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Introduction
How do I find the best course? It is a question asked annually by thousands of potential university and college students. Faced with an ocean of paper and electronic information, how are they supposed to make expert choices in such a short time and fish out exactly the right course? The fact that so many do find a good fit and enjoy their new studies and social life from Day One is testimony to the fact that it can be done. That some don't get it right and have to move courses or institutions or, at worst, drop out is testimony to the importance of getting the right guidance at the right time.
That's where this booklet comes in. In a unique collaboration, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), the public watchdog of standards and quality in higher education, have combined resources to bring you impartial guidance to start you off on your search for that ideal course.
With it, you will be armed with the critical questions you need to ask yourself - and others - before you make those all-important applications. It's packed with answers to the kinds of questions real students ask and it tells you where to go to find out more. With it, you can access highly focused information which will point you in the right directions. So forget the crystal ball. Go with the facts and you will choose your courses with confidence.
Q5 There seem to be so many types of qualification. How can I tell which sort I should apply for?
Q1 I know what subject I want to study, but there are so many courses. How do I know which is the best one?
There is no one course that is the best for everyone because everyone is different. This is not a cop out. Many students ask the same question every year so we know how important it is to you. But what you have to remember is that the UK has a diverse and adaptable higher education system and universities and colleges offer a wide variety of courses to meet the needs of many different types of student. UK higher education has a well-deserved reputation across the world for its high level of academic quality and rigorous academic standards.
Lots of people will tell you that the best courses ask for the highest entry grades, but that is not necessarily true. What that does tell you is that the courses with the highest entry grades attract the most highly qualified students. But although some universities may ask for very high entrance grades for a particular course, that doesn't automatically guarantee they are offering the best course. Maybe they can demand very high entrance grades because the institution has a very high reputation in the public psyche, or a reputation for a fantastic student social life and is wildly oversubscribed. In the latter case, high entrance grades are purely in response to demand - a 'high price' to limit eligibility for entry. Maybe the actual content of the course or the way it is studied wouldn't suit you or the way you work best. Maybe a course in the same subject at a less prestigious university or college of higher education has livelier lecturers and is more interesting. All of that said, certain universities and colleges do get good reputations for good reason for certain subjects, although these can change as academics move on. Your subject teacher should know where they are, although some teachers are better than others at keeping up to date with where the centres of excellence in their subject are.
But we cannot stress too highly that universities and colleges of higher education have different strengths and weaknesses and you need to refer to multiple sources of information, evidence and data about teaching and research to help you decide which is the best course for you. There is access to all this material via the UCAS and QAA websites, and also the Teaching Quality Information (TQI) website, which is currently being developed. When deciding which course you want to study, and which university or college you want to go to, you may find it useful to keep in mind how academic quality and standards are defined and assessed.
Individual universities and colleges provide the most up-to-date information about courses, through their prospectuses and other publications. Also, visit universities and colleges on open days or if you are an overseas student, go to a British Council exhibition. If you can't go to an open day or get to an exhibition, look for information on the web or telephone the university or college and ask to speak to someone about the course you're interested in.
Further information
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service www.ucas.com
Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education www.qaa.ac.uk/students
UCAS conventions are listed at www.ucas.com/getting/events/cal2004/index.html
The TQI website is under development and will have comprehensive information from September 2005
Q2 I've heard people talk about both academic standards and quality in relation to courses. What's the difference?
The words 'academic standards' are used to describe the level of achievement that a student has to reach to gain an academic award - a degree, for example. For similar awards, the threshold level to reach the right standard should be comparable across the UK.
Academic quality describes how well the learning opportunities available to students are managed to help them to achieve their award. It is about making sure that appropriate and effective teaching, support, assessment and learning opportunities are provided.
Students' learning experience is shaped by a broad variety of factors. Academic matters such as the curriculum, assessment and teaching delivery, all have an obvious effect, but also very important are the support services, such as library and information services, welfare and careers services.
QAA has worked with higher education professionals to develop a Code of practice, which provides a guide for universities and colleges on managing academic standards and quality. The Code of practice covers a range of issues and is divided into 10 sections. Some of the sections relate directly to courses and the other sections have aspects and guidance that have an impact on the academic standards and quality of courses, but are managed by the university or college as a whole.
