Oxbridge Extra

Oxbridge has introduced in partnership with itunes free lectures ,interviews and films to download. Content ranges from podcasts on the history of Cambridge by Dr David Starkey, interviews with world – renowned academics and performances by college choirs. The initiative will provide a wealth of information for prospective applicants, who will be able to find lectures by their potential interviewers as well as access audiobooks with information on how to apply to the universities. There is even the opportunity to listen in on Oxford tutorials. All content can be accessed by downloading itunes (for free) and can be listened to online or on an mp3player. Visit www.ox.ac.uk/itunesu or www.cam.ac.uk/itunesu for more information.

Good Luck all Interview Candidates

Quite a number of U6th have been heading off for interviews last week and during the next two. All the very best of luck to all of you. Many of you have taken up the offer of a trial interview. If anyone else is called to interview, don't hesitate to ask if you would like us to organise a trial interview for you.

Pool your Efforts

The organisers of the fundraising Pool Tournament have put a huge effort into managing match slots so that no one misses class. Make sure your stick to them!

Yr 13 Forms from Alicia

Work Experience 9th – 13th February 2009

In form class this morning you will have been given information on work experience with a form to fill in. Please complete this as soon as possible. The deadline for completion is the 12th December. Return it to the box on Alicia's desk labelled work experience and she can get cracking on helping to arrange you a worthwhile placement.

Once she has deciphered the information you have supplied her on the form, she will arrange the placement with you via your school email account, so it is vital that you check your school email account every day. It only takes a minute. Just click on it from the start menu after you have logged on. I find it a really quick, easy and efficient way of communicating with everyone in the Shimna community. Once you get into the habit of doing it you will find that it makes life so much easier. Contact Peter if you have any difficulty accessing/using your email account. Also, you can access your email at home by logging on via the www.c2kni.net website and following the links. Thanks everybody!

Upwards and Onwards You Lot

Upwards and onwards, year 14, towards getting your UCAS application in. The sooner you do, the sooner you will hear back. Don't underestimate the time it takes to push references and personal statement drafts among all the people who need to read check them before your application is ready to go.

Upwards and onwards, year 13, in getting your work experience organised. Put together a list of ideas of placements you would consider. There is lots of help available from our experience of previous years and also from professional agencies which can help out in all sorts of career areas.

Remember that this blog is quite new. You should scroll back to the beginning and have a quick look at all the posts to make sure you have all the information you need. Also, click on the links.

Carson Bursary Opportunity

The Carson Bursary is open only to 6th Form students and the new deadline is 28th November. The Bursary is a good opportunity for a real achievement for your curriculum vitae, as well as an opportunity to make a statement about integration in a creative form. Have a look at the flier and application form to find out what to do. Time is short, but there is still time enough to do something really good. Several bursaries are available, and are worth £1,000 each. This could be a really valuable start to your college fund! (or a whole lot of other possibilities I'm sure you could think of!) Any creative medium is acceptable - art, drama, media, poetry...

Recommending Nottingham University

Stephen Lowry called in to see us today, sporting his Nottingham Law School sweatshirt. He asked me to pass on a high recommendation of Nottingham University. He says he is having a brilliant time, and would be happy to talk to or email any current sixth formers who might be considering Nottingham and would like to know more.

Apply for a Spirit of Enniskillen Bursary

Information has just come through about how to apply for a 'Spirit of Enniskillen' bursary. This scheme was set up after the Enniskillen Remembrance Day bomb, and offers great opportunities. To find out more, look up the website at www.soetrust.co.uk or ring 028 90 381500. The application process needs a bit of thought and the closing date is 22nd December 2008.

Interested in Law? Urgent.

University of Ulster is running a Pre-Law day on 15th November for students thinking about a degree and/or a career in law. See Alicia for details. The course costs £25.00, but if you would be unable to go just because of the cost, come and let me know.

Best Use of Study

The main use of study is of course to get your work done for your A level courses. Each A level course consists of five/six hours of class AND your study and homework hours. Other things you need to be doing in study are: year 14 - completing your UCAS research, personal statement and application' year 13 researching and organising your work experience; investing in enrichment activities to boost your life and your applications, eg. RSA keyboarding, volunteering with younger students, volunteering to plant bulbs for the Wildlife Group, volunteering for something else you see that needs to be done. If there is anything else you would like to take a short course in, ask. Reading, the library is full of books and the week's magazines are there to be used. Don't underestimate the power of expanding your mind through reading books, magazines and newspapers. Especially if you have a long stretch of study within one day, it is essential to plan how you will use it to give yourself some variety and added value.

