{"id":1145,"date":"2021-01-05T17:41:15","date_gmt":"2021-01-05T15:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/studyguide.gr\/sg\/?p=1145"},"modified":"2022-05-10T14:11:51","modified_gmt":"2022-05-10T11:11:51","slug":"it-needs-serious-homework-how-to-find-the-perfect-university-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/studyguide.gr\/sg\/english-articles\/1145\/it-needs-serious-homework-how-to-find-the-perfect-university-course\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It needs serious homework\u2019: how to find the perfect university course"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cChoosing your course at university is a bit like choosing your life partner,\u201d says\u00a0Mary Curnock Cook<\/a>. \u201cYou need to be in love with it first.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re not getting that flutter of excitement when you read the course details and the module options, then you could be in for three years of hard labour. If you get it right, your degree and the university experience will genuinely be part of your future.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is no shortage of information out there for students thinking of going to university. In fact, it\u2019s quite the opposite. The biggest problem is the sheer volume of stuff to read and the number of experts to consult. But out of all the voices, the column inches written, the glossy prospectuses and burgeoning websites, Cook is one of those worth listening to.<\/p>\n

Now an independent educationalist, she worked for seven years as chief executive of the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service,\u00a0Ucas<\/a>, which oversees applications to British universities. Millions of applications went through on her watch between 2010 and 2017, a period of enormous change and expansion in higher education. Her expert view is that enthusiasm for a subject and attention to the detail of the course are paramount.<\/p>\n

\u2018What\u2019s the workload like and who will teach you?\u2019<\/h2>\n

Mike Nicholson, director of undergraduate admissions and outreach at Bath University, believes the course is more important than which university you go to. He urges students to find out exactly what a course involves and how it\u2019s assessed. \u201cNot all history degrees are the same,\u201d says Nicholson. \u201cDoes it cover the sort of things you are interested in? How much contact time does the course involve \u2013 how many lectures, seminars and tutorials can you expect each week? What\u2019s the workload like and who will teach you? And how is your own work going to be judged?<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of students make assumptions that a degree will be just like school, with the same sorts of assessment,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

But this varies hugely, from three-hour end-of-year exams, to continuous assessment through the year, group work and projects. \u201cLots of that information is available on university websites, but if you can\u2019t find the answer, email the admissions department to find out,\u201d adds Nicholson.<\/p>\n

He also urges students to look at employment outcomes for graduates who have studied a particular course. If you want to be a journalist, ask universities how many graduates from that particular course now have jobs in the media.<\/p>\n

\u201cUniversities are getting more open with the information they provide,\u201d he says. Prospective students who ask lots of questions are seen favourably. \u201cThey show all the signs of being active and engaged.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you look at\u00a0the Guardian subject tables<\/a>, you\u2019ll find a column for \u201ccareer after six months\u201d. This tells you what percentage of students have graduate-level jobs (or have gone on to further study) six months after graduation.<\/p>\n

Everyone the Guardian talked to for this article, including former students, university admissions officers and sixth-form careers advisers, urged all students to visit on open days if they possibly can. Go twice if you can afford to.<\/p>\n

\u2018Don\u2019t discount gut instinct\u2019<\/h2>\n

If you miss the open day, arrange an alternative date \u2013 universities are desperate to recruit and will be happy to accommodate you. Talk to as many people as possible \u2013 students and staff \u2013 and spend time on campus and in town to get a sense of a place and whether you might fit in.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t discount gut instinct,\u201d one career development expert says. \u201cWhen making your decisions, feeling that you can \u2018see yourself somewhere\u2019 after a visit is a powerful driver.\u201d<\/p>\n