Further information
Institutional audit: a guide for student representatives
Institutional review in Wales: a guide for student representatives
Enhancement-led institutional review: a student guide to getting involved
Code of practice www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/codeofpractice
Q3 I've made a shortlist of courses I like and read the prospectuses. Where can I find independent information about the courses?
Most of it is online waiting for you, but there has been a lot of development in assuring the quality of higher education over the last 10 years, so you need to know what you are looking at. Universities and colleges are responsible for the academic standards and quality of their own degrees and other awards - which is known as internal quality assurance - but QAA judges how reliably the universities and colleges fulfil that responsibility - known as external quality assurance.
Since the early 1990s, external and internal quality assurance processes have evolved and been adapted for different parts of the UK. Now, most of QAA's external reviews concentrate on institutional-level management, although these reviews include some scrutiny at subject level. The exceptions are NHS-funded healthcare courses in England, which are subject to comprehensive review by QAA in partnership with professional bodies, higher education provided by further education colleges, and Foundation Degrees.
QAA's institutional review reports contain a summary of the review team's findings, which highlights good practice and strengths and, if necessary, areas for improvement. It's this part of the report that you are likely to find most useful.
The reports also contain a judgement on the reliability of the information each university or college publishes on standards and quality, including their information on courses and the quality of teaching. The TQI website, which is currently being developed, will contain key statistics, documents and reports about the quality of teaching at all universities and higher education colleges in the UK.
During 2005, the National Student Survey is asking students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland about the quality of their courses. The results of this will be posted on the TQI website.
Use the reports and other information to guide your choice - not make it for you. You have to take into account a much wider range of considerations - like where the course is and whether you want to be there - before making a final decision.
Further information
QAA's reports can be found at www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews - you can search for reports by subject or university/college
The TQI website www.tqi.ac.uk
National Student Survey www.thestudentsurvey.com
Q4 The entry requirements for courses with the same name differ from place to place. On top of that, some ask for points, some ask for grades. What does it all mean?
Entry requirements differ because higher education is a market. Some courses are very popular and each year they receive many more applications than there are places available. Others are not oversubscribed in this way. Setting different entry requirements for different courses is one way for universities and colleges to manage the demand for different courses. When there is low demand, the entry requirements are generally lower, and when there is high demand, they are higher.
As for points or grades, some universities and colleges only ask for exam grades, possibly supplemented with an interview, the submission of written work or their own test. However, many universities and colleges are operating on the new UCAS tariff system, which recognises a wide range of academic achievements and extra-curricular ones, such as music grades, in a numerical score. Some institutions use a mix of grades and points so that they can be more flexible with the offers they make. Each course has its minimum requirements, whether these are described as grades or tariff points and you can see these on the UCAS website, in The Official Universities and Colleges Entrance Guide - commonly known as the Big Guide - and in university and college prospectuses. Remember that the requirements in paper publications are collected a year in advance and they can change. All offers are unique and applicants with identical tariff points or exam grades may be treated differently because one has more to offer than another, perhaps in terms of extra-curricular activities or raw potential.
Additional admissions tests are set in subjects like medicine, veterinary science and law, but even history tests are being introduced by a few institutions.
Applicants are tested for different aptitudes and skills, depending on the subject. For example, the Bio Medical Admissions Test (BMAT) is designed to evaluate thinking skills, and admissions tests for history will ask applicants to apply ideas or propositions from supplied text to an historical situation.
Oxford and Cambridge universities routinely set admissions tests for some subjects, as well as interviewing candidates and asking for written work. Most institutions, however, don't set tests but rely on the UCAS tariff or exam grades.
Students with previous qualifications above and beyond those asked for at entry, and/or those students who are able to demonstrate that they already have the equivalent skills, knowledge and understanding that will be covered by a part of the course, may be able to have this previous learning formally recognised through the university's or college's accreditation of prior (experiential) learning scheme (recognition of prior learning (RPL) in Scotland).
Also, Access to Higher Education courses are designed to prepare mature students who have few, if any, qualifications for higher education. QAA itself does not directly recognise individual courses or award certificates to students: it licenses the Authorised Validating Agencies (AVAs) to do this, and regulates the way in which AVAs undertake their responsibilities.
Check out QAA's Guidelines on the accreditation of prior learning and discuss your situation with individual universities and colleges.
