1. Year 12 Higher Education Information Evening
Welcome!

2. Choosing the right course & university

3. Why consider university?
Graduate skills employers look for:
Self reliance, people skills, team work, presentation skills, communication, leadership, IT skills, numeracy, problem solving, technical skills, business acumen, diplomacy, dedication, time management
Do what you love doing
Many jobs require a degree
Develop valuable skills
Better jobs and prospects
Earn up to 50% more
Study abroad or do a work placement
A good time; new interests and experiences

4. Graduate premium and employability
The Times reported in 2017 that graduates can expect to see their lifetime earnings increased by over £177,000 over similar students who finished their education with two or more A’ Levels.
Over 40% of the jobs in the UK economy are now graduate level, therefore a degree is an additional qualification when seeking employment
A good degree (First or 2.1) DOES make a difference in the competition for jobs – but so does work experience……
The ten universities most targeted by Britain’s top graduate employers in 2015 were Manchester, Nottingham, Warwick, Cambridge, Oxford, Durham, Bristol, Imperial College London, University College London and Leeds.
BUT……recruiters stated that graduates who have had no previous work experience at all are unlikely to be successful during the selection process and have little or no chance of receiving a job offer for their organisations’ graduate programmes.

5. What do graduates earn
Graduate starting salaries at the UK’s leading graduate employers reach an average of 25,000 and a median of £30,000
More than a quarter of top graduate programmes will pay new recruits more than £35,000 when they start work and four organisations are offering salaries in excess of £45,000 to this year’s graduates.
The most generous salaries in 2017 were those on offer from investment banks (median of £45,000), law firms (median of £40,000), banking & finance firms (median of £36,500) and oil & energy companies (median of £32,500), Dentistry £34,840, Chemical Engineering £31,824.
One of the highest published graduate starting salaries for 2108 is Aldi (£44,000 plus Audi A4 car)
graduates-do-and-earn/

6. Graduate earnings

7. How to choose a course Academic interest Career requirement
Transferrable skills
‘Search’ Tool for courses
Look for related courses e.g. English and Creative Writing; English Literature and French Studies; English and American Literature. See ‘subject guides’.

8. How to choose a university
Course is paramount
content of modules
method of teaching
method of assessment
work placement/sandwich course
length of course
length & organisation of terms
lecturers & department specialisms
entry requirements – can include GCSEs as well as A-level/BTECs

9. Revised UCAS tariff for A Levels
A* points BTEC Distinction*
A points BTEC Distinction
B points
C points BTEC Merit
D points
E points BTEC Pass
Extended Project Qualification is half an A level so worth half the number of points above.

10. Location Distance? Cost of travel? Cost of living?
Facilities & attractions

11. Old or new?

12. City or campus? Size?

13. Quality and reputation
Main league tables
Subject tables
National Student Survey
Russell Group
Sutton Trust
1994 Group
The top ranking universities require the highest grades.

14. Facilities Accommodation Libraries Sports facilities Student services
Clubs & societies
Music & arts
Shops....

15. Cost of study Tuition fees – mostly £9,250 Living costs Accommodation
Bills – TV, utilities, phone & internet
Food
Travel costs
Course materials
Social life

16. The competition…
The trend in the last 10 years has been an increasing number of applications but it has fallen slightly in the last 2 years (so has the number of 18 year olds).
UCAS placed 535,200 out of 718,400 applicants into higher education in the cycle (74.5%)
33% of 18 year olds entered Higher Education in 2018 – highest ever rate.

17. The competition...
22,000+ students achieved at least 3 A grades in 2009 (almost double the figure for 1994).
In % of all grades were A or A*
In % students got AAA or higher
About 100,000 students get ABB each year
Student attainment has increased since the mid 1980’s but since 2011 has declined slightly.

18. New trend: unconditional offers
The number of unconditional offers has increased dramatically from 2,985 in 2013, to 67,915 in This rose further to 87,500 once students had accepted a firm conditional offer.
This was 0.3 % of all offers in 2013 and 7.6% in 2018.

