% of Schools planning to offer Advanced Extension Awards

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Ilford County High School
Higher Education Evening
Wednesday 4th March 2009
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ILFORD COUNTY HIGH SCHOOLHIGHER EDUCATION EVENING
PROGRAMME
1.Facts and figures about UCAS applications 2.How
do students make choices? 3.Guidance on writing
a Personal Statement 4.Oxbridge/Medical
applications 6.Any Questions
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Popular and Competitive University Courses
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Subject Demanding The Highest Points Scores

• Veterinary Science 486
• Medicine 470
• Dentistry 434
• Mathematics 417
• Physics 416

• Statistics 407
• 7. Opthalmics 394
• 8. Astronomy 393
• 9 Russian 391
• 9 Chemical Engineering 391

(2007, Times HE Guide)
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Universities With the Highest Points Scores

• 1 Cambridge 518
• 2 Oxford 502
• Imperial 473
• LSE 469
• Warwick 448
• Durham 447
• St. Andrews 446
• 9 UCL 434
• 10 Edinburgh 430

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How Do I Get All Those Points?

• Grade A A Level 140
• Grade A 120 AS Level 60
• Grade B 100 50
• Grade C 80 40
• Grade D 60 30
• Grade E 40 20

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What An Offer Might Look Like

• Physics, Southampton University
• 320 points
• Could be achieved by getting ABB or AAC
• Aeronautical Engineering, Queen Mary College,
  London
• 280 points
• Could be achieved by BBC, ACC or CCCC at AS

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Times 2008 University rankings based on

• Student satisfaction
• Research assessment
• Entry standards
• Student staff ratios
• Facilities spending
• First and Upper Seconds
• Graduate prospects
• Efficiency (drop-out ratios)

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Times 2008 Top Universities

• Oxford 1000 7 UCL 767
• Cambridge 950 8 Durham 760
• Imperial 865 9 York 736
• LSE 818 10 Bristol 724
• St. Andrews 791 11 Kings 715
• Warwick 775 12 Loughborough 709

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The Russell Group

• Birmingham Bristol
• Cambridge Cardiff
• Edinburgh Glasgow
• Imperial College Kings College
• Leeds Liverpool
• LSE Manchester
• Newcastle Nottingham
• Queens, Belfast Oxford
• Sheffield Southampton
• UCL Warwick

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Acceptance Rates

• Bath 12.6 Bristol 8.9
• Cambridge 23 Cardiff 14.3
• Durham 13.6 Edinburgh 11.2
• Exeter 12.6 Imperial 17.6
• Kings 10.4 Leeds 13.2
• LSE 8 Nottingham 13
• Oxford 24.3 St. Andrews12.3
• UCL 11.3 Warwick 11.3

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Satisfaction Top 10

• Oxford
• Leicester
• Loughborough
• St. Andrews
• East Anglia
• Aberystwyth
• Exeter
• Hull
• Aberdeen
• Kent

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Competitive Courses
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Competitive Courses II
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Competitive Courses III
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Rejection Levels In English

• University Rejects
• Bristol 76.7
• Edinburgh 75.7
• Oxford 69.3
• Warwick 67.8
• Cambridge 60.2
• Nottingham 59.3
• LSE 50.0
• Birmingham 10.0
• Leeds 6.1
• KCL 5.6
• Southampton 5.1

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Critical Thinking

• Used increasingly by universities to
  differentiate between candidates.
• Demonstrates a flexible mind and good critical
  faculties. Now a required skill in answering A2
  stretch and challenge questions in all
  subjects.
• Extremely valuable in preparing candidates for
  the rigour of interviews and entrance
  examinations such as BMAT.

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Critical Thinking II

• Critical Thinking is particularly welcomed by
  the selectors for our Medicine course. (Imperial
  College Admissions, February 2007)
• Mathematics and Biosciences feel it is
  particularly helpful for these degrees. (Exeter
  University Admissions, February 2007)
•   

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Should I Take A Gap Year?

