UNiFieduniversity: covered

introductionWelcome to UniFied where everything from applying to studying at University is explained in this quick, handy guide.

If University seems like a daunting, unknown place and you are looking for some answers, then we can help!

University is an extraordinary place to learn, socialise and find out just what you want to do in life and you should

start aiming for it now.

As students ourselves, we thought it was important to let you know exactly what to expect. Everything you read has been written by us, final year students, ready to pass our

experience on to you.

So read it, take it in and then go and live it!

Good Luck,

UniFied

contentsApplying

How do I get into uni?

AccommodationWill I have anywhere to live?

Finance£9000 fees?! I can’t afford that!

Lessons Is it just like being at school?

FAQ’s Who, what, when, where, how?! Help!

GlossaryI have no idea what you’re talking about...

Equipment

A Levels or equivalent (e.g Access Courses, International Baccalaureate)Personal StatementProspectuses (they’re free!)A UCAS accountA positive attitude

method

Step 1 - Discover your passion

There are thousands of courses available at hundreds of Universities so find something that sparks your ambition. Don’t limit yourself to the subjects you did at school. If you think it’s worth studying, then somebody else will too. If your passion is unicycling, there’s even a degree in Circus Performance at Bath Spa University, so juggle your options carefully!

Step 2 - Weigh up your options

To find the University for you, visit open days and look through prospectuses.

Open days are a fantastic opportunity to get a flavour of University life. You’ll get to talk to lecturers and students and see where you will be living. It’s a good chance to snoop around to see behind the scenes.

If you can’t make it to all the open days, don’t worry - prospectuses are the next best thing. You can order as many as you like so make sure you keep the postman on his feet!

Check out some league tables and information from comparison websites. Visit www.thestudentroom.co.uk for individual profiles on each University.

Applying

Step 3 - Applying to UCAS

UCAS is the website you will use to apply to University. You have up to 5 options to apply to different courses and Universities.

To register visit www.ucas.co.uk - your school or college will help you with this.

Alongside your application you will submit a personal statement. Here you get to show just how awesome you are and why any University will be lucky to have you. You should write about your passion for your chosen subject and why you’re the best person to study it.

For help on writing a personal statement visit: www.studential.com

Your personal statement will be sent to your chosen Universities and if they feel you are right for the course, you will be given a provisional offer. They will tell you exactly what grades you will need, so that you know what to aim for.

Results

On results day UCAS will tell you if you have been accepted onto your first choice. If you don’t get the grades you need, don’t panic - you’ve still got those 4 other choices. If your grades are lower than expected and you don’t get into any of your choices you will be eligible for a process called clearing, where you can view all open University spaces and apply to the ones that suit your grades. Remember, British Universities are amongst the best in the world, so regardless of where you end up going, you will have an amazing time!

Conclusion

Once you know where you’re going the exciting bit begins! You’ve got a whole new room to decorate and a whole new set of friends to make. Don’t be scared, the next steps seem daunting but everyone’s in the same boat.

Your new flatmates could be any age, doing any course and be from

anywhere in the world but remember they’re all in the same situation as

you. So if you’re feeling a bit homesick or scared, don’t go it alone - the guy in the flat next to you could become your best friend.

Usually bills are included as part of your rent and you are protected by security

24/7 so there are no hidden worries. Some Universities even supply cleaners for

communal areas - just make sure your washing up is done first!

accommodation

In first year you will most likely live in your University’s halls of residence (halls) either on campus or close to Uni. You will have your own room and share a flat with lots of other students. Halls can be self catered or catered, with en-suite or

communal bathrooms - the choice is yours.

Lie-ins

Eat what you want

Meet new people/ Live with your friends

Stay out as late as you want

No pestering family members

Spending money on boring things e.g food and bills

Messy flatmates

Trips to the laundrette - and Dot Cotton won’t be there to help!

