Choosing the right course and university for you

Written by Caroline Hopkinson-Woolley

It’s too late for some things.  If you still haven’t made a new year’s resolution, you can probably be forgiven for waiting until next year.  Dare we suggest that when many people’s least favourite month of the year is already half over, it might now be cheating to commit to ‘Veganuary’ or whatever other improving regime you really did intend to sign up for…

But if you haven’t yet submitted your application for a university place this coming autumn, there’s still time.  Applications for this year’s UCAS cycle close at 6pm UK time on Wednesday 26 January 2022.  Here’s what you need to consider if you haven’t yet decided what to apply for, and where:

What do you expect from your undergraduate degree? 

Identifying your goal is the key decision.  Every prospective student should consider the end of their course before they’ve even begun.  This evaluation is vital even if - perhaps especially if - your conclusion is not knowing the outcome and being happy with this future uncertainty.  Do you expect your undergraduate degree to lead you straight into a job?  Or do you see it as just a first step in a certain direction?  Alternatively, perhaps you’re determined to study something for sheer love of the subject?  Obviously, certain courses such as Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science are vocational.  But what about Law, Chemistry or Engineering?  Could these be broader disciplines, capable of wider application - for example, in research and development - in the ever-evolving worlds of commerce, industry or education?  Perhaps you’d like to study several subjects - as in a US-style Liberal Arts course - to keep your options as open as possible?  Would you like the certainty of being able to extend your study for an extra year and achieve an integrated Master’s? 

Of course, every destination has its journey.  In other words, course satisfaction is the other key factor to balance against outcome.  Only you can judge your best ratio between these two elements but there’s a wealth of online and actual material available, even at this ‘late’ stage, to help you make that crucial choice.  Compare the latest university rankings published by the government’s Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (qaa.ac.uk) plus league tables in The Times and Guardian.  And if you missed the relevant open days last summer and autumn, almost all UK universities and colleges offer up-to-date virtual tours of everything from course structure to student experience.  Don’t delay!  Go on one - or many more - today.

What kind of learner are you?

You may already have a clear idea of the type of learning style which works best for you or perhaps you’ve never really thought about it.  Do you like to listen?  Perhaps you consider yourself a ‘do-er’ rather than a ‘reader’.  Are you happier studying alone or more effective when collaborating with and being challenged by your peers?  The most well-known classification system - ‘VARK’ - divides us into Visual, Auditory, Reading & Writing or Kinesthetic (‘hands-on’) learners.  Most of us have something of each in us - it’s rarely a choice - but knowing your aptitude can be a useful way to distinguish between university courses.  So, if you’re studying Modern Languages, will the university offer oral classes or does it use language labs?  If you want to study Law, will the course include the opportunity to undertake some ‘pro bono’ practical work experience?  For Architecture, could you take advantage of a ‘sandwich’ year in the workplace?  How many hours face-to-face teaching is available each week?  Is it flexible or compulsory?  How much choice of content will you have?  The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged every established model and precipitated rapid innovation in the ways courses are delivered, innovations which may or may not continue in their present form, but it seems certain that the future of undergraduate teaching will be ‘multimodal’, ’blended’ or ‘hybrid’.   Do your research.  Ask around.  Don’t be put off.  Opinions are not answers but take advantage of peer platforms such as unibuddy.com and thestudentroom.co.uk. 

Maximise your chances

You can nominate 5 courses on your UCAS form.  Be open-minded and creative.  If you want to study English Literature, how about including a more media-focussed course as one option?  If you are set on studying Economics, why not spread the net wider and think about Business Studies or Management-orientated degrees?   Could Psychology be an interesting alternative to Biological Sciences?  Think outside the box. 

Next year’s application cycle for 2023 entry may already be in sight but that’s no barrier to finalising an application for this year’s autumn intake.  After all, the only way not to get a place is not to apply…