This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:
Expert Links
Exam pressures have been multiplied this year by increased competition for university places.
n
The fear of not getting the right grades is rational - without them, you won't make it onto the course of your choice.
But aside from studying hard, university admissions advisors say there is a range of things that can help make your application to university successful.
First and foremost, you must demonstrate a commitment and passion for the subject you want to study - by reading and researching beyond the examination syllabus and making connections between your field and other interesting avenues of investigation. What's in the news is a good place to start, and can provide material for an extended project.
Work experience can also impress the selectors, but it must, if possible, be relevant to your subject or career.
Then you have to target your application form at the right course and the right institutions. Happily, the information available is becoming better all the time. If in doubt, university admissions experts say someone wondering whether or how to apply should feel no hesitation in picking up the phone and calling a university admissions department: there's nothing better than direct contact, especially if your qualifications are not just standard A-levels.
But the internet can also help you, with a range of advice sites, from the official information hubs of each college to the more recently developed collections of online feedback and reviews of each university and course by current students (see links below).
From next year, universities will have to disclose everything they know about each course - even the sort of jobs students go on to - so that applicants have a better basis for their choices.
n And with highern tuition feesn a reality from next year, there are range of sources on how to work out the immediate financial liabilities - and the eventual payback from having access to graduate jobs and careers.n n Still worth it? n And that's the main consideration. There are voices, sometimes from businesspeople who learnt on the job, saying it's no longer worth studying for a degree. The amount of extra earnings over a career for a graduate rather than a non-graduate has been gradually decreasing. But individuals with a degree in the bag are still better placed to prosper financially - especially women, for whom non-graduate jobs tend to be very badly paid. n Other benefits are much harder to calculate in bald figures: the people you meet, the extra opportunities that come your way in terms of career, broader interests and social life. n n Would you get all that fromn 'the university of life'?n " A great website on how to choose a course and a university, and how it affects your future career. And another 'ruthlessly independent' and outspoken, irreverent user's guide to universities. The Russell Group of 20 leading universities' guide to which subjects to choose in the sixth form, for which subjects. Live for two weeks from June 17th, the UCAS Connect advice and tips website. MoneySavingExpert.com's guide to student finance and tuition fees - how to understand different types of debt. Tuition fees: The fees charged by all universities in Britain. They've recently been raised to a possible 9,000year. University of Life: A way of describing 'real life' as opposed to a student existence. Not all important things are taught in schools and colleges - some are learned in the world outside. Who goes to university?: As recently as the mid-to-late 20th Century, university was only for a narrow section of society. But it has gradually expanded to become a rite of passage for a much broader group of young people - and there are far more mature students going back to study later in life. So there's more demand for places?: Yes, it gets more competitive every year. But there are also more places to study, both here and overseas. In recent years, British students with very high grades have started to be wooed by America's top academically selective institutions, where the fees are much higher but there is also financial aid available. What about financial help in the UK?: Glad you asked. The more prestigious the university, generally the more generous the bursaries and scholarships on offer to help with study and living costs. So if you want to aim high but have limited family help, it might make financial sense to investigate the very top tier of research-intensive institutions.Expert Links
Word Watch
Q & A
Still worth it? n And that's the main consideration. There are voices, sometimes from businesspeople who learnt on the job, saying it's no longer worth studying for a degree. The amount of extra earnings over a career for a graduate rather than a non-graduate has been gradually decreasing. But individuals with a degree in the bag are still better placed to prosper financially - especially women, for whom non-graduate jobs tend to be very badly paid. n Other benefits are much harder to calculate in bald figures: the people you meet, the extra opportunities that come your way in terms of career, broader interests and social life. n n Would you get all that fromn 'the university of life'?n " A great website on how to choose a course and a university, and how it affects your future career. And another 'ruthlessly independent' and outspoken, irreverent user's guide to universities. The Russell Group of 20 leading universities' guide to which subjects to choose in the sixth form, for which subjects. Live