FAQ
Is university the right route for my child?Your son/daughter needs to firstly decide whether he/she wants to go to University. Some students are definitely sure that they want to study for a degree; others are more hesitant and unsure as to whether university is for them. Talk to your son / daughter about their thoughts and feelings and encourage them to speak with 6th form Tutors at school. The sixth form team can explore options and help students to make this important first decision. Your son/daughter may well have brothers, sisters or friends who are already at University. Facebook is a great way to keep in touch and get an idea of University life and a sense of whether it may be for them! Certain career choices are dependant on getting a degree, other are not- explore options and ideas There are many alternatives to University as an option on leaving school. The Connexions service is very helpful in considering other choices. It is important that they have enough information and feel supported by teachers as well as you as parents so that they are able to make an informed and confident decision about their future direction! My son/daughter wants to go to university but can’t decide on which subject to study. Help!!!If you are reading this as a parent of a new 6th former, there is plenty of time and it is important that your son/daughter feels confident about their choice. Some students are certain what they want to study at University, others less so. At 16 years old, many students are a little hazy on planning life into their early 20s and beyond. At the end of year 11, beginning of year 12, students make a big adjustment into 6th form life and leaving school seems a lifetime away!!! There is a wealth of choice which is exciting and can be, at the same time, a little daunting. This puts some students off and their reason for not making a decision may simply be that they are overwhelmed by the options open to them! Talk to them about which subjects they enjoy the most and what ideas they have about what they want to be doing as a career in 10 years time!! This seems unreal for many students ( and parents!) Expert help can be found through Connexions where a qualified adviser can work through possible career options with your son or daughter and explore possibilities. Encourage your son/daughter to take a look online at the range of courses available and the career paths that follow certain degree pathways. Advice from traditional Universities for choosing A Levels and Degree CoursesThe following document includes advice from traditional Universities for choosing A Levels and Degree courses What if I have opinions and my son/daughter won’t listen to my ideas?Be interested and aware that, although your input and opinions are important, this is your child’s future and not yours. Many parents have strong views about what is right for their child. Although we as parents always have their best interests at heart, we can get carried away with enthusiasm about what we think should be happening and forget that there is a young ( nearly) adult individual who will almost certainly have dreams and ideas of their own!!! Talk to your son/daughter about what excites them and where their interests lie. Listen to their ideas, even the most creative ones!! You may have imagined a career in medicine or teaching for your child yet you may in fact have a future award winning journalist or entrepreneur in the family! What else can we do to help her/him decide on what to study?Think of who you know who may be of help in chatting about subjects, careers and indeed universities. Your son/daughter may prefer to chat to someone outside the immediate family!! If your son/daughter is unsure as to what to study or career to aim for, encourage them to organise some additional work experience in the summer between Year 12 and 13. This can be inspirational and encouraging or can help a decision that a certain path is not for them!!! Attend the Sixth form parent evenings and talk through ideas and plans with the staff as open communication will help your son/ daughter to choose. Make an appointment to talk things through with your son/daughter’s teacher or one of the 6th form team. They are always happy to help! When will my son/daughter have to decide on which subject to study?University applications start in September/ October of Year 13 and the UCAS form must be complete and with UCAS by a prescribed date in the January of Year 13. In order to complete the UCAS application the student needs to write a personal statement which is considered by the admissions tutors at the 5 universities that they will apply to. The personal statement is a vital part of the application ( see later question ). Part of the content is an explanation about why your son/daughter wants to study the subject that they have chosen. Some students have completed their personal statement in September, others in January, the vast majority somewhere in between! So, once your son/daughter has chosen a subject, they can get on with writing an amazing personal statement! Which University is the right one for my son or daughter?The choice of university is personal and affected by many factors. Browse a few websites to get a sense of the courses on offer and, importantly the feel of the university as each is unique. We recommend visiting a number of universities on their open days as this enables you and your child to experience more directly what is on offer academically and socially. Good questions to consider as a checklist for the student are:
