Posts Tagged ‘Getting into University’

Year 13, UCAS Applications – time to decide which university is right for you

Wednesday, October 12th, 2011

If you are in Year 13 and deciding about your next step after A Levels then you are probably in the midst of completing your UCAS application form. It maybe that you’ve already decided what you want to study and where you want to go. But if you are struggling with the decision then here are a few places to look for more information and some hints on making that all important decision.

This week (15th October) is the UCAS application deadline if you want to apply to study medicine or dentistry, veterinary courses or want to go to Oxford or Cambridge. We’ve written before about Oxbridge entry and we have specialised tutors at 121 Home Tutors who can help with Oxbridge entry.

  1. The first part of your decision is whether you want to go university or not. It’s easy to get pushed down a road of going to university by over enthusiastic parents, especially if you’ve no idea what you’d like to for a future career. We’ve written a blog post here about the drop out rates at universities and some questions to ask yourself before you complete your UCAS form. There are alternatives to university – a great place to look is http://www.notgoingtouni.co.uk/. And there are plenty of successful people who didn’t go to university.
  2. If you decide that university is the right choice for you then you need to do your research. There are comprehensive guides to the universities by subject and you need to read these as well as the prospectus for the specific university you are interested in.
  3. There are a few things you need to consider when choosing a degree course. It’s a good idea to choose something you are interested in and/or show a flair for because you will be studying it for at least the next three years. But it’s worth thinking beyond graduation. What kind of career prospects will your chosen degree give you? . For example did you know Medicine and dentistry have the highest rates of employment – 87%  of Medicine and 83%  of Dentistry students  find jobs immediately after graduation, and they earn more than other graduates – around £30k a year.
  4. It’s important that your decision is your own. Try not to be influenced by where your friends are going – you’ll make new friends.
  5. If you’re struggling to make a decision then talk to your careers advisor. You can also ring prospective universities and ask to speak to course tutors, they are usually very happy to help.

If you need help with tutoring in Year 13 or help with your UCAS personal statement then 121 Home Tutors can help – we cover areas across Manchester and Cheshire including Wilmslow, Didsbury and Alderley Edge. It’s easy to get in touch.

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100,000 students drop out of university

Wednesday, September 21st, 2011

This month will see about half a million students start a university course in the UK. This is the last entry year before many universities will introduce higher fees (some at £9k or more a year) and the number of applications to universities rose sharply. Many missed out on places but did you know every year hundreds of thousands of students drop out of university? A 2008 study estimated 100,000 students left their course after the first year.  Almost a quarter of students, around 22%, failed to complete their course.

There are probably lots of different reasons that students drop out of university – they didn’t want to be there in the first place, they chose the wrong course, they miss friends or home, they can’t cope with the change. Lots of people think that widening participation (getting more people into university) is one of the main causes of drop out rates and that may be a contributing factor as students might not have the support of people at home or struggle financially.

We tutor lots of students, in all kinds of subjects from Maths to Spanish, who are about to apply for university. Here are some questions to ask yourself before you make that final decision.

  • Why are you going to university? Is it for you? Are you doing it to make your parents happy? This is probably the first adult decision you will have to make that could have a real impact on the rest of your life – it has to be right for you.
  • How have you chosen your course? Did you decide on it because your mates are doing it or because you did an A Level in it? Sit down with a piece of paper and make a list of the things you enjoy and are interested in (and would be willing to study for at least three years). That’s a good starting point to choose a course.
  • And the same goes for university locations – choose carefully, visit each campus. Remember you will be living there for at least three years – think about how easily you can get home, get around the city and see people so you don’t feel isolated.
  • If you are the first person in your family to go to university then make sure your friends and family understand that you’ll need financial and moral support. It’s great if you have someone to talk to who has been to university.
  • Think about what you want after uni. This will help determine if it’s right for you. University does give you some great life skills (and general transferable skills like research) but it can be a confidence knock if things don’t go well. If you really want to be a writer then is going to Aberdeen to study Engineering the right thing?

If you are applying for university this year and need help with your UCAS form or tutoring for A Levels including Maths, English and Science in Manchester and Cheshire then contact 121 Home Tutors.