Further information
For minimum course requirements, whether in grades or tariff points, go to the UCAS website www.ucas.com
For more information on the UCAS tariff, go to www.ucas.com/candq/tariff/index.html
For more information on entry tests, including dates, go to www.ucas.com/test/index.html
For specimen test papers, visit the test provider website which can be accessed from the UCAS website
For details on Oxford and Cambridge universities' admissions tests, including dates, see their prospectuses or their websites www.ox.ac.uk and www.cam.ac.uk
For more details on the accreditation of prior learning and Access to Higher Education, go to www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/apl and www.qaa.ac.uk/access
For guidelines on recruitment and admissions, go to www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/codeofpractice
For information about the QAA recognition scheme for Access to HE, go to www.qaa.ac.uk/access
Q5 There seem to be so many types of qualification. How can I tell which sort I should apply for?
It depends to some extent on what you want to do with the qualification at the end of your studies, but don't worry if you aren't sure yet. There is plenty of choice.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a certificate-level course, such as the Certificate of Higher Education, will give you a sound knowledge of the basic concepts of a subject, teach you how to take different approaches to solving problems, communicate accurately and give you the qualities needed for a job which expects you to take some personal responsibility. The certificate may be a first step towards obtaining a higher-level qualification. Courses cover broad occupational areas and usually take a year full-time, although they are more often offered part-time. In Scotland, the Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE) usually takes one year of full-time study. Some CertHEs are awarded for achievement over several subjects, while others focus on one. Some are strongly job-related. The Higher National Certificate (HNC) is at an equivalent standard to the CertHE.
Foundation Degrees, ordinary (bachelor) degrees, diplomas of higher education and other higher diplomas may be job-related, too, and will give you a sound understanding of your subject and how to apply its principles more widely. They teach you how to work out the best ways of solving problems and will develop qualities you need for a job which expects you to make decisions, as well as taking personal responsibility.
The Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) usually takes the first two years of full-time higher education in Scotland. Some DipHEs cover several subjects, others just one. Again, some have a strong job focus.
Foundation Degrees can be two-year full-time programmes or three-year part-time. These courses are created in conjunction with employers to get you ready for a specific type of job, with work-based and flexible learning. They should also qualify you for progression into an honours degree programme if you want to carry on.
Ordinary degrees usually take three years full-time and differ from honours programmes because the work involved, the credit gained on completion and the specialisation are less. Graduates with an ordinary degree are able to demonstrate a sound understanding of the principles related to their chosen subject. The courses may have a vocational focus, but generally contain a common element to a similarly named honours programme.
Honours qualifications include bachelor's degrees with honours, graduate certificates and graduate diplomas. Graduates with a bachelor's degree with honours will have developed an understanding of a complex body of knowledge, some of it at the current boundaries of an academic discipline. Through this, they will have developed analytical techniques and problem-solving skills that can be applied in many types of employment. The graduate will be able to evaluate evidence, arguments and assumptions, to reach sound judgements, and to communicate effectively. They will understand complex issues related to their subject.
An honours graduate should have the qualities needed for jobs requiring personal responsibility, and decision-making in complex and unpredictable circumstances.
Honours degrees form the largest group of higher education qualifications. Typical courses last for three years, if taken full-time, and lead to a bachelor's degree with honours, with titles such as Bachelor of Arts - BA (Hons), Bachelor of Science - BSc (Hons) or Bachelor of Engineering - BEng (Hons).
Also at this level are short courses and professional 'conversion' courses in some subjects, such as in law, called graduate certificates and graduate diplomas. These courses are usually taken by those who already have a degree, but in a different subject area.
The Scottish bachelor's degree with honours usually takes four years of full-time higher education and is awarded mainly as a Bachelor of Science (BSc Hons) or a Bachelor of Arts (BA Hons). Many honours degrees will have a specific vocational focus, and in some cases will carry recognition by the appropriate professional or statutory body.
In a small number of universities, particularly in Scotland, and in some faculties, this qualification is called 'MA (Hons)'.
Master's degrees are postgraduate qualifications, and full-time courses usually last at least one year. Some master's-level qualifications are extended courses integrating undergraduate and postgraduate study, such as a master's degree in engineering (MEng) or a master's degree in chemistry (MChem).
The honours degree is the usual recognised entry requirement to postgraduate study and to many professions across the UK, although there is an increasing demand for master's-level qualifications by some employers. Many master's degrees with a specific job focus carry recognition by the professional or statutory body.
Further information
Qualification levels www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/fheq
Also for Scotland www.scqf.org.uk
Q6 You can study a course with the same name at lots of different universities and colleges. Are they the same? If they aren't, how do I know which is the right one for me?