Once your son/daughter has been through the above check list and is happy with the choice of 5 universities, the Ucas form can move further to completion! Ultimately the choice will be narrowed to two but for now stick to the 5 selected and wait for the offers to come through!!! Why are predicted grades important?Tutors will estimate the predicted grades for your son or daughter in year 12. Although this is not an exact science it can be useful when considering where to apply. Your son/daughter will be able to access their predicted grades with their password online. If the predicted grades are BBC or CCD, or AAB it is important to make sure that your son or daughter selects universities who make offers in line with predicted grades. If your son or daughter has their heart set on a course /University that requires higher grades, make an appointment to meet with the subject tutor to discuss whether they feel the higher grade is achievable…Never say never!! It is important to select 5 universities to include at least one which will offer at below the predicted grades for your son or daughter. This will mean that your child has a first choice place in line with anticipated grades and also an insurance or plan B place in case grades are not as expected. What is UCAS and how does it work?UCAS stands for University Clearing and Admission Service and it is based in Cheltenham. UCAS is important because it is the only method of entry to university. All applications have to be routed through UCAS and are done electronically. The UCAS website is very comprehensive and helpful and we advise that you take a look as it will provide the answer to many of your questions. In a nutshell, your son/daughter can select a total of 5 choices of courses via Ucas. Once you have narrowed down the choices to 5 the form is filled in electronically and sent to UCAS. Over the next weeks each university will consider the application and your son daughter will find out which one of the following options applies.
How can I help my son/daughter through the UCAS application process?Be interested and offer help with selecting universities and with writing the personal statement. There will be a structured timetable of support at school and encourage your son / daughter to make full use of this. Use the Ucas website-parent section; it has useful timetables checklists such as the one below! This helps you as a parent keep track of whether the student is on track! Very reassuring! UCAS Application Process ChecklistShould I help with the personal statement?The personal statement should be, just that, personal! This may well be the first time that your son or daughter has had to “sell” themselves on paper and many are reluctant to write very positively about themselves. They are just not used to it!!! Statements must be well written, truthful and positive rather than lists of facts about the individual. Encourage them to put themselves in the place of the Admissions Tutor, having to make decisions about offers based on the statement and ask them what they think would impress. Sixth form Tutors will help guide your son or daughter through a process where they can produce a well written statement. Take a look at the Ucas guidelines and there are also other websites such as thestudentroom.co.uk which are very helpful. By all means help your son/daughter to get started and then shape their ideas into a great personal statement. Be aware that Admissions Tutors are expert at reading and have a very good idea if parents have been too involved in the writing! Why is UCAS so important?UCAS is important because it is the only method of entry to university. All applications have to be routed through UCAS and are done electronically. When should I start thinking about UCAS?You should really start the thought processes early in Year 12 and certainly after the January Parents’ Evening. You should start considering the future at this stage even though you will not be making firm decisions. We really focus on UCAS and the university process in the second half of the summer term. Significant dates?The UCAS site allows applications from early September. Applications that are received up to January 15th are all treated in the same way by universities, thereby giving all applicants an equal opportunity as far as possible. You can still apply after this date up to June, but your application will be at the bottom of the pile and university offers are more limited as many courses will be full. Those applying to Oxford or Cambridge or to study medicine, dentistry or veterinary courses have to apply by October 15th. What is a deferred place?A deferred place is when you apply to university but do not wish to start until the following academic year. For example, you may be considering a gap year or going with Project Trust. There is a facility in the application process to state whether you are deferring your entry. Most universities are happy to consider deferred entries but it is not compulsory for them to accept, so it is worth checking with the university and the appropriate course admissions tutor. Why is a Personal Statement needed?A personal statement is your opportunity to ‘sell’ yourself to the university, why they should choose you rather than the other candidates. What should be included in a personal statement?The first third (approx.) should focus on your reasons for choosing the course and what you want to get from a degree. This is followed by your experiences and achievements relevant to what you are applying for and what these say about your qualities and skills. Also add information which says something about you as an all round person, not just as an academic. Finally, your career aspirations and goals, including reasons for asking for a deferred entry if applicable. How long should it be?You can enter up to 4,000 characters (including spaces) or 47 lines of text (which includes lines between paragraphs). It is best to