Uni, UCAS and Useless.

My AS Level exams are over- HALLELUJAH. 

But little did I know, the end of my AS exams was most definitely not the end of Year 12. 

We arrived back at school after a particularly short study leave with fresh minds and summer excitement. Yet we were met with a tidal wave of paper work and deadlines regarding the dreaded UCAS. 

Now, I don't know about anyone else, but my brain span is only just reaching ice cream and sunbathing. I am in no frame of mind to think about what I want to be doing in a weeks time let alone a years time. 

Not only are we meant to know exactly what we want to do, we also have to be in a position to form an application in order to prepare for applying to said future prospect. 

BLEUGH. 

Oh and also- we've begun next years A Level courses and we are preparing for our A2 exams. 

DO THEY THINK WE ARE MACHINES?! 

Thankfully I have been putting some thought into what I want to study at university and where. I managed to fit in an hour of Googling courses and open days here and there in amongst searching for work experience and the stacks of revision and homework. 

I've decided that I want to study Broadcast Journalism and therefore have spent the last couple of weeks touring the country, visiting some of the universities that provide suitable, accredited courses. 

So far I've visited 3 out of 5 of my short listed universities and I have worked out an efficient and effective way of tackling university open days:

My Top 5 Tips To Make The Most Of  A University Open Day ( what a mouthful):

1. Ensure that you check the time of your subject talk/tour- Meeting the people who will be teaching you and seeing what they have to say about the course is probably the most important part of the open day. (We all know that isn't strictly true and what we all wanna know is whether we have to share a bathroom or not, but yanno I'm trying to be a good influence). 

Find out about the placement opportunities and the support that you will get from your tutors. 

Find out how the course is assessed and whether that suits you, all courses are different!

Most importantly, find out what your course specifically entails and what will be expected of you at that uni. 

2. Prioritise the other talks/tours- There are likely to be various talks throughout the day that are similar at all universities. What I have found to be beneficial, is to go to the Student Life talks. This gives you a real insight into what life will be like for you and gives you and idea as to whether life there will suit you or not. Something might grab your attention, or it might make you realise that another university's societies and opportunities might be more suited to you. 

You might also want to consider how much information about UCAS applications and personal statements you are getting at school and whether sitting through these lectures at every university is a beneficial use of your time there? Maybe a talk on accommodation might be more useful to you. 

3. Make sure you look around the accommodation- All of the photos will make everything look amazing. You need to see it for yourself. Go to the buildings and see if you can imagine yourself there, see if the rooms appeal to you. Check out the kitchens and bathrooms, and how many people will be assigned to each. It's also useful to see how near/far the accommodation is to the campus or where you will be studying. 

4. Make use of the students around you- The most useful thing I found when looking around the open days was asking the students questions. They give you honest, full answers. They've been in your position so aren't going to lie to you. Ask them where they live, about finances, about the work load and courses, hear it from the people who are doing what you're going to be doing. They're also a good source of information about part time jobs as well as opinions on the area. 

5. Look around the facilities available- If your course requires specific equipment/facilities ensure you make time to join a tour or find a way to look at them. Knowing what standard the facilities are at can hugely influence your opinion. 

You need to make sure that you address the things that are important to you. 

If you've travelled a long way to be there then make the most of it! 

Prioritise what's on offer and plan your day. 

Open days are a perfect opportunity for you to get a feel for the atmosphere and the environment that each uni gives. I think this is a really important part of making the big decision. 

I will keep you updated on my journey through UCAS & university.

til next time,

Hannah xox