is a wise investment. A study in the UK showed that earnings of graduates exceed those of non-graduates for about 80% of graduates. That is, there is a graduate premium for most graduates Source: LSE research

5. Highest and Lowest Graduate Earners by Degree
The UK’s creative industries have today cemented their position as a powerhouse for growth, with employment in the sector growing at four times the rate of the UK workforce as whole.
The nation’s creative industries now employ almost two million people, up five per cent on the previous year, compared to the wider UK workforce which grew by 1.2 per cent, according to latest official statistics from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

6. 50,000
There are 50,000 courses to choose from – to find out detailed info visit universities on open days, read university guide books and prospectuses. 395 providers

7. Same name, different course
Choice of modules
Admission test
Entrance requirements
Interview
Number of applicants per place
Courses at different universities may have the same title (e.g BA History) but have very different content – check carefully.

8. University learning is very different from school, you will need to do much more on your own – check how many contact hours of teaching you get a week.

9. You will need to be self-disciplined to balance your work and social life.

10. Many universities run courses that include a year’s work experience, either in the UK or abroad through the Erasmus scheme.

11. Make sure the decisions you make on university and courses are right for you, otherwise you risk dropping out.

12. Look it up before you choose it!
Make sure you know where the university is before you make it a choice, and if possible visit on an open day.

13. Universities differ in their character and location – they may be campus (everything in one place), city, modern, traditional or a mix – again, visit to find out.

14. On university open days you will be able to visit university accommodation, find out the costs, and get a feel for what it would be like to live there.

15. Opportunities for part time work vary between university location, university guide books and unis themselves will give you advice on this.

16. Universities have lots of different clubs and societies – find one to suit you!

17. Universities have different reputations within the academic world and with graduate employers. Use league tables as a starting point.

18.
Applications to university are all made online through UCAS

19. The application process
The UCAS form 1
Personal details 3
Exam
results 5
Predicted
grades 2
Five
choices 4
Personal Statement 6
Teacher
and tutor reference
Universities look at a range of information when deciding whether to make you an offer.

20. What should students be doing now?
Start researching now – go on the UCAS website and explore.

24. Specific details
Link to skills
Relevance to University
Shows ambition and unique rational

25. What could parents be doing now?
The UCAS website also has a useful section for parents / carers.

26. Shows required grades to study Biochemistry at The University of Manchester. Note the offer range AAA-ABB with a grade A in Biology, Chemistry, Physics OR Maths AND a second hard science A Level (Biology, Physics or Maths)

27. Find out requirements Work experience Teaching Art portfolio
Entrance tests UKCAT LNAT STEP
Art portfolio
Entry requirements
– grades or tariff points

28. UCAS tariff
If taking a gap year we encourage students to apply and defer their place.

29. 21st Sept
Grey Court deadline for UCAS application for Oxbridge, medicine, veterinary science, dentistry
19th Oct
Advised school deadline for completing UCAS application – we need time to check application and add references
Deadlines come up quicker than you think – we advise you to have completed your application by October half term, so start researching now.

30. What happens next? See offers on UCAS Track Interview and/or visit day
Conditional offer based on exam grades or UCAS tariff points
Unsuccessful – not the end of the world, but shows value of careful research and choices
UCAS Extra if no offers received
You follow the progress of your applications on UCAS.

31. When is a final decision made?
Decision between offers is made
after replies received from all unis
(between November and March)
Deadline varies, likely to be early May
Need to make a firm choice
and an insurance choice
When you have replies from all your universities you need to narrow down your choices to one firm and one insurance choice.

32. If at first you don’t succeed …
UCAS Extra
Extra choice (one at a time) for students who have received no offers by March
Clearing
If students don’t achieve the grades required by their firm or insurance choices - contact universities to see if they still have places
UCAS Extra and Clearing helps students find places if they have received no offers or don’t achieve the final exam grades required.