utilise as much of the available space as you can. Which teacher will write my academic reference?The majority of references are written by Mr Bushell and Mr Wilson. However, you may approach a teacher to write it who knows you or your chosen degree subject well. For example, it could be your form tutor or a Geography teacher if you intend to study Geography at university. How many Universities can I apply to?Most people apply to the maximum number of five universities. However, in reality you have five course choices, e.g. you could apply for five courses at the same university. Generally, that is not realistic although we have had students who applied for two similar courses at the same university. Do we get a UCAS card?This system has just changed. Previously you applied by filling in a form and your card would entitle you to certain benefits such as discounts in a number of shops. The card is now known as ‘Yougo’ and has a Yr12 student dedicated site. You can register at yougofurther.co.uk but as it also has a chatroom it is not available at school, you will have to register at home. What about Open Days?Open Days are organised by universities to ‘sell’ themselves to prospective students. If you click on a university on the Internet it will then be possible to find out when Open Days are. It is best to narrow down your university choices before deciding to attend the Open Days. All universities offer open days to help your son/daughter decide on subject choice and, indeed the right University for them. We recommend that you attend several to give you and your son/daughter a flavour of how different universities approach subjects and to get a feel for the atmosphere and character of the University. They vary considerably and although some of the websites are very impressive and appealing, it is only through visiting with your son / daughter that you get a sense of whether the university has the right “fit” for your child and vice versa. Some Universities do not have many open days and they get booked up quickly so it makes sense to book ahead for these if possible. This is usually done on line. There is opportunity for both your son/daughter and you yourselves to talk to students and course Tutors and to ask questions There will be exhibitions about subjects, lectures to attend, students to talk to and tours of the university including student accommodation which is interesting and helpful. The day needs careful planning to ensure that you get the most from it! Some universities also provide lunch—although not all!! Open days start in the last term of Year 12 and then again in the first term of Year 13. each University website will detail open days and there is a useful site which lists them all at opendays.com. This is very helpful with diary planning! There is plenty of opportunity to take time and select the final two universities. Once your son or daughter has been offered a number of places- they will be invited to subject or faculty based open days. This is an opportunity to find out a lot more about the course and life at the university and helps to make the selection of the final two choices. Will my son/daughter have to attend an interview?A few universities will schedule an interview on receipt of the completed Ucas form. Most do not. If your son or daughter is asked to attend an interview encourage them to make an appointment with a 6th Form tutor for help with interview preparation. When will my son/daughter have to make a final choice of University?The second round of open days finishes in April and so by May, your son or daughter will need to finally choose their first and second choice of University. They will select a first choice and a second choice (insurance choice) This needs to be a university that they would be happy to study and live at should they, for some reason not meet the offer made by their first choice university. What do we do about the financial side of University? How much will it cost?There are various costs associated with going to university. These can be divided into :
An average estimate per year is around £10000 per student! Loans can be applied for and obtained for tuition fees and living expenses. Visit the financial support area For more details The issue of university tuition fees is currently under review. Some universities provide parent sections on the website and also leaflets about various aspects including fees. They are extremely helpful if you call with questions! What if the A level results are not what we were hoping for?Your son or daughter will have chosen two universities. It is wise to make the second choice a university whose offer is below that of the first choice university. If the grades are below the offer of the first choice and yet meet the offer of the second choice university, the second university must honour their offer and your son or daughter can study and live there. If grades do not meet either offer, it is worth phoning both universities concerned to see if they have any flexibility in offering a place to your son or daughter. They will be extremely busy on results day! If your son or daughter is not offered a place by either of their universities of choice, they can enter the clearing process: How can I help my child to study and feel confident about exams?Please refer to the Helping Your Child Study page What if my son / daughter doesn’t want to go to University?There are a range of other routes for further education or into the world of work. Visit connexions at connexions.com for ideas or talk to your son or daughter’s teachers who can guide you to discover what is available. |
Words of Wisdom
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Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. "