for two weeks from June 17th, the UCAS Connect advice and tips website. MoneySavingExpert.com's guide to student finance and tuition fees - how to understand different types of debt. Tuition fees: The fees charged by all universities in Britain. They've recently been raised to a possible 9,000year. University of Life: A way of describing 'real life' as opposed to a student existence. Not all important things are taught in schools and colleges - some are learned in the world outside. Who goes to university?: As recently as the mid-to-late 20th Century, university was only for a narrow section of society. But it has gradually expanded to become a rite of passage for a much broader group of young people - and there are far more mature students going back to study later in life. So there's more demand for places?: Yes, it gets more competitive every year. But there are also more places to study, both here and overseas. In recent years, British students with very high grades have started to be wooed by America's top academically selective institutions, where the fees are much higher but there is also financial aid available. What about financial help in the UK?: Glad you asked. The more prestigious the university, generally the more generous the bursaries and scholarships on offer to help with study and living costs. So if you want to aim high but have limited family help, it might make financial sense to investigate the very top tier of research-intensive institutions.Expert Links
Word Watch
Q & A
And that's the main consideration. There are voices, sometimes from businesspeople who learnt on the job, saying it's no longer worth studying for a degree. The amount of extra earnings over a career for a graduate rather than a non-graduate has been gradually decreasing. But individuals with a degree in the bag are still better placed to prosper financially - especially women, for whom non-graduate jobs tend to be very badly paid.
Other benefits are much harder to calculate in bald figures: the people you meet, the extra opportunities that come your way in terms of career, broader interests and social life.
Word Watch
n Would you get all that fromn 'the university of life'?n " A great website on how to choose a course and a university, and how it affects your future career. And another 'ruthlessly independent' and outspoken, irreverent user's guide to universities. The Russell Group of 20 leading universities' guide to which subjects to choose in the sixth form, for which subjects. Live for two weeks from June 17th, the UCAS Connect advice and tips website. MoneySavingExpert.com's guide to student finance and tuition fees - how to understand different types of debt. Tuition fees: The fees charged by all universities in Britain. They've recently been raised to a possible 9,000year. University of Life: A way of describing 'real life' as opposed to a student existence. Not all important things are taught in schools and colleges - some are learned in the world outside. Who goes to university?: As recently as the mid-to-late 20th Century, university was only for a narrow section of society. But it has gradually expanded to become a rite of passage for a much broader group of young people - and there are far more mature students going back to study later in life. So there's more demand for places?: Yes, it gets more competitive every year. But there are also more places to study, both here and overseas. In recent years, British students with very high grades have started to be wooed by America's top academically selective institutions, where the fees are much higher but there is also financial aid available. What about financial help in the UK?: Glad you asked. The more prestigious the university, generally the more generous the bursaries and scholarships on offer to help with study and living costs. So if you want to aim high but have limited family help, it might make financial sense to investigate the very top tier of research-intensive institutions.Expert Links
Word Watch
Q & A
"
A great website on how to choose a course and a university, and how it affects your future career. And another 'ruthlessly independent' and outspoken, irreverent user's guide to universities. The Russell Group of 20 leading universities' guide to which subjects to choose in the sixth form, for which subjects. Live for two weeks from June 17th, the UCAS Connect advice and tips website. MoneySavingExpert.com's guide to student finance and tuition fees - how to understand different types of debt. Tuition fees: The fees charged by all universities in Britain. They've recently been raised to a possible 9,000year. University of Life: A way of describing 'real life' as opposed to a student existence. Not all important things are taught in schools and colleges - some are learned in the world outside. Who goes to university?: As recently as the mid-to-late 20th Century, university was only for a narrow section of society. But it has gradually expanded to become a rite of passage for a much broader group of young people - and there are far more mature students going back to study later in life. So there's more demand for places?: Yes, it gets more competitive every year. But there are also more places to study, both here and overseas. In recent years, British students with very high grades have started to be wooed by America's top academically selective institutions, where the fees are much higher but there is also financial aid available. What about financial help in the UK?: Glad you asked. The more prestigious the university, generally the more generous the bursaries and scholarships on offer to help with study and living costs. So if you want to aim high but have limited family help, it might make financial sense to investigate the very top tier of research-intensive institutions.Word Watch