RepeatsRepeats

This week sees the repeat examinations for GCSE English. Good luck to those taking the examination. Remember that Paper 1 requires a clear head, detailed answers and excellent expression. Make sure you have a text book to look over the night before to remind yourself of the kind of things the mark scheme is looking for. Next week's Paper 2 is the one you need to revise for, Poetry from Other Cultures. Make sure you read, read and read the poems again in your anthology, Cluster One OR Cluster Two. Good revision materials for both papers are available on BBC BiteSize. Anyone who needs to resit for June, MUST make a solid arrangement for revision work/repeat coursework with Grainne Tobin. Remember that success in repeats means that YOU have to commit the time to improve the grade.

First Successful UCAS Offer

It's always great when the first successful UCAS offer comes in, and this year, I got the news at the formal. It's Bronagh this year, who has received an offer from Liverpool University to study Economics and Economic History. Yo! Now she may or may not of course decide to study this course in Liverpool, but it's a fantastic feeling to know you've got one offer in the bag. Best of luck to everyone else who has already sent their UCAS form in. Inspirations to everyone still working on their form. The sooner you get your form in, the sooner you will start to hear back from the universities you have applied to. If you are still stuck in your research, scream for help!

Yr 13 Work Experience

Lots of you have your arrangements underway. It's time now for everyone to get a move on. Branch out! Plan a work experience in a career area you normally have no access to. Plan a placement you need to travel to. Alicia has contacts with placements in all sorts of career areas. It is really important to book yourself a place as early as possible. The actual procedures are quite straightforward, but each step along the way takes time. Remember that when you are asking for a work placement, you are asking a favour. The more interesting the placement, the busier the staff will be, and the earlier you need to make contact and start putting the insurance arrangements in place.

Website to Try

Still getting started on choosing a university? Want to find out what students think of the university you have picked? Have a browse through www.unionview.com by clicking on the first of our Essential Look Ups in the column on the left and see what you make of it. Have a good look at places you have never heard of as well as all the familiar ones.

Sports Studies Essentials

It really is absolutely essential that everyone in the Sports Studies groups be present and kitted out on Thursdays. Those practical sessions are essential to your grade. Aim high. Distinctions are within your reach.

Poster Help

Posters will be going up soon which will remind you of the key dates for choosing your five courses and completing your personal statement. The sooner you have these two elements in place in draft form, the sooner you will have your interview to work towards completing, sealing and sending your form. Get browsing! Get asking!

First UCAS Away

Today, (well I mean Monday) the first UCAS forms have been sealed and sent off to arrive in time for the 15th October deadline. Everyone else now needs to get the balance right. The sooner you have your application in, the sooner universities can consider you for a place. However, and this is where balance comes in, you need to take all the time you need to ensure that you have applied for courses you would like to study, in places you would like to live, and with a variety of entry requirements so that you will be able to decide on a firm choice and a back up once you have all your offers in.

Everyone but the Five

If you have stalled on your UCAS research, start by looking back at the work you did during induction week. Get browsing in all the prospectuses you can find, either in print or online. Don't hesitate to ask any university to send you your own prospectus. They will be glad to. If you have some starting points - either you know what you want to study, or you know where you want to study - ask Alicia Rooney or Ellen McVea for ideas about prospectuses to look up. You are aiming to find a range of choices that will mean you will definitely have a place on a course you will enjoy in a place you will look forward to living. Much later in the process you will be narrowing down your choice to one firm choice and one back up. It is important that you have a back up choice which is asking for lower grades than your firm choice. Wherever you are at in the process, get browsing and asking! After 15th, there will be interview slots available for anyone who wants a chance to talk through what they should do next to help decide.

Get Your UCAS Moving

The blog is a good chance for me to clarify the assembly message from Monday. Five of you need to get your forms submitted to UCAS by Wednesday 15th October, and I know you have all sorted out your university choices. I have your references written and am waiting for two more personal statements (Tanya and Conor). Everyone else can take a bit more time. It is important that you take the time to make good choices, but it is also true that the sooner your application is in, the sooner the university can think about giving you a place! I will keep updating this blog with things you can be doing to move along your decision making process.

A Daily Blog

Welcome to our new 6th form blog. MIA students already use one. This one is for everyone in sixth form, and is the quick way to check what is going on. Look in daily to see!