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.