Q & A
And another 'ruthlessly independent' and outspoken, irreverent user's guide to universities. The Russell Group of 20 leading universities' guide to which subjects to choose in the sixth form, for which subjects. Live for two weeks from June 17th, the UCAS Connect advice and tips website. MoneySavingExpert.com's guide to student finance and tuition fees - how to understand different types of debt. Tuition fees: The fees charged by all universities in Britain. They've recently been raised to a possible 9,000year. University of Life: A way of describing 'real life' as opposed to a student existence. Not all important things are taught in schools and colleges - some are learned in the world outside. Who goes to university?: As recently as the mid-to-late 20th Century, university was only for a narrow section of society. But it has gradually expanded to become a rite of passage for a much broader group of young people - and there are far more mature students going back to study later in life. So there's more demand for places?: Yes, it gets more competitive every year. But there are also more places to study, both here and overseas. In recent years, British students with very high grades have started to be wooed by America's top academically selective institutions, where the fees are much higher but there is also financial aid available. What about financial help in the UK?: Glad you asked. The more prestigious the university, generally the more generous the bursaries and scholarships on offer to help with study and living costs. So if you want to aim high but have limited family help, it might make financial sense to investigate the very top tier of research-intensive institutions.Word Watch
Q & A
The Russell Group of 20 leading universities' guide to which subjects to choose in the sixth form, for which subjects. Live for two weeks from June 17th, the UCAS Connect advice and tips website. MoneySavingExpert.com's guide to student finance and tuition fees - how to understand different types of debt. Tuition fees: The fees charged by all universities in Britain. They've recently been raised to a possible 9,000year. University of Life: A way of describing 'real life' as opposed to a student existence. Not all important things are taught in schools and colleges - some are learned in the world outside. Who goes to university?: As recently as the mid-to-late 20th Century, university was only for a narrow section of society. But it has gradually expanded to become a rite of passage for a much broader group of young people - and there are far more mature students going back to study later in life. So there's more demand for places?: Yes, it gets more competitive every year. But there are also more places to study, both here and overseas. In recent years, British students with very high grades have started to be wooed by America's top academically selective institutions, where the fees are much higher but there is also financial aid available. What about financial help in the UK?: Glad you asked. The more prestigious the university, generally the more generous the bursaries and scholarships on offer to help with study and living costs. So if you want to aim high but have limited family help, it might make financial sense to investigate the very top tier of research-intensive institutions.Word Watch
Q & A
Live for two weeks from June 17th, the UCAS Connect advice and tips website. MoneySavingExpert.com's guide to student finance and tuition fees - how to understand different types of debt. Tuition fees: The fees charged by all universities in Britain. They've recently been raised to a possible 9,000year. University of Life: A way of describing 'real life' as opposed to a student existence. Not all important things are taught in schools and colleges - some are learned in the world outside. Who goes to university?: As recently as the mid-to-late 20th Century, university was only for a narrow section of society. But it has gradually expanded to become a rite of passage for a much broader group of young people - and there are far more mature students going back to study later in life. So there's more demand for places?: Yes, it gets more competitive every year. But there are also more places to study, both here and overseas. In recent years, British students with very high grades have started to be wooed by America's top academically selective institutions, where the fees are much higher but there is also financial aid available. What about financial help in the UK?: Glad you asked. The more prestigious the university, generally the more generous the bursaries and scholarships on offer to help with study and living costs. So if you want to aim high but have limited family help, it might make financial sense to investigate the very top tier of research-intensive institutions.Word Watch
Q & A