Catherine Webster, a careers and HE adviser at\u00a0Hereford sixth-form college<\/a>, agrees. \u201cA lot of students think they can work out what they want to do just by looking at words and pictures. It\u2019s only when they get to a place and get a feel for it, that they can decide what\u2019s right for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just about reputation. \u201cI had a student last year who was very focused on going to one university to study photography because of the reputation it had,\u201d says Webster. \u201cWhen she went and saw its equipment, she wasn\u2019t so impressed. You have to get behind the glossy stuff. There\u2019ll be the universities that look absolutely beautiful in their pictures, but they may be ignoring 90% of their campus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Webster concurs that subject and course are far more important than place. \u201cFundamentally, it\u2019s most important for them to decide what they want to study rather than where. Establish what they\u2019re interested in and good at, then look at which places do that well. It\u2019s all about research really. It\u2019s using reliable resources and being prepared to do some serious homework.\u201d<\/p>\n

She recommends starting early: year 10 or 11. Others suggest even before that \u2013 when pupils are making GCSE choices in year 9. \u201cThe sooner you start to explore these ideas, the more confident you\u2019ll feel later.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Webster understands that some young people can feel overwhelmed and just aren\u2019t ready to decide. \u201cI feel sorry for students who don\u2019t know what they want to do. They are carried along on a wave of presumptions: \u2018You\u2019re doing A-levels so therefore you must be going to university.\u2019 We have to cut them a bit of slack. A reasonable proportion just aren\u2019t ready to make that decision. They should not feel pressurised. You can take a\u00a0gap year<\/a>, as long as it\u2019s productive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Do as much research as possible\u2019<\/h2>\n

If you like the look of a course and a university, Nicholson suggests you look into optional extras on offer, like internships and placements. At Bath, every degree course offers students the opportunity to do placements in the UK or abroad. He says it\u2019s worth drilling down to find out what exactly is on offer \u2013 is the university saying it\u2019s happy for you to organise your own placement, or will staff actively help you find a placement? \u201cIt\u2019s a big decision, so students should be using this time to do as much research as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you have a disability or special education need, discuss it with the university. You need reassurance that you\u2019ll get the support you require so you can make your choice without any concerns on that front. \u201cIt\u2019s worth starting a conversation early on with a university \u2013 before you apply \u2013 if there are health issues or mitigating circumstances,\u201d Nicholson advises.<\/p>\n

Mental health support is another big issue. Though the higher education sector has woken up to the crisis in its midst, there is variability in the quality and quantity of support and counselling available.<\/p>\n

Use open days to ask about support services and how to access them, urges\u00a0Dr Ruth Caleb<\/a>, former head of counselling at Brunel University and an expert on student mental health. Can students make direct contact with counselling services themselves, or is there a triage system, where students\u2019 needs are assessed according to urgency? Are the triage teams professionally qualified?<\/p>\n

Another good question is whether there is a personal tutor system. How many students are assigned to each tutor, and how often can you see your tutor? \u201cTutors are often a first point of call for students who are struggling,\u201d says Caleb.<\/p>\n

\u2018Students are most successful in a place where they are happy\u2019<\/h2>\n

Caleb is particularly concerned about the state of mind of students who experience disappointment on results day and fail to get into their university of choice, then make a quick decision to go somewhere entirely different through the\u00a0clearing system<\/a>. \u201cStudents are most successful in a place where they are happy. I suggest all universities look after their clearing students and make sure they are happy to be there,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

There are dozens of questions to consider: campus v city, cost of accommodation, night life, societies, facilities, cost of gym membership, travel costs to and from home, work opportunities if you need to support your own learning.<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s end with another nugget of wisdom from former Ucas chief, Mary Curnock Cook, and it\u2019s a message to parents.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to upset mum and dad,\u201d she says, \u201cbut please remember, this is your child\u2019s future, not your past. Support your son or daughter in a way that makes them feel empowered to make this big decision without worrying whether the parents might approve.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words \u2013 parents, back off.<\/p>\n

Sally Weale<\/a><\/p>\n

Source: Theguardian.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
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\u201cChoosing your course at university is a bit like choosing your life partner,\u201d says\u00a0Mary Curnock Cook. \u201cYou need to be in love with it first. \u201cIf you\u2019re not getting that<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1172,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[116],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018It needs serious homework\u2019: how to find the perfect university course - Study Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/studyguide.gr\/sg\/english-articles\/1145\/it-needs-serious-homework-how-to-find-the-perfect-university-course\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018It needs serious homework\u2019: how to find the perfect university course - 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