No, they are not all the same - in fact the content of a course with the same name can vary quite a lot, so you have to be careful about what you pick to make sure you like the sound of what you will be studying.
Why is this? The typical content of individual subject areas is decided and agreed by the academics and professionals studying, teaching, researching and working in these areas. These people are unique individuals with ideas and strengths which vary, so they are not going to offer exactly the same things to study.
However, there are some basic guidelines for each major subject area, which will give you a good idea about what to expect. QAA provides a broad description of the typical content of more than 50 subject areas to produce what are known as subject benchmark statements.
Benchmark statements are not a national curriculum in a subject. They have been written in a way that allows ample scope for diversity in content amongst courses. Universities and colleges are able to customise the content and adapt the title of an individual course it offers to reflect its particular strengths in that subject area, and to give students a good range in the types and content of courses available. But the title must reflect the content and follow some basic rules about describing the level and type of qualification the course leads to. In this way, the statements also help to ensure that the standards of honours degree courses across the UK meet an agreed level.
Universities and colleges have also written programme specifications for each course/programme offered. These specifications should give more detailed information about the content, teaching and learning methods used, assessment and support available to students for each course. Some programme specifications have been written specifically for students, whilst others are more suitable for professional higher education staff.
Another way of learning more about an individual course is to look at UCAS entry profiles which you can find online for many courses. They give details about entry qualifications, selection criteria and desirable personal characteristics, much of which was not previously available. All of this is essential for making fully informed choices about entry to higher education.
Further information
To find entry profiles, use the Course Search facility on www.ucas.com and look for the orange bar entry profile symbol
Programme specifications www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/programspec
Also check www.tqi.ac.uk or contact university or college subject departments
Q7 I'd like to think the people who teach me are at the cutting edge of their subject. How do I check out the department's research record?
Universities and colleges put emphasis on different aspects of higher education. Some put a lot of emphasis on the research they carry out, others put more emphasis on teaching and learning. But all students at honours degree level and above should be engaging with current research, and the department prospectus or UCAS entry profile will give you some guidance about the type and level of research activity you can expect.
Think about what you need or want from your time in higher education. If you think you need or want less support and guidance than other students, or you think you will eventually undertake postgraduate research, then you may well prefer a university or college that concentrates on research. If you'll find the support and guidance of a teaching-led university more suitable, then go for that. The teaching staff should be up to date on the subject they teach, even if they haven't done the original research themselves.
The higher education funding councils conduct external review of research in universities and colleges through the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). The RAE assesses the quality of UK research and the funding councils use the results to help them decide how they distribute public funds for research in universities and colleges. The RAE is not about teaching or indeed any links between research and the teaching on individual courses.
The last RAE was completed in 2001. The next RAE is due in 2008. As you can imagine, some of the information from the last RAE is getting a bit out of date, particularly because many universities have made a big effort in the years since the last one to develop their research, so will now have stronger research teams.
Don't be afraid to ask departmental staff questions before you make your final choice. Think about the subjects that interest you most and serve your longer-term educational and career interests, as well as the research record of a particular department.
For more information about the RAE, check www.rae.ac.uk and www.hero.ac.uk
For a guide on programme approval, monitoring and review, see www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/codeofpractice
Q8 The course that appeals to me most is at a university which is nowhere near the top of the league tables. Does that mean it's not very good?
No it doesn't. The position of a university or college in a newspaper league table can vary enormously depending on the criteria used to work it out and the different weightings used. One national newspaper website allows you to change the method of calculating the subject tables so that you can decide which criteria are most important to you and, as a result, different institutions change places easily up or down the table.
Seeing how easy it is to reorganise the rankings should tell you that the criteria a newspaper uses to select the best places to study a subject may not necessarily be the criteria you might use. What part of the country a university or college is in, for example, might be a very important factor for you and if that was put into the criteria, your favourite course may come top!
That said, very few people will resist casting an eye over league tables and some universities actually encourage it by drawing attention to their position if it's particularly good. Just remember league tables can be useful as long as you read them with an intelligent and critical eye and a healthy dose of scepticism. To help you do this, UCAS publishes a helpful booklet called How to Read League Tables.
