Top tips for navigating the Higher Education application process

We asked our Head of Sixth Form, James Ralphs, for his advice to pupils who are navigating their way through the Higher Education application process.

Life in the sixth form is an exciting period in every pupil’s life and a time when you decide where you are going to study and live for the next three to four years, away from the clutches of your hsm, tutor and even matron! However, these choices can be daunting and difficult; therefore it is sometimes tempting to put them to the back of your mind rather than be proactive.

To combat this, here are some tips for applying to university:

1.    Choose your course first

It is essential that you decide upon a Higher Education course that suits your needs before you start looking at individual universities. You will be studying for a further three to four years, therefore it is important that you chose a course which you are interested in. Is there a subject which you have been studying in the sixth form that you would like to continue with? Do you need a vocational degree to enable you to fulfil a career aspiration?  Would studying a combination of subjects that complement each other be of interest? Spend your A3 year exploring all of these options, using the BridgeU website to ensure an informed decision is made.

Key terms:

BA (Bachelor of Arts): Includes the arts and humanities subjects, such as English, History, and the social sciences.

BSc (Bachelor of Science): Includes more scientific subjects. Admissions requirements usually include Maths or a science subject at A level or Higher Level IB.

Joint honours: These degree courses allow you to study two (or more) subjects conjointly, as one degree e.g. French and Management

Foundation degree/Foundation year: Either a stand-alone qualification that can be ‘topped-up’ to become a full degree at a later date, or the first year of a four-year course (often in e.g. Engineering-related subjects).

Sandwich course: Four-year degree courses, where some of the studies take place in industry or abroad.

Vocational degree: A degree that allows students to study for qualifications for a particular profession. For example; Medicine, Law (LLB) or Architecture.

Degree apprenticeship: These level 6 apprenticeships are joint ventures between an employer (who funds your degree and your training) and a university. They are increasingly available as a form of employment, especially in the finance and technical sectors.

2.    Don’t be a sheep

Once you have chosen your subject area (in discussion with your tutor), the next task is to decide where you will study. It is easy to be tempted to follow your friends or siblings to their chosen university. However this decision needs to be based on your own preferences. Would you prefer a campus or city university? Does the size of the class matter to you? Would you like to be based close to home, or have easy access to sports facilities? Check league tables to find the best universities for your subject area. Remember to look beyond the Russell Group; you may be surprised by some of the universities that rank highly for particular courses. The Complete University Guide website is one useful starting place for research, as it allows you to filter the universities by subject.

3.    Go and visit the universities

Before deciding upon your five chosen universities you really should go and visit them. They will offer a variety of open and taster days throughout the year. It is wise to take your parents along with you. You may worry that they may cramp your style but they will probably pick up on some of the points you miss and ask those embarrassing, but important, questions. Try as much as possible to do this during the school holidays. Missing valuable lesson time will make achieving the entry requirements even more difficult.

4.    Immerse yourself in your subject

Some courses can be very competitive. Make the most of your A3 year to build knowledge and experience that will allow you to stand out as an applicant. The Bryanston Higher Education Guide includes reading lists for a wide variety of courses. Speak to the head of department for your chosen subject for advice on how you could improve your academic profile. Are there any talks or courses you could attend to gain insight and emphasise that you would be an excellent candidate for your chosen university? Remember, universities are interested in you as a well-rounded person as well as your academic results.

Detailed guides on preparing for Higher Education, choosing your course and applying through UCAS can be found on the Higher Education page of the Bryanston website.

What's so great about the Russell Group?

We welcome Ian McClary, Head of Sixth Form at Bryanston, with his guest blog on the Russell Group universities.

Ian McClary

In articles and debates about excellence in higher education ‘the Russell Group’ often crops up. One often comes across phrases in the press like 'elite Russell Group universities' or 'more students than ever are aspiring to places at the UK's leading universities in the Russell Group' and it is very easy to be led into thinking that these institutions are the only ones to which to aspire if you want a good degree or to be competitive in the employment marketplace afterwards. It is true that they are outstanding places to study and many have the kind of reputation and name recognition that make a graduate stand out, but it is a shame that the landscape of opportunities in higher education in the UK is often obscured by the Russell Group monolith through no fault of its own.

The Russell Group, established in 1994, shortly after the polytechnics were given university status, as an association of 24 research-intensive universities (including Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool, Queen's Belfast and Sheffield, as well as the ones more commonly assumed to be members) simply seeks to represent its members' interests to government and to help ensure the highest standards of teaching and research in the face of fierce international competition. It has been criticised by some as protectionist and its detractors claim that, by marketing itself very successfully as the elite club, its universities have benefitted from greater popularity which has made them harder to get into. I am not sure this argument stacks up, as around half of these universities are consistently ranked overall in the top 20 nationally each year, if certain league tables are to be believed.

But this begs the question: what about the other universities in the top 20 that aren't part of the Russell Group? Moreover, if one looks at subject-specific league tables the picture changes significantly because, of course, no university can excel at everything. What often gets missed is that there are universities outside this club with similar aims to the Russell Group and which demonstrate excellence in a wide variety of fields. It could be argued that the term Russell Group encourages in some a sort of myopia.

Formed in 2006, the University Alliance is a group of 22 universities which aims to bring together its members with business and government to improve higher education policy to benefit the UK economy and society. Its members are committed to focusing on combining science and technology with design and creative industries and to creating entrepreneurial and research environments in partnership with industry and the professions. Members of this group such as UWE Bristol and Oxford Brookes offer excellent courses and resources and have already gained a reputation for excellence in a number of areas. Yet they are often dismissed simply because they are newer institutions, are not as oversubscribed, and so they can afford to ask for slightly lower grades to attract a broader church of applicants.

It is also interesting to note that last November the 1994 Group dissolved. This was another group of smaller, research-intensive universities, including Bath, Durham, Exeter, Manchester, St Andrews, Warwick and York, founded around the same time as the Russell Group for similar reasons. Some members eventually left it to join the bigger, more prestigious Russell Group while the remainder have decided that the need for such a group no longer exists, as the shape of higher education and priorities within the sector have continued to change. Perhaps this is the shape of things to come.

The fact remains that UK universities are a major force in global higher education; they educate over two million students every year and the sector is more diverse and vibrant than ever before. The Russell Group has a place of pre-eminence within it, rightly or wrongly, but it has provided an important voice in policy making alongside other groups such as the University Alliance and think-tanks such as Million+.

If a university in the Russell Group is the right place for your child and offers the right course for their academic and professional aspirations, then at Bryanston we will certainly encourage them to apply and compete along with other top-notch candidates; however, if they are simply applying because they believe that a university in the Russell Group is automatically better than universities outside it, we may well advise that they should perhaps widen their search and look again at exactly what else is out there.