19. Degree Apprenticeships

20. Degree Apprenticeship

21. Useful Wesites
uce-higher-education-options/higher-and- degree-apprenticeships-guide-download
the-uk

22. The year ahead

23. What’s happening now? Researching courses and universities
Thorough research is essential:
- UCAS website
- Institution websites
- Prospectuses: official and alternative
- Open days
- Good university guides
- Unifrog
Registering with UCAS and starting to complete the application form
Drafting a personal statement
Check if an admissions test is required and register

24. The Unifrog tools Exploring pathways Canadian universities
College/ Sixth Form
Oxbridge
Apprenticeships
European universities
Searching for
opportunities
US universities
UK universities
Activities
Interactions
Competencies
Recording what you’ve done
CV / Resumé
Personal Statement
Teacher References
Common App Essay
Drafting application materials
Post 16/18 Intentions
Applications list
Making applications
Locker
Careers library
Subjects library
Know-how library
MOOC
Asian universities
Special Opportunities

25. Careers Library Over 1000 career profiles
Presents information from a range of sources
Includes qualifications and skills needed, interviews with industry professionals and labour market information
Explores progression opportunities and what a working week really looks like

26. UK Universities
Students can enter subject of interest and projected grades to see all relevant university courses available in the UK
Rank and filter opportunities by factors like hours of lectures, price of accommodation and graduate job rates
Get direct links to university information pages, with impartial information on courses and institutions
Save unlimited shortlists to refer back to later

27. Apprenticeships Students can find live apprenticeship vacancies
Vacancies are updated daily
Rank and filter opportunities by factors like distance from home, weekly wage and application deadlines
Direct link to the ‘apply’ page
Each apprenticeship vacancy includes practical information about the opportunity, employer and training
Save unlimited shortlists to refer back to later

28. Special Opportunities
Includes £5 million-worth of grants, bursaries, scholarships, contextual offers and extracurricular activities
These can be filtered by circumstances or characteristics, depending on the access requirements of the opportunity
Includes direct links for applying
Unlimited shortlists can be created and referred back to

29. Parents & guardians, get signed up!
Go to and click ‘Sign in for the first time’
You’ll be asked for some details and a form code. This is what you need:
kshsparents
After signing up, log into Unifrog using your address and password via the student sign-in page!

30. SJSF Events
Friday 7th June – UCAS Launch and Personal Statement Workshop
Friday 28th June – SJSF Destinations trips: Nottingham University or Lincoln University or Lincoln College
Friday 5th July – Cambridge Open Day
Monday 15 – Friday 19 July: Work Experience week
Wednesday 4th September: Apprenticeship talk at Carre’s
Wednesday 30th October: SJSF Careers Fair
March 2020: SJSF Apprenticeship Fair

31. Essential Resources Heap Guide
Heap online – all Year 12 students have passcode for this
Times Good University Guide
Student planner pages
KSHS Guidance booklet ‘Purple Booklet’
guide

32. Autumn Term
Teachers give predicted grades - indication of likely grades next year, so assess likely offers of different courses
Complete the remainder of the application form
Meet with tutor and subject specialist to finalise personal statement

33. How to apply Applications are online through UCAS website
Can choose up to 5 courses (usually similar courses at 5 different universities)
Before students send applications they should see Miss Chant for final checks
Fee is £25 (£20 if only one course): paid online with a debit/credit card
The School Reference is added once the student has paid (written by tutors & subject teachers)
School sends the final application

34. September/October Can apply from 4th September 2019
Early deadline: 1st October – Conservatoires (Music)
Early deadline: 15th October
- Oxbridge
- Medicine
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Science
- Dentistry
Some students may need to take aptitude tests e.g. BMAT, UKCAT, LNAT; Many Oxbridge courses – let Mrs Parsons know.

35. November-March
Later applications: we aim to send off all applications by Christmas
Official UCAS deadline is 15th January 2020
Art and Design courses may have a 24th March deadline
Interviews – mock interviews offered
Start receiving offers

36. What happens when the UCAS form has been sent?
UCAS send your form to all the chosen universities at the same time - they cannot see the other choices
Each university only receives details relating to that particular university and course
Some universities/courses will interview but most will send details of the conditions of an offer (or rejection)
News appears on ‘track’

37. Spring
Receive all offers from UCAS (usually by early May but can be June)
Decide which ones to accept and which to reject: usually you accept a conditional firm offer (1st choice), and then a conditional insurance offer (2nd choice).
If no offers received, you can use ‘Extra’ (25th February to 4th July); Clearing opens 5th July.
Apply for Student Loans online by end of May

38. Summer Take examinations Results Day: 13th August 2020
Check UCAS website for confirmation of offers
If unsuccessful, go through ‘Clearing’ or take a Gap Year to re-apply; or reconsider your options.
Opportunity to go through ‘Adjustment’ if you get higher grades than expected
Go to university!