Neither UCAS nor QAA produces league tables. There are no centrally controlled course curricula, so it is difficult to compare the achievements of different institutions. Some universities have many departments and the standards and quality provided by each department can vary. League tables might help a bit, but they might not. What will help you choose is thorough research on the university or college website, looking at independent reviews of teaching and research, such as those provided by QAA, and information available on the TQI website. Don't forget, a visit to a university or college and asking lots of questions when you're there can tell you a lot more that is relevant to you as an individual than a league table can.
Further information
How to Read League Tables - available from UCAS, price £3.50, including postage and packing
Q9 It is important to me to get good work experience while studying. I also want a course which has a good record of employment for its graduates. How do I find this out?
Some degrees incorporate work experience as an integral part of the course - for example, sandwich courses include an extra year (or part of each year) in which you are placed with an employer. You are most likely to have work experience included in job-related courses.
Check the entry profiles of courses that sound interesting to see what they say about work experience. If there is no information, call or email the university or college to find out what's on offer. Ask how work experience is arranged, and have a look at the programme specification for the course and any feedback from current or former students about their work experience. As part of its Code of practice, QAA has a section on placement learning. This gives guidelines on good practice for universities and colleges and covers work experience that contributes towards final qualification.
An alternative would be to consider taking a two-year Foundation Degree. These courses are specifically designed by universities, colleges and employers together to include work-based learning.
As for graduate employment rates, ask the university or college and the department about it and whether the employment figures they quote are subject-related. Some of the newspaper league tables do include employment rates among their criteria, so you could look at that too. Information should also be on the TQI website. It is also worth looking into whether or not a university or college offers the opportunity to be involved in an institution-wide skills development scheme - one which is not an integral component of a course.
You can, of course, get work experience by taking term-time employment, as many of you will. Lots of universities and colleges offer work on campus and some have job agencies of their own. The vast majority of jobs taken by students to help costs are low grade, but all kinds of work experience can help to enhance your 'employability' - that set of skills good employers want. This means confidence in your ability and understanding; communication - reading, writing, speaking and listening; analysis - numerical and literal; problem solving; decision making; teamwork; flexibility/adaptability; self awareness; willingness to learn. Without this full set of skills, your career possibilities may be limited.
Further information
For a guide on placement learning www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/codeofpractice
TQI website www.tqi.ac.uk
Q10 I know what job I want to do when I graduate, but how do I know which subject will suit my choice of career best?
It depends on what job you want to do. If you know you want to be a doctor, then you take a degree in medicine, and if you want to work in fashion, there would not be a lot of point in doing an engineering degree. Some jobs do demand a specific subject degree, particularly in the fields of science and engineering. Courses that lead to a professional or vocational qualification are often accredited by a professional, statutory or regulatory body. A professional body is set up to oversee the activities of a particular profession, for example the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. A statutory body is set up through Act of Parliament, so that there is a legal requirement for a body to have oversight of a particular area, for example, the General Medical Council. A regulatory body is recognised by the government as being responsible for the regulation or approval of a particular area. This form of accreditation for students may lead to a right to practise a profession, exemption from professional examinations and/or membership of a professional body. As an example, the General Medical Council accredits programmes in medicine.
So if you know you want a specific professional job, contact the relevant professional body, which will be able to tell you the courses they accredit, the skills they require and where you can study these courses. Do this before you make your final choice.
But there are some degrees that sound like they are necessary for a specific job - law or journalism, for example - but aren't. Conversion law courses exist for graduates of any discipline, which take a year and give you the opportunity of studying a course you particularly fancy beforehand; some law firms prefer people who have studied a non-law degree first. There are postgraduate courses in teaching, social work, journalism, publishing and even medicine, and some employers provide specialist training for graduates - accountancy, banking, IT and the civil service, for example.
Getting on for two thirds of graduate vacancies are not dependent on the course studied. Although a degree does provide you with in-depth specialist knowledge of a subject, the process of studying for that degree and the skills it teaches you, plus the wider social experience of university or college life, are what many employers want. So, unless you know that you need to study a particular subject for a particular career, the choice is yours.
Q11 How much help and support am I likely to get from a university or college and how will I know how well I'm doing?
This will vary widely depending on the type of institution you attend and the type of help and support you need. Many universities and colleges will have study skill centres to help students adjust to academic life.
You should also have an individual personal/academic tutor to turn to if you hit a sticky academic or personal patch. All universities and colleges will have support staff to help you with the kinds of problems you might encounter whether it is the purely practical - a problem with housing, for example - or the very personal.