Parents aren’t a taxi service anymore

pros

“Watching my Mum leave on the first day of freshers’ week was so much harder than I’d thought. I had been excited to start Uni since results day but sitting alone in my strange new room with its plain walls and safety notices was no where near as much fun as I’d i

magined. By 6pm I decided to venture to the kitchen for supplies and I bumped into my neighbour Becky who was attempting to make a pot noodle with cold water straight from the tap. Once I’d stopped giggling and boiled the kettle, we flicked through the freshers’ guide together and ripped up our brand new sheets for the students’ union toga par-ty that night. Now my walls are covered in pictures of memories that Becky and I have created over the last two years - who would have thought that a pot noodle could bring together two best friends!”

Claire, Law

If you’re watching live TV (on a laptop or otherwise) you must have a TV license even in halls. It’s currently £145.50 per year (ouch!) so if you want to save money, stick to free catch-up TV!

cons

student financial times

No studeNt to pay tuitioN fees uNtil after graduatioN!

Yes, you heard it correctly, you do not have to pay tuition fees until after you graduate. You may hear that Universities are now charging up to £9000 a year in tuition fees but don’t let this put you off. You’ll get a loan to cover them which gets paid straight to the Universiy. You don’t even have to think about paying it back until after you’ve finished and started

earning reasonable money.

Find out more at: www.slc.co.uk

As tuition fees go up to £9,000, what happens to the student experience?

How will £9,000 tuition fees affect students?

Students to face huge debts over £9,000 fees

2 for 1 offerStudent loan available with every tuition fee hand out!

This loan, based on your parent’s earnings, will cover all your living costs - if you need it, this will pay for it. Rent, food, bills are no longer a worry

with this loan paid directly to you 3 times a year!

Get yours now from:Student Finance England: www.gov.uk/studentfinanceStudent Finance Wales: www.studentfinancewales.co.ukStudent Awards Agency for Scotland: www.saas.gov.uk

Student Finance Northern Ireland: www.studentfinanceni.co.uk

special offer - studeNt graNt

Depending on how much money your parents earn you may also be eligible for a grant. This is free money that you don’t have to pay back, ever, not even after graduating, not ever!

This helps towards living costs and paying for Uni equip-ment, but is also there to cover some luxuries such as, hoodies, platefuls of cheesy chips and posters of ‘cool’ peo-ple you’ve never heard of...

Find out if you’re eligible from your local student finance website.

All of this money sounds exciting and might make you feel a bit giddy but remind yourself that some of it needs to be spent on boring things like:

limited editioN - Bursaries

Any student who receives a full grant is also eligible for a bursary from their University. This is more free money and some Universities can pay up to £1000!

RentBillsFood

InsuranceTravel (Cars and Buses)

Course Equipment

Oops we almost forgot…The easiest way to save money as a student are student discount cards. Get yours at:

www.nus.org.uk and start spending!

*Nothing up front, and nothing to repay until you have a job*

LessonsToday we have met up with two third year students from Bath

Spa University in their Students Union. They are going to be telling us a little bit more about happens on their courses.

Hi guys. Thanks for joining me today. Firstly, how did you decide which courses you wanted to study at University?

Emily: Hello! Well, I’ve always loved fashion and being creative but never thought I’d be able to do it at Uni. I was looking through a prospectus for some ideas and was surprised to find a course in textiles which seemed like the perfect choice.

Matt: It took me a while to decide. I went to a few open days and liked the look of the History degree here, plus the module on Medieval Britain looked really exciting!

Emily, it was fantastic that you were able to find something to suit your passion. Matt could you explain to us what a module is?

Matt: Modules are smaller topics within your chosen course. For example, I’m really interested in Medieval Britain but don’t enjoy studying the World Wars. I was able to choose the modules that interested me and leave the ones that didn’t. Most of my modules are optional but I did still have to take one compulsory module a year.

Can you tell me what goes on in your lessons?

Emily: Well we don’t really have lessons like at school; we have lectures, seminars and workshops instead. Lectures are held in big groups (usually everyone on your module will be there) in a large classroom or lecture theatre. In a lecture the tutor (teacher) will give a presentation to introduce a topic. It’s your job as a student to sit, listen, take notes and try not to fall asleep! Some lectures you will remember for the rest of your life, but some you may forget by the next day.

