Getting into University: An Overview - Oshwal Centre
Getting into University: An Overview - Oshwal Centre
Getting into University: An Overview - Oshwal Centre
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<strong>Getting</strong> <strong>into</strong> <strong>University</strong>:<br />
<strong>An</strong> <strong>Overview</strong><br />
Michael Husbands<br />
Head of Upper School<br />
Merchant Taylors’ School, Northwood<br />
Sunday 19 August 2012<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> <strong>Centre</strong><br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
<strong>Getting</strong> <strong>into</strong> the<br />
right course at the<br />
right <strong>University</strong><br />
What the really successful<br />
applicant and their parents<br />
need to know and do<br />
now!<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
THE PROBLEM<br />
• Applicants do not spread themselves equally<br />
over the 120 universities and the 55,000<br />
degree courses.<br />
• Candidates choose from too narrow a range<br />
of courses & institutions.<br />
• Entry to university is competitive.<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
• English<br />
• Economics<br />
• History<br />
• Law<br />
• Medicine<br />
• Management<br />
• Drama<br />
• Vet Medicine<br />
• PPE<br />
• Physiotherapy<br />
• Psychology<br />
• Oxford<br />
• Cambridge<br />
• LSE<br />
• Imperial College<br />
• UCL<br />
• Bristol<br />
• Durham<br />
• Exeter<br />
• Edinburgh<br />
• Nottingham<br />
• St <strong>An</strong>drews<br />
• Warwick<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
OXBRIDGE 2011<br />
• Over 33,000 applicants.<br />
(Not your average UCAS applicant!)<br />
• 3,000 - 3,500 accepted at each.<br />
(approx 20%)<br />
• Over 26,000 rejected.<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
• Although Oxbridge do not make this a formal requirement, an analysis of successful<br />
applicants has shown that the average possess 7 - 8 A* s at GCSE and have<br />
scored 89 - 94% across their 3 most relevant AS s.<br />
( 96% for medicine at Cambridge! )<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
BRISTOL 2011<br />
40,000 applications for<br />
3,500 places<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
BRISTOL 2011<br />
Applications per place<br />
• Economics 41 ( A*AA )<br />
• English 22 ( AAA )<br />
• Drama 18 ( AAA )<br />
• Psych. 17 ( AAB )<br />
• History 13 ( AAA )<br />
• Vet Sci. 12 ( AAB )<br />
• Law 10 ( AAA )<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
DURHAM 2011<br />
28,000 applications<br />
for 3,500 places<br />
(Min. offer BBB)<br />
Durham are looking for;<br />
8 GCSE A*s for History<br />
7 GCSE A*s for Law<br />
6-7 GCSE A*s for English<br />
(23 applicants for every place to read English)<br />
...and Economics?<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
OTHER “HOT SPOTS”<br />
• English at York asks AAA + b in any AS and<br />
normally a (min) b in a GCSE foreign language.<br />
• 2,400 applications, 170 places. 14 applicants for<br />
every place.<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
THE SOLUTION<br />
• Do the research<br />
• Make the right choices<br />
• Promote yourself carefully<br />
(Personal statement)<br />
• Listen to advice<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
Research is vital<br />
….but there is a lot of choice!<br />
• 120 (plus) Universities<br />
• 270 (plus) Colleges<br />
• 600 subject areas<br />
• 55,000 degree courses<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
Research is vital<br />
• Directories<br />
• Prospectuses<br />
• CourseFinder<br />
• HE Fairs<br />
• Taster Courses<br />
• Summer Schools<br />
• Open Days<br />
• The Web<br />
15-Aug-12<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
<strong>University</strong> & Colleges Admissions Service<br />
www.ucas.co.uk<br />
15-Aug-12<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
Remember!<br />
• Entry requirements reflect demand,<br />
NOT the quality or the difficulty of the<br />
coursework.<br />
• Choices affect chances.<br />
• <strong>Getting</strong> an offer may be about more<br />
than just academic performance........<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
• The personal statement<br />
• Written tests<br />
eg LNAT, BMAT, & UKCAT<br />
• Interviews<br />
• A portfolio of work<br />
• Work experience<br />
• Auditions<br />
artists & designers<br />
doctors & lawyers<br />
musicians & actors<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
• Entry requirements vary from <strong>University</strong> to <strong>University</strong> for the SAME<br />
course<br />
eg. Economics<br />
UCAS Code L100<br />
• Cambridge<br />
A*AA interview + college tests<br />
( A2 Maths essential )<br />
( A2 Economics “desirable” )<br />
(A2 Further Maths “helpful”).<br />
• Southampton AAB B in A2 Maths.<br />
• City ABB<br />