All courses should feature regular assessment of and feedback on work throughout your study. This feedback could be written, or offered in one-to-one meetings or group tutorials. Departmental staff should be clear about learning goals and help students achieve them.
You may also have the opportunity to discuss your progress and plan for the future through 'Personal Development Planning (PDP)' or a similarly named process. PDP is a structured and supported process, which will help you think about your own learning and achievement and plan for your education and career development. At the end of your study, your university or college may provide you with a 'transcript'. This is a record of your learning and achievement and includes details of the modules or units taken throughout your course, and often the grades or marks achieved in each unit. Together, the 'transcript' and PDP process are often described as forming a 'progress file' for higher education.
The National Student Survey results will report what recent students thought about the support and feedback provided by their university or college.
Further information
Information on progress files www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/progressfiles
For guides on the assessment of students, students with disabilities and career education, information and guidance www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/codeofpractice
National Student Survey www.thestudentsurvey.com
Q12 I like the feel of a department I visited on an open day, but there are others with better reputations for teaching and research. What should I do?
You need to ask yourself some basic questions when weighing up your options and before you make your final decision. What do you want to achieve at the end of your time in higher education? What career do you want after you graduate? What do you enjoy studying? What courses does the department offer? What modules are taught in your preferred courses? What extra-curricular options/activities are there which would complement the academic skills you want to develop?
Then ask yourself whether the department you visited could help you to fulfil the aims you've identified, or would another department benefit you more?
Make sure you have visited all departments of interest so that you can compare and contrast them against your own criteria. Choose a course that fits in with your personal circumstances. Do try to talk to students who are already there. If after this you still prefer department x, then you are more likely to be happy, successful and enjoy the whole student experience there than elsewhere.
Q13 How can I find out what existing students think of the course and university or college I'm interested in?
The best way to do this is to talk to current students during open days and speak to student ambassadors at UCAS conventions. Bear in mind that these students will have positive stories to tell or they would not be offering themselves as guides on open days or as ambassadors of their university or college at conventions. However, it is a useful insight into what goes on at that particular university or college.
In a more formal way, current students contribute to discussions about academic standards and quality by providing feedback to tutors on individual units and modules or courses. They also give feedback to university or college or national surveys and provide an independent written contribution to or take part in a QAA review. The reports of most reviews are published.
The National Student Survey will be running for the first time in 2005. The survey results will report on what recent students thought about the quality of their courses. These results will be available on the TQI website from September 2005.
Further information
National Student Survey www.tqi.ac.uk
Student representatives in Scotland www.sparqs.org.uk
QAA review reports www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews
Q14 There is so much information and data available. What are the key things I should concentrate on?
Start by concentrating on researching possibilities and exploring and expanding your horizons. How?
- go to a UCAS convention, which has lots of information and representatives of universities and colleges under one roof
- go prepared. Work out a route plan round the convention hall and a timetable, so that you get to see the stands of all the universities and colleges that appeal, plus view any presentations you want to see
- get hold of a copy of UCAS's Getting In Getting On, supplied to all schools to help students prepare for and get the most out of conventions
- go to open days of the universities and colleges that appeal
- read prospectuses and the entry profiles of courses that you think would be good
- prioritise the things that are most important to you - academically and socially
- start looking at detailed course leaflets and independent QAA review reports using your criteria to narrow down your list and zoom in on the best fit
- keep asking yourself 'Would I enjoy that? Will I be interested in it?'
- draw up a shortlist of the places you are going to apply to and revisit the institutions that interest you most
- check the TQI website to help refine your choices
We know it's tough to fit this all in when you are studying and perhaps have a part-time job, but this is important - this could be somewhere you spend three years or more of your life. When you visit universities and colleges ask students you meet, particularly those on your preferred courses, the things they wish they had known when they were at your stage of the application process. Keep a record of your research. Finally, be fully aware of the financial implications of your choice in certain parts of the UK. You will be among the first students to be liable for variable tuition fees in England and Northern Ireland from 2006, although these fees will only be due for payment after graduation.
Nearly half of you will benefit from new maintenance grants, and colleges and universities will all have bursary schemes that will help many of you - some will be offering much more support than others. There is a lot to weigh up.
Do your research. Don't rely on one visit to a university or college in the sunshine with a bunch of mates. A few months further down the line you will have matured and you may be looking out for some different things after all that research.
Good luck.
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