Matt: Lectures are a great way to learn from the experts but I also like seminars. These are more like classes in school but they’re more relaxed and you have the chance to discuss the topic with the tutor and other students. I like them because you can ask questions about things you may not have understood in the lecture.

What was yourfavouirte lecture?

“My favourite lecture was in 1st year. We were

learning about the rhythm of poetry and the tutor got the entire year to march to the metre. I’ll never forget that poem

or how to mark out metre ever again!”

Nick, English Literature

“Once I was chosen to be hooked up to a machine to measure my brain waves

called an ‘electroencephalgram’(EEG).

I got to see how my brain waves changed when my eyes were open and when my eyes were closed - it

was so cool!”Liz, Biology

“It has to be when we all walked in and all the tutors were in full Sikh

dress. They performed a full Sikh wedding and we

just all sat there mesmorised. At the end we even got to throw rice

over them!Sophie, Religious Studies

“When we learnt about a man who lost all ability to recognise his family and friends faces but had an

almost perfect memory of the faces of his sheep! It was so unbelievable I still can’t stop telling people

about it!”Tom, Psychology

Emily: I don’t really have many seminars. Instead, I have a lot of workshops where I am free to get on with what I really enjoy - designing and making clothes. There are still tutors around in case you need help but they pretty much let you get on with what you want to do.

So, is it true that students spend most of their time sitting exams?

Matt: Definitely not! I normally do one or two exams at the end of each year but assessments are really varied. Sometimes I may have to do an essay, sometimes a presentation and once I even ran my own seminar. The great thing is you find out how each module will be assessed before you pick it so if you prefer exams, you can pick a module with exams, if you like group work pick a module with presentations. Emily: I don’t have any exams on my course as most of my assessment is practical work which I really enjoy.

What would you say is the biggest change between school and university?

Matt: For me it’s definitely the tutors. Each tutor is a specialist in their field and it’s amazing going into a lecture and learning from them. Also no one is a Miss or a Mr at Uni, we use tutors first names because just like us they’re still learning, researching and writing about their subject.

Emily: I love that it’s up to me to choose what I want to work on and that I am encouraged to think for myself. Rather than a teacher telling me what I can and can-not do, I am able to follow what I love, within reason. Being at University is all about learning but having fun while doing it, it’s incredible.

Thanks guys, I’m sure our readers will find this really helpful. Is there any other advice you’d like to give us?

Emily: Don’t pick modules because of timetabling - if you want to do a certain topic, don’t let a 9 o’clock start put you off. Also, turning up for seminars and lectures does actually make a difference if only because the lecturers are more willing to help you around exam time if you’ve shown up throughout the year.

Matt: In your first year take advantage of everything. University is the perfect time to meet so many interesting people from so many walks of life. Don’t be selective with who you talk to, get out there and start making friends with everyone. By the time you get to third year, people you chatted to in freshers’ week will have become some of your closest friends. Graduating with them will be a fantastic celebration of all your achievements throughout your education. That moment alone will be worth all the long hours spent together in the library.

*Some Universities only use exams for assessments so double check when you’re applying!*

FAQ sI’m scared I won’t make any friends at University

At the beginning of Uni everyone is really nervous and no one quite knows

how to introduce themselves to others. The first week before term

starts is called freshers’ week and this is when you’ll make a lot of

friends. Run by the Students’ Union, there will be themed events held at the SU bar in the nights as well as activities and fairs running the entire week. This is a great

opportunity to say hi to everyone as the whole

year will be there – plus the alcohol helps to get

rid of any nerves!

What is a Students’ Union?

The Students’ Union is often in its own building on

campus dedicated to organising social activities, representing students and giving academic support.

The union is run by current and past students who are

elected to do so by other students. They run the union throughout the year and are in charge of

freshers’ week.

Will I spend all my time in the library?