• Brunel<br />
• Aberdeen<br />
320 tariff points (BBC + c in AS or EPQ)<br />
CCC<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
• Entry requirements vary from course to course within the<br />
SAME <strong>University</strong><br />
eg. <strong>University</strong> College, London (UCL)<br />
• Economics<br />
• English<br />
• Archaeology<br />
• Info. Management<br />
• Dutch<br />
A*AA A* in Maths<br />
AAA<br />
AAB<br />
ABB<br />
BBC<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
Choices are everything!<br />
• Choose courses and universities that are right for the applicant.<br />
• Choose a subject they are good at,<br />
but remember…<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
.... A Levels can lead to many<br />
subjects at <strong>University</strong>, (over 600<br />
subject areas on offer).<br />
Think outside the box!<br />
Dare to be different!<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
SOME DEGREE CHOICES WITH Geography A LEVEL<br />
• American Studies<br />
• Atmospheric Science<br />
• Earth Sciences<br />
• Economic Geography<br />
• Estate Management<br />
• Fisheries Management<br />
• Forest Zoology<br />
• Hydrology<br />
• Land Use<br />
• Library Studies<br />
• Meteorology<br />
• Mineral Exploitation<br />
• Oceanography<br />
• Rural Economy<br />
• Town & Country Planning<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
SOME DEGREE CHOICES WITH Economics A LEVEL<br />
• Accountancy<br />
• Actuarial Science<br />
• Banking<br />
• Business Studies<br />
• Farm Management<br />
• Food Marketing<br />
• Human Resource<br />
Management<br />
• Land Management<br />
• Library Studies<br />
• Quantity Surveying<br />
• Operational Research<br />
• Politics<br />
• Social History<br />
• Sociology<br />
• Statistics<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
SOME DEGREE CHOICES WITH English A LEVEL<br />
• Advertising<br />
• American Studies<br />
• <strong>An</strong>glo-Saxon<br />
• Creative Writing<br />
• Drama<br />
• Information Science<br />
• Library studies<br />
• Linguistics<br />
• Media studies<br />
• Publishing<br />
• Scottish literature<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
REMEMBER!<br />
When applying for popular courses at<br />
popular universities –<br />
All five choices on the UCAS<br />
form must be genuine choices.<br />
<strong>An</strong>d some of these must<br />
generate an Insurance offer.<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
Academic performance may not be the only selection criteria.<br />
Applicants must be prepared to promote themselves through<br />
their personal statement.<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
THE SUCCESSFUL UNIVERSITY<br />
APPLICANT<br />
• Enthusiasm for their chosen subject<br />
• Suitability for their chosen course<br />
• Good communication skills<br />
• Motivation to be at <strong>University</strong><br />
• Academic potential<br />
– <strong>An</strong> ability to cope with fresh knowledge and new ideas<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
The Personal Statement<br />
Self-praise is no praise.<br />
Let selectors infer your worth from the evidence in your personal statement.<br />
Academic interests, inc. Extended Project.<br />
Extra-curricular reading & activities.<br />
Work experience.<br />
Courses & conferences attended.<br />
School responsibilities.<br />
etc,etc…..<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
Listen to Advice!<br />
Be realistic.<br />
Match predicted grades carefully to<br />
Universities’ published standard offers.<br />
<strong>An</strong>d remember …<br />
On the UCAS Form the school/college staff<br />
are asked to comment on the applicant’s<br />
suitability for the five choices they have made.<br />
Would you excuse me, I<br />
think someone is trying to<br />
gain my attention”<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
For popular courses & universities the applicant must have a positive<br />
endorsement from the school staff.<br />
“We unreservedly support John/Emma in the choices he/she has made and warmly<br />
recommend him/her.”<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
Video<br />
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq7RsIzaxKI<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
Contact Details<br />
This presentation was given at the <strong>Oshwal</strong> Enabling Education Fair on<br />
Sunday 19 August 2012. If you would like to get in touch with the Presenter,<br />
please contact:<br />
Michael Husband<br />
Email: mhusbands@mtsn.org.uk<br />
Tel: 01923 820 644<br />
If you would like to get in touch with the event organisers, please contact:<br />
Ashish Patani<br />
Email: ashish.patani@oshwal.org<br />
Mobile: 07708 753 510<br />
<strong>Oshwal</strong> Association of the UK<br />
Charity Reg. No. 267037<br />
www.oshwal.org
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