• This is entirely up to you.
• Some people benefit from this, others do not.
• It will not necessarily have any negative or
  positive effects upon your university or career
  prospects.

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Gap Year Pros Cons

• Pros
• Chance to undertake work experience and gain
  other positive experiences.
• An extra year in which to mature and become more
  independent.
• Earn money to finance HE life.
• A break from academia.

• Cons
• You get out of the habit of studying.
• Few decent job prospects during the one-year gap.
• Some universities may not be keen check.
• Gap Years can be wasted they should be used
  constructively.

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Where Do I Start?
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Make The Right Choice

• 20 of students drop out of university.
• 10 do so in their first year.
• 30 wish they had studied something else.

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The Main Reasons Students Drop Out

• Wrong choice of course.
• Wrong choice of university.
• Poor advice or did not listen to advice.

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Which Subject Should I Take?

• Consider
• Aptitude
• Enjoyment
• Careers vocational/non-vocational
• There is a much wider range of degree subjects
  than A level courses

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Some Common Misconceptions

• If I wish to become a solicitor or barrister I
  must do a Law degree.
• If I wish to become an Accountant/Actuary etc I
  must do an Accountancy/Finance degree.
• If my grades arent good enough to get me into
  Medicine, I can still become a doctor by doing a
  BioScience degree.

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Which type of course should I apply for?

• Single, or combined honours
• Sandwich
• International component
• Assessment
• Entry requirements
• Topics being studied

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Which Institution?

• Location (home or away? campus or city?)
• Distance from home.
• Transport costs.
• Size and facilities
• Employability
• Entry standards
• Accommodation
• Cost of Living
• Drop-out rate

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What You Need To Do

• Consult the UCAS website. The Entry Profiles
  section is especially useful for this.
• Consult the institution website.
• Look at HE Guides (Heap, Times etc)
• Visit the institutions you are interested in.
• E-mail or ring admissions tutors.
• Discuss options with your UCAS Tutor.

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The Process
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The Application Process

• The absolutely final deadline for UCAS forms is
  15th January of year of entry.
• The absolute final deadline for
  Oxbridge/medical/dentistry is 15th October before
  the year of entry.
• It is extremely unwise to leave it this late, and
  we insist on earlier deadlines.

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Your timetable

• Now
• Begin to look into possible courses and
  universities.
• Begin to plan your Personal Statement.
• Arrange Connexions interview.
• June
• Attend the schools Careers HE Days.
• Meet your UCAS referee. You will be advised of
  the time for this.
• Register on UCAS Apply.
• Write the bulk of your Personal statement.
• Further meetings with your UCAS tutor and other
  experienced staff in PSHE

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Your Timetable (cont.)

• September
• Predicted grades are issued. These will be based
  upon AS results.
• Second formal interview with UCAS tutor.
• Finish PS and application form.
• October
• Applications submitted to UCAS.
• Those who fail to meet these deadlines will be
  severely disadvantaged.

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The Application Process

• Choose up to 5 universities and enter them on
  your UCAS form.
• Most institutions approve a gap year provided it
  is used constructively
• Indicate request for deferred entry on form
• Increasingly, universities use paper selection
  but you may well be called for interview.

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How does the process work in school?

• You complete the form online. Pay online
  (preferably) or by cheque to school.
• You take a hard copy and pass to your referee.
• Your Referee completes reference section online
  and passes to Ms Middleton or Mr. Jenkins.
• The Form is checked by Ms Middleton, then by Mr.
  Jenkins and the Headteacher.
• The Form is sent to UCAS.

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How is the process completed?

• UCAS contact you with an application number
  within 48 hours.
• A copy of your form is sent to each institution
  applied to.
• The Application is considered you may be
  interviewed or made an offer.
• You may be contacted by the university within
  days or maybe not until March.

