How to choose a uni?

[KS10]

Thankfully, mine locks after a few seconds. Who knows what mine would say about me. (I can guess!)

[ToadMum]

Thankfully, mine locks after a few seconds. Who knows what mine would say about me. (I can guess!)

Everyone in the immediate family knows how to unlock my phone (my main reason for locking it is to avoid those awkward calls to random contacts from the back pocket of my allotment trousers ). DH knows my laptop password. Or at least, he did, but I have no idea whether he would actually remember it in a moment of need.

[loobylou]

DD has also just gone into year 13.
She looked at the Which university guide and drew up a "long list" of maybe 12 universities which looked as though their course would suit her. She then looked into more details about the courses and decided that a campus university wasn't what she wanted.
She then ended up with a list of 6 and attended the virtual open days for all of them. She then knocked one off her list and so she has her top 5.
Some of her friends have focused less on the course (because they're applying for medicine for example), others have looked more at distance from home... I guess it depends what's important to your child. In dd's case, course content and city centre university were her main criteria.

[Blue_Marigold]

Thank you. I don’t think my DD has any preference about which uni to go to. Perhaps it’s too early to think about this for her....She knows the course she wants to do and has picked A-Level subjects which means she will get a chance at most of them. She didn’t take Chemistry so a handful of unis are no longer accessible but that still leaves 50 universities on the list.

[loobylou]

I think some subjects have fewer differences amongst the courses than others.
I only know about the subject DD is applying for (and even then I don't understand all the differences) but there seem to be huge differences between the types of course - some focused much more on "how to study this subject", others with lots if different modules but with very few choices, others giving basically free choice amongst the modules on offer.
But I have other friends with children doing (for example) computing or biochemistry where most of the courses seem quite similar so it's a lot harder to narrow it down and other factors (such as geography) come into play. Two of my friends have children who are basing their decision largely around where they can easily do their extra-curricular activity (one is a GB level sportsperson and therefore needs relatively easy access to one of the UK centres) which seems as good a reason to choose somewhere as any.
It is hard not being able to visit though. We are hoping that offer days will happen in the spring so DD can firm her decisions then. She's never visited 4 of the 5 cities she's putting down. If the offer days don't happen I think we'll have to do a whirlwind tour of England just so she gets some idea of the cities.

[solimum]

One aspect of courses that perhaps isn't sufficiently highlighted is the flexibility to move sideways onto another related degree path if (as often happens) a few months of study help a student to realise which parts of the subject they find particularly interesting and which they loathe. Some (perhaps particularly in science/ engineering, which is the area I know most about) have a more general first year after which more specialisation is possible: others may have common modules between related subjects making it easier to switch between disciplines. My DD started a general biochemistry degree at Manchester - that is a huge subject area and she soon realised her interest was more in the pharmacology side, and she was able to swap. (although I suspect that following a reorganisation of the different departments into separate Life Science and Medical/ Allied Schools it might not be so easy now).

[hwood]

Dear forum members,

Please kindly forgive me, that message sent from my husband along with the DD and we all apologise. We just returned from Norfolk Broads after having a quick break, I came to know about this post.

My DD is planning to study Natural Sciences at Uni, her preference is Cambridge as its 45 mins from Essex, the school has asked us to send first draft of personal statement by 21st September.

Thank you
Helen

[KS10]

Fathers and daughters .

Good luck with the application.

[mad?]

OK. Fair enough and on behalf of other posters you are welcome.

She needs to think about why Cambridge is her preference and why the college she chooses in particular. If Cambridge is only 45 minutes away then she can go and have look at the city and see if it is really what she wants. There is also loads of information online that she can use to help her decide on the college (TSR for one). I assume if she has already decided her preference is Cambridge she has thoroughly researched her chosen course and has a clear rationale for her need to study it there. If not, then she needs to go back a step and think about what she wants and research where might suit. In my opinion, that Cambridge is only 45 minutes away is unlikely to be a compelling argument in an interview.

[hwood]

I completely agree with you, my husband took her and my son in the past to Cambridge and shown few colleges.

Cambridge is her first choice but we haven't got any chance to visit any other Unis or their open days. Though she is preparing for NSAA over the summer, our confusion starts at what other Unis she really can opt for? Now, we are making a list to show her, knowing getting into Cambridge is not easy.

Once again, thank you for listening and your suggestions and guidance.