Of course not. The library is a great place to work when you want some peace and quiet but no one’s

expecting you to spend all your free time in there. It

is really important at University to make sure you

engage in activities other than work. There will always be something going on at Campus so go and

have some lunch in the SU or dress up in a silly costume and do some

fundraising. What if I can’t cook?

During the first year of University hardly anyone knows how to cook like their Mum, but that’s all part of the fun! Going for your first big shop and

having the freedom to buy whatever you want is

suprisingly exciting. There are hundreds of student

cookbooks available and if you really don’t think you can manage even beans on

toast, catered accommodation is available.

*Our recommendation:The Essential Student Cook-book: 400 Foolproof Recipes

to Leave Home with by Cas Clarke*

How often can I go home?

University holidays are just like school holidays so you’ll have time to go

home and see your family every 2 months or so. However if you’re feeling a bit home sick or

if there’s a special occassion you can

always pop back for a long weekend.

What if I don’t want to move away from home?

You don’t have to move away from home - the

perfect course may be at the University in your town or city. Of course moving

away is a great experience and teaches you

a lot about independence but if you

want to commute you’ll still make plenty of friends and

you’ll have the same opportunities as people

living in halls. Don’t feel like you’re the odd one out, a lot of people travel to University every day from

surrounding areas.

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Are there any clubs or extra curricular activities I can join in with?

Yes! At University they are called Societies. These are clubs you can join with like minded students who may not be on your course. They are a great way to meet people who have the same interests as you and so you’re bound to find

someone you have something in common with.

Societies are also a great way to try out new interests and you can find a society in almost anything. If you don’t believe us – check out some of these

unusual societies:

KiguSoc @ University of York

Kigus are the onesies that look like children’s animal costumes. They were so popular in 2012 that a

student at the University of York started this club. Their mission statement says: “We believe there is no occasion or activity that is not improved by a Kigu”

– and who could argue with that?!

The Curry Society @ Leicester University

Leicester has a great reputation for being a brilliant place to grab a curry, so it's fitting that their

University should have a curry society! The society is planning to hold a ‘curry crawl’ in 2013. We reckon this one might be only for those with iron stomachs!

The Quidditch Society @ Nottingham University

Otherwise known as the ‘people with a little too much time on their hands running around a field with a stick between their legs’ society. They

have games every Wednesday evening and socials in the pub every Friday - who says you have to

grow up when you go to University!

GlossaryClearing The process you will go through if you do not get on to

any of your choices on results day

Freshers First year students in their first few weeks at University

Freshers’ Week Your first week at University. It’s packed with events and entertainment designed to help students settle in, make friends and to tell them everything they need to know about how the University and Students’ Union works

Halls Student accommodation - where you’ll probably be living in your first year

Lecture One of the main teaching methods at University. They tend to be larger than a regular school class and less interactive

Module A sort of pick’n’mix of courses within your subject of choice

NUS The ‘National Union of Students’ - they provide support to the SUs which are affiliated. NUS also campaigns and represents students

This is just a quick reminder of all the terms associated with Uni that you may not have heard of in school

Personal Statement A piece of writing all about you, that you have to include in your UCAS application form. Universities will look at this, along with your grades, to assess whether they will offer you a place

Seminar A teaching class, more like being at school with anything between half a dozen to about 30 students, overseen by a tutor

Societies These are student clubs which range from sporting teams to cultural groups to seriously silly societies!

Students’ Union (SU) Almost all universities have a students’ union which is run by students. As a rule, an SU is usually a representative group run by students for students or the building where such services are housed

Tuition Fees How much it costs to study at University. This is set by the Government and is paid directly to the University through either the Student Loans company or yourself

Tutor Like a teacher but is an academic member of staff who oversees or supervises the work of students

UCAS The ‘Universities & Colleges Admissions Service’. This is the website you will use to apply to University

Undergraduate The term given to students who have not yet completed their first degree

With thanks to:

Staff and pupils of Pontypridd High SchoolStudents of Bath Spa University

UNiFied