We were delighted to welcome Petya Zhechkova, Student Recruitment Officer at the University of Bath into school to talk to our Year 12s about choosing a course and applying to university. With currently over 370 different universities and colleges, plus 36,000+ courses to choose from, getting started can be a daunting proposition. However, Petya shared some excellent advice with a very practical approach to researching the choices on offer.

We first looked at the four main types of courses; Bachelor Degrees, Undergraduate Masters, Foundation Degrees and Degree Apprenticeships, which helped narrow down the focus. Petya recommended deciding on what to study first ahead of where to study it. She also advised that unless you have a very specific career path in mind (eg medicine, veterinary, dentistry, finance etc), it is better to choose a subject that you really enjoy and are good at, as there will always be opportunities to use the very transferable skills you learn from whatever course you decide on. Inter-disciplinary courses are becoming more popular although still challenging to get offers, often requiring several tests in very different subjects to be offered a place.  Choosing your course will narrow down your choice of universities as not all institutions offer all subjects, whether traditional or new courses, so look up which universities offer yours. 

When it comes to selecting a university itself, everyone will have different priorities. Petya highlighted seven key areas to consider:

1. Living away from home – consider the pros (cheaper, home comforts, emotional support, cooking/cleaning) vs the cons (freedom, independence, access to university amenities, student lifestyle)
2. Campus vs city location – eg Bath is a campus university just outside the city centre with all its amenities onsite whereas others are based entirely in a city, while Bristol is a hybrid with an academic hub in the city with accommodation located further out.
3. League tables – these are useful for general guidance, but take these with a pinch of salt! Narrow down on the league tables for your subject, then look at the course content itself.
4. Student satisfaction – how happy are students about levels of teaching, facilities etc. Useful but it is always much better to talk to actual students on your course if you can.
5. Entry requirements – look at what they are for your most ambitious and your insurance choices. It is worth asking if they only take traditional qualifications or if they consider others such as EPQs. Also if they have interviews or aptitude tests as part of their selection process.
6. Placements and study abroad – does the university offer these? How long do they last? What links do they have with industry and institutions?
7. University facilities – are they accessible all the time? Are they free? Are there any specialist facilities you are particularly interested in (eg sport, art)?

The talk moved onto making applications to universities with tips on putting together a personal statement to stand out from the crowd – particularly important for “near miss” candidates for a competitive course. Use the 4,000 characters wisely and see the statement as your chance to speak directly to the person making the decision on your university place. It can also form the basis of your interview (if applicable). Universities will be looking for evidence of work experience and additional activities. When writing, always come back to the question “why do you want to study this subject and what makes this the right course for you?” Make sure that you ask yourself after every sentence, “OK – So what?” and question the value of what you have written.

A big thank you to Petya for some excellent tips and practical advice.