 

 

 

 

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Tutoring helping children secure Oxbridge places

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

The Independent recently revealed that more than 100 states schools are paying a private company to tutor their brightest pupils on how to get a place at Oxford or Cambridge. This news has come at the same time as a report from the Sutton Trust that shows that most people who get places at Oxford and Cambridge are from selective state grammar or independent schools.

Getting a place at Oxford or Cambridge has never been easy – they turn away around 8,000 applications each year and expect pupils to gain A* grades at A Level.

Now it seems it isn’t just parents who want to use tutors to help their child gain a place at Oxbridge but also the schools. In the last few years it has become more acceptable for both parents and teachers to seek the help of an outside tutoring company or private tutor to help them get a child into Oxford or Cambridge.

Specialised tutors can help in a number of ways:

  • Prepare and help your child for exams throughout the year so they get the grades they need to get into Oxbridge – because getting a place is so competitive these universities won’t accept lower grades so you need to be on top academically. It’s worth thinking about university before GCSEs – when students apply to university they will only have their GCSEs (and possibly AS and predicted A Level results). Their grades at GCSE will need to be as good as possible (usually A*).
  • Coach on interview techniques – Oxbridge interviews can often be used to test how you cope under pressure, so the interviewer may throw unexpected questions your way.
  • Help with test preparation – you might be asked to take a written test or engage in a healthy debate, you need to know how to handle this situation.

Oxford and Cambridge do offer a number of opportunities for students from lower income households, if you contact the universities they can tell you about these schemes.

There are two main things a private tutor can help you with – building your confidence and helping you develop as an independent thinker – these are two key skills that Oxbridge are looking for. We can’t wave a magic wand and guarantee a place at Oxbridge and any private tutoring company or personal tutor claiming to do so should be avoided.

If you’d like to know more about Oxbridge tutoring then call 121 Home Tutors on 01625 531 630. We work with students across Manchester and Cheshire.

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How do I get a place to do Medicine at University?

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

If you want to study Medicine at university then you have to be ready for some fierce competition.  There are only a handful of universities that offer medicine and it is an academically demanding course that tests even those with the best grades.  But many students who intend on applying to do medicine fall down at the application or interview stage because they fail to see they need to stand out. We’ve asked our tutors to come up with some tips for applying to do medicine. You’ll find these especially helpful if you’ll soon get your GCSE results and finally decide AS/A Level options or are about to go into Year 13.

If you want to apply to do medicine you do it through UCAS (Universities and College Admissions Service), in common  with admissions for all courses to all universities in the UK. The early application deadline is 15 October medicine (earlier than some courses).

You can apply for four medical places (you have six spaces – most people use the other two for back up courses in medically related fields like pharmacology).

  1. The UCAS form is the thing that will secure you an interview so it’s vital you spend plenty of time on it – the two most important aspects are your personal statement and teacher statement.
  2. You’ll be expected to get very high grades – places like Oxford require AAA (or possibly even A*). You will need Chemistry at A Level. AS results, A level results, A2 results and GCSE results also matter, you need to show a consistent academic performance.
  3. In your personal statement carefully check your grammar and spelling (or get someone else to do it). Make sure it meets the UCAS entry guidelines – so it has to be less than 47 lines on the form (not 47 lines typed in Word) and less than 4000 characters. You need to be clear about why you want to study medicine, any work experience/voluntary work you have done, what you know about working in medicine and how you found out about this (work experience etc), your hobbies and achievements, any jobs and responsibilities and sum up why they should choose you.  It’s not really the place to start going over your AS results, A level results, A2 results and GCSE results.
  4. One thing in your personal statement that will help you stand out is any relevant work experience – start thinking about this now. You can find useful information here . Holiday work will look good in your personal statement and also ensure that you are picking the right career path.  
  5. Make sure your teacher or referee knows the kind of information a Medicine admissions tutor is looking for – you want them to backup your passion for becoming a doctor and studying medicine while talking about your achievements and your positive attributes such as leadership and communication skills.

If you need help with tutoring at As or A2 and A Level subjects such as Biology and Chemistry in Manchester and Cheshire then call 121 Home Tutors (01625 531360). Over the next few weeks we will be around to chat through your options when you get your AS results, A level results, A2 results and GCSE results.

We have a team of dedicated and experienced tutors who have helped students gain places on courses to study Medicine.