MoneySavingExpert.com's guide to student finance and tuition fees - how to understand different types of debt. Tuition fees: The fees charged by all universities in Britain. They've recently been raised to a possible 9,000year. University of Life: A way of describing 'real life' as opposed to a student existence. Not all important things are taught in schools and colleges - some are learned in the world outside. Who goes to university?: As recently as the mid-to-late 20th Century, university was only for a narrow section of society. But it has gradually expanded to become a rite of passage for a much broader group of young people - and there are far more mature students going back to study later in life. So there's more demand for places?: Yes, it gets more competitive every year. But there are also more places to study, both here and overseas. In recent years, British students with very high grades have started to be wooed by America's top academically selective institutions, where the fees are much higher but there is also financial aid available. What about financial help in the UK?: Glad you asked. The more prestigious the university, generally the more generous the bursaries and scholarships on offer to help with study and living costs. So if you want to aim high but have limited family help, it might make financial sense to investigate the very top tier of research-intensive institutions.Word Watch
Q & A
Tuition fees: The fees charged by all universities in Britain. They've recently been raised to a possible 9,000year. University of Life: A way of describing 'real life' as opposed to a student existence. Not all important things are taught in schools and colleges - some are learned in the world outside. Who goes to university?: As recently as the mid-to-late 20th Century, university was only for a narrow section of society. But it has gradually expanded to become a rite of passage for a much broader group of young people - and there are far more mature students going back to study later in life. So there's more demand for places?: Yes, it gets more competitive every year. But there are also more places to study, both here and overseas. In recent years, British students with very high grades have started to be wooed by America's top academically selective institutions, where the fees are much higher but there is also financial aid available. What about financial help in the UK?: Glad you asked. The more prestigious the university, generally the more generous the bursaries and scholarships on offer to help with study and living costs. So if you want to aim high but have limited family help, it might make financial sense to investigate the very top tier of research-intensive institutions.Q & A
University of Life: A way of describing 'real life' as opposed to a student existence. Not all important things are taught in schools and colleges - some are learned in the world outside. Who goes to university?: As recently as the mid-to-late 20th Century, university was only for a narrow section of society. But it has gradually expanded to become a rite of passage for a much broader group of young people - and there are far more mature students going back to study later in life. So there's more demand for places?: Yes, it gets more competitive every year. But there are also more places to study, both here and overseas. In recent years, British students with very high grades have started to be wooed by America's top academically selective institutions, where the fees are much higher but there is also financial aid available. What about financial help in the UK?: Glad you asked. The more prestigious the university, generally the more generous the bursaries and scholarships on offer to help with study and living costs. So if you want to aim high but have limited family help, it might make financial sense to investigate the very top tier of research-intensive institutions.Q & A
Who goes to university?: As recently as the mid-to-late 20th Century, university was only for a narrow section of society. But it has gradually expanded to become a rite of passage for a much broader group of young people - and there are far more mature students going back to study later in life. So there's more demand for places?: Yes, it gets more competitive every year. But there are also more places to study, both here and overseas. In recent years, British students with very high grades have started to be wooed by America's top academically selective institutions, where the fees are much higher but there is also financial aid available. What about financial help in the UK?: Glad you asked. The more prestigious the university, generally the more generous the bursaries and scholarships on offer to help with study and living costs. So if you want to aim high but have limited family help, it might make financial sense to investigate the very top tier of research-intensive institutions.
So there's more demand for places?: Yes, it gets more competitive every year. But there are also more places to study, both here and overseas. In recent years, British students with very high grades have started to be wooed by America's top academically selective institutions, where the fees are much higher but there is also financial aid available. What about financial help in the UK?: Glad you asked. The more prestigious the university, generally the more generous the bursaries and scholarships on offer to help with study and living costs. So if you want to aim high but have limited family help, it might make financial sense to investigate the very top tier of research-intensive institutions.
What about financial help in the UK?: Glad you asked. The more prestigious the university, generally the more generous the bursaries and scholarships on offer to help with study and living costs. So if you want to aim high but have limited family help, it might make financial sense to investigate the very top tier of research-intensive institutions.