Sunday 25 January 2015

University Application Tips 2

Woop woop! It's finally time for part 2!

Choosing a Uni

  1. DO EVEN MORE RESEARCH! Just like when you researched what course you might want to do, now it's time to research the university itself. Find out, what their facilities are like, employment rates, whether their courses are accredited (if appropriate), if they have a study abroad programme, living costs, accommodation, travel costs etc. All of these things and more can end up influencing your final decision so make sure you're informed.
  2. DO LOOK AT THE LEAGUE TABLES but..
  3. DON'T TAKE THEM TOO SERIOUSLY! Yes one university may be number 6 and another may be number 26 but at the end of the day you need to study somewhere that you are going to enjoy. There's no point in studying at a top university if you're just going to be miserable for 3 years. Also, I personally believe that if you're good enough and passionate enough about what you do it won't even matter which university you went to.
  4. DO GO TO OPEN DAYS! You could fall in love with a university on paper, but you get there and discover it's not all that great after all, or you could be completely on the fence about a university and love it once you've visited. Open days give you a chance to see the campus with your own eyes, it gives you the chance to talk to lecturers and students, see accommodation and really get a sense of the place.
  5. DON'T PANIC if you missed all of the open days, once you have sent off your application a lot of universities will invite you to 'Applicant Days', these can vary from course specific activity days to open days just for that years applicants. I would very much recommend attending these, you never know you may meet some of your future classmates here.
  6. DO CONSIDER THE DISTANCE! Distance can be very hard, especially when you have family, friends , boyfriend/girlfriend waiting for you back home. So really consider how often you're going to want to go home, and how easy that's going to be depending on the university you go to. If your a 4 1/2 hour drive away it's unlikely that you'll be able to go home every weekend, but if you're an hour away it's more possible.
  7. DO CONSIDER MOVING OUT! Do you want to move out? Would you rather stay at home? Moving out gives you a lot more freedom to work/play as and when you like. However, it will inevitably be more expensive and you're going to have to learn how to look after yourself, it will give you valuable life skills but is it worth it?
  8. DO RESEARCH THE LOCATION of the universities. A university in the city can be minutes walk from shops, bars, clubs and restaurants, but this can be noisy and expensive. A university out of the city can be quiet and beautiful, but you're sacrificing the nightlife and travel costs may be higher.
coming soon
The Application
Personal Statement
What now?