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Tutoring gets children into Oxford and Cambridge

Friday, February 25th, 2011

Xaverian College in Rusholme, Manchester has hit the headlines because 12 pupils have been offered places to study at Oxford and Cambridge. At the moment about eight per cent of pupils in Britain attend private schools. That small percentage makes up about half of those who get places at Oxford and Cambridge.

Peter Birch, Assistant Principal, made it his mission to help his inner city pupils compete with children from private schools by introducing special private tuition lessons. This Manchester college concentrated on building confidence, problem-solving and interview techniques in their private tuition lessons.  The interview for Oxford and Cambridge can be particularly tough for unprepared students (you can read about Christopher Howarth’s experience here).

Here at 121 Home Tutors we work with high school, college and sixth form students in the same way – giving them the tangible skills they need (higher grades) and less tangible skills (confidence) to get a place at top universities. It’s not always subject specifics that we tackle in tutoring, it’s often about finding untapped potential and helping a child realise what they are capable of.

If you or your child would like to talk to someone about private tuition in Manchester (or a surrounding area such as Heaton Moor, Altrincham, or Didsbury) to help with university entrance then contact us today.

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A-level results day – what if you don’t get the grades?

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

A Level results are out, and all over the country students will be celebrating – or in a state of high anxiety. If you’ve missed out on the A2 grades you needed to get into your first choice of university you could be facing problems, as this is set to be one of the most competitive years for clearing ever.

If you’ve just finished Y12 and your AS grades were a bit ropey, you’re not under quite the same pressure as those who have been unlucky at A2 – but you still potentially have issues to deal with because you’ll be going into the university application process without the best possible grades.

But never fear – there are things you can do to rescue what might look like a dire situation! In this post we’re going to look at the most pressing problem of all – underperformance at A2. In a special post on Thursday, we’ll offer some advice for AS students.

A- level (A2) grades not as hoped
A level results are due out. If you’ve missed your A level grades for your first choice university, it can seem like the end of the world. Rather than mope around, here’s the course of action you need to take:

  1. Don’t panic! You’ve nothing to lose from being level-headed, and potentially lots to gain.
  2. Your first port of call should be a relevant person school or college – probably your Head of Sixth Form or your personal tutor. You’ll be on their priority list, and this is where relationships are going to matter: good schools and colleges will fight tooth and nail to secure places for ‘good citizens’ who are known to be friendly, committed and talented, but who have missed out by just a few marks. You’ll still get help if you’ve been a slacker or a source of trouble, but your school will find it harder to unreservedly recommend you to sceptical admissions tutors.
  3. So, even if you’ve missed your A level grades, there’s a chance that you – with the assistance of your school or college – will be able to talk your way on to your chosen course. This is much harder than it used to be, but it does still happen.
  4. If you miss both your first choice and your insurance offer, and still really want to go to university then you need to enter the university clearing system. Again, your school or college will advise you here – or there’s a useful article in The Guardian. Many students get good places through university clearing, and end up in universities that they love. But think carefully: are you so desperate to get a university place that you’re happy to head off without even visiting in advance or researching how useful the course is? Studying for a degree can be an expensive business and did you know there are other options available? Check out our post on options available to A level students - gap years, going abroad to university, doing a part-time degree or even not going to university!
  5. Think seriously about retaking and going for entry next year. You can have another go in January at the modules you messed up, and hopefully the shock of failure this time will have focussed your mind! If you only missed your grades by a few marks you could also consider going through the appeals process. If you decide to retake, you’ll have to go through UCAS again, but it should at least be a bit more familiar this time.

If you do go down the resit route, it’s a good idea to spend some time reflecting on why you didn’t do as well as you’d hoped. Did you work hard enough, spending a decent amount of time preparing for each important topic within each subject? Was there a particular skill or area of knowledge where you really fell short?

You might feel that it’s time to seriously consider getting some extra help. If you would like to talk to someone try the Exam Results Helpline on 0808 100 8000. Also, 121 Home Tutors has a team of first class A level tutors and AS and A2 tutors and can offer help in any major subject if you live in Manchester, Stockport or Macclesfield, Wilmslow, Cheshire areas. Contact us today (by email or call 01625 531 360) for a no-obligation discussion!

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