1. UCAS Applications 2016-17 What do you need to do?
What do you need to do?

2. First message
The Career Management Module will have given you an insight into the Next Steps
The UCAS process should be completed by October Half Term 2016
You should have your Personal Statement completed by July 2016
You need to work with your Tutor to ensure your PS is the best it possibly can be.
The 6th Form Team are also available to help too.

3. The Process
Everyone wishing to take a Level 4 course needs to apply through UCAS – the electronic university application organisation
The form has 6 sections
Personal details
Additional information
Choices
Educational qualifications
GCSE results
AS results
Other relevant qualifications – music grades etc
Personal statement
Reference – including A level predicted grades
Apply 2017 goes live in June
Final date for applications
Oxbridge, Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine – 15/10/16
All Applications – 15/01/17
BUT

5. Therefore it is in your own best interest to stick to ................
You stand a better chance of an offer if you apply earlier than the final deadline
Most universities DO NOT wait for all the applications to arrive before making offers.
Therefore it is in your own best interest to stick to

6. TGS Internal Deadlines
21st July:
Completed UCAS registration, including Personal Statement and listing 5 choices of University/Course and entry requirements. (You should have completed this in your CMM)
First draft of personal statement given to Tutor
6th September:
Next draft of personal statement given to Tutor
18th September:
Med/Vet/Dent and Oxford/Cambridge applications finalised and ‘sent’ with £23 payment to Tutors for reference to be added
23rd October:
ALL OTHER UCAS applications completed and ‘sent’ with £23 payment to Tutors for referencing and submission
Please note that when you pay the £23 fee and ‘send’ the form, it does not immediately go to UCAS. All that happens at this stage is that you no longer have control of your form and can make changes, which allows your form tutor to do a final check for mistakes (and return it to you if required!) and finalise your reference. Once this is done you will be called in by Mr Alexander, Dr Talbot or Mrs King to read through your reference and press the button to finally send the application to UCAS. The fewer mistakes you make on the form, the faster the process of checking and referencing will be!

7. Do you know where you’re going?
UCAS Applications
Do you know where you’re going?

8. http://www.scit.wlv.ac.uk/ukinfo/ How good is your geography?
Mark the following institutions on the map:
University of Hull
University of Leeds
Bournemouth University
University of Aberdeen
Queen’s University, Belfast
Warwick University
University of Loughborough
Exeter University
Sheffield university
Edinburgh University
Oxford Brookes University
University of East Anglia
Newcastle University
Sussex University
University of Central Lancaster (Preston)
Manchester University
Birmingham University
Liverpool University
University of Durham

9. THINK ABOUT THE DISTANCE INVOLVED WITH SOME UNIVERSITY CHOICES – REALISTICALLY, HOW FAR FROM HOME DO YOU WANT TO BE?

10. What is the Best University for You?
UCAS Applications
What is the Best University for You?

11. The term ‘best’ is subjective and can mean different things to different people
The university and course that will be best for you will depend on your individual needs
There is a perception that universities and courses that have high entry requirements are ‘best’
This definition of best simply translates as ‘in most demand’
However entry requirements are important indicators, not least in that they give insight into the calibre of the students on the course
Your first step in knowing which university is best for you, is knowing your predicted grades. These will be decided by your subject teachers after the AS & Mock results are known and forwarded to the Sixth Form team. However you should have a reasonable idea of what grade you will obtain in your A level and Vocational subjects – predicted grades are rarely higher than actual grades. Predicted grades are not open to negotiation!

12. Universities (and all Higher Education Institutions) might be divided into 2 categories
Selectors:
Ask for high grades and/or tariff points for entry into the course
Usually the older universities
‘The Russell Group’
Birmingham , Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Imperial College London, King's College London, Leeds, Liverpool, LSE, Manchester, University, Nottingham, Queen's Belfast, Oxford, Sheffield, Southampton, UCL, Warwick
There are other smaller ‘selectors’ that choose not to be part of the Russell Group
Durham, St Andrews, York, UEA
Specialist Institutions – For example
Bournemouth College of Art
London College of Fashion
The Slade
The Guildhall
The music conservatoires
Selector universities are characterised by a heavy focus on research and therefore attract leading academics
Recruiters:
Ask for lower grades and or/tariff points for entry on to courses
Usually the newer universities
Often offer more innovative courses
Often offer more combined courses

13. There have been attempts to objectively measure universities, producing league tables:
Teaching quality:
Regular surveys are carried out among current undergraduates about the quality of the teaching they receive. Institutions are also inspected by the QAA. You can find listings for every course on offer in the UK on:
Research:
Universities are also ranked by the amount and quality of the research they carry out
League Tables and Guides
Producing university league tables and guides is big business. Although they can be helpful, they have to be used with caution and you should never lose sight of the fact that these lists and guides are often biased, but also they do not take into consideration your individual needs

14. Main Factors to Consider
Finance
Staying at home and attending the local university is the cheapest option
Accommodation costs in London are the highest in the UK
Accommodation costs in the North of England are 50% cheaper than London
Grades
Should be a good match between your predicted grades and the entry requirements of the course
Don’t choose five universities that are all asking for the top or your predicted grades – have at least one ‘insurance’ institution
Don’t undersell yourself by choosing five universities that have entry requirements well below your predicted grades
Institution
Urban or rural?
Campus or town?
Small or large – London is a confederation of institutions across the capital?
What particular facilities do you want?
Halls of residence? – newer institutions may not be able to offer on site accommodation to all students
Course
Are specialist subjects required?
How is the course taught?
How much and what type of assessment?
Is there work experience as part of the course? If so does the university arrange this or do you need to arrange it yourself?
What career options are there? Universities all publish destination statistics – check them out

15. What courses are for me?
Log on to and do an initial search for the subject and type of course you are interested in studying, if you haven’t already.

16. Check, Check and Check again!
Always check entry requirements on the individual University
website – UCAS is not always accurate. Always look at any
conditions of the minimum offer:
Are grades/tariff points required in specific subjects?
Would your EPQ grade count towards the tariff?
Do they require any work experience before they will make an offer
Will there be an interview?
Etc?

17. Don’t Forget…
We have hard copies of the majority of prospectuses in the library and The Careers Hub – keep dipping in and out – but remember they are marketing tools!!!
Please keep asking questions......
Good luck!