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Acceptance And Rejection
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Offers

• There are two types
• Unconditional (U) - already qualified for entry
• Conditional (C) - when further examinations are
  still to be taken, offer is conditional upon
  passing at a specified standard.
• The vast majority will be conditional.
• All offer details will be sent to you by UCAS
• It is highly unlikely you will not be made an
  offer if you have listened to the advice of the
  UCAS team.

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Accepting offers

• After the final decision has been received,
  applicant has to decide for each offer
• Firm Acceptance - F
• Insurance acceptance - I
• Decline - D
• Only ONE firm acceptance and ONE insurance may be
  selected.
• Insurance offers should always require lower
  grades.
• All other offers must be declined

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Main Reasons For Rejections

• Inadequate qualifications.
• Not enough relevant recent work experience.
• Lack of specific subject information in the
  Personal Statement.
• Poor Personal Statements.
• Poor predicted grades or GCSE grades.
• Poor interview performance.
• Unrealistic applications.

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Vital Skills for Transition

• Independent learning
• Time management
• Oral and written communication
• Life skills (eg. money management, negotiation)
• Social skills

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Finally

• Take examinations
• DO NOT BE AWAY ON HOLIDAY WHEN EXAM RESULTS ARE
  PUBLISHED
• UCAS confirmation begins
• CF place is confirmed - UCAS will ask you to
  confirm acceptance at CF
• CF place is NOT confirmed but CI place is - UCAS
  will ask you to confirm acceptance at CI
• Neither place confirmed - enter clearing

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Oxbridge Applications
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Why Oxbridge?

• Quality of students
• Quality of academic staff
• Tutorial system
• Facilities
• Employability
• Architecture

• Useful Fact
• You cannot apply to Oxford and Cambridge.

• BUT not necessarily the best!

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Profile of a successful Oxbridge candidate.

• Lots of A/As at GCSE or a good excuse
• Excellent AS results for Cambridge (average of
  over 90 per module)
• 3 A grade predictions at A level
• Potential for further intellectual development
• Capacity to cope with a busy life
• Keen, enquiring mind, often beyond confines of
  study area applied for.
• Reads a lot.
• Enthusiasm and teachability.
• Good interview skills
• Well prepared for submitted work/tests
• Not a Year 12 or 13 repeater.

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Applications Per Place Oxford 2006

• Ancient Modern History 51
• Biochemistry 31
• Computer Science 31
• Economics 101
• English 51
• Law 51
• Mathematics 51
• Medicine 71

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Choosing A College

• Both universities interview everyone who meets
  their entry criteria.
• Interviews are carried out at the college, except
  in medicine and law at Oxford.
• However, you could be offered a place by a
  different college to that which you applied.

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The Interview

• This is a vital part of the process.
• Candidates need to be interested in the subject,
  and have a breadth of knowledge beyond their A
  Level syllabus and set texts begin this now!
• Research the college and its staff before the
  interview.
• You must be enthusiastic, knowledgeable and able
  to think on your feet.

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Profiles Of Successful Candidates 2008-9
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Profile of Unsuccessful Candidates 2008-9
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Choosing Medicine
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Medical Schools The Context

• 28 medical schools with 7,500 places
• Average medical student debt 2005
• 20,172 for 5-year courses
• 22,365 for 6-year courses
• This was an increase of 17 on 2004. If continues
  at this rate, debt by 2013/14
• 30, 863 for 5-year courses
• 37, 259 for 6-year courses

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Maximising Your Chances Of Getting In

• Academic Criteria
• 6 A/A at GCSE
• At least AAA predictions (AAB in mitigating
  circumstances)
• A good BMAT/UKCAT score
• Good module/AS results
• No module resits
• The right A levels
• Chemistry (and sometimes Biology)
• Contrasting art/humanity or Critical Thinking

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Maximising Your Chances (cont.)

• Work experience
• Range and value
• Glamour and dirty end
• Short and longer periods
• Recent
• Be in good health
• Finally a realistic chance of getting in. We
  will not support applications from candidates
  without this.

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Recent Applicant Profiles
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Any Questions?
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Ilford County High School
Higher Education Evening
Wednesday 4th March 2009