University Compare goes mobile

I've just had an email from the people at the University compare website who are soon to launch a mobile version of their website.  the mobile app will allow you to research universities and read student reviews and allow you to check clearing places on results day.

Sheffield tops new Student satisafaction survey

THES has produced its new student satisfaction survey.  details can be found at http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/times-higher-education-student-experience-survey-2014/2013333.article

Complete University Guide

The new 2015 CUG is now available.  In addition to crude league tables, there are university profiles and advice and how to apply.
http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/

applicants for medicine rises again

More and more very able students are failing to get a place on a medical degree as the number of applicants soars.

YEAR	Applications	Acceptances	Ratio
2013	84,395	7,515	11.2
2012	82,489	7,805	10.6
2011	84,598	7,798	10.8
2010	81,422	7,947	10.2
2009	72,431	7,977	9.1
2008	71,330	8,013	8.9

Even if all applicants apply for 4 universities and we can therefore divide the applicants by 4, it can still be seen that most are likely to be unsuccessful.

Open days

It is absolutely vital that students visit a university before making an application.  It is important to know it feels right for you, as statistics can only give you so much information.  The two main periods for open days are June and September/October and students should be visiting during this period. The website http://www.opendays.com/ has lots of help and links to book open days.  Also recently UCAS added an open days section to their website.  whilst it is not easy to find (you have to look via the "How it all works" section) this site also contains information about departmental visit days as well as whole university open days.  the link is http://www.ucas.com/how-it-all-works/explore-your-options/events-and-open-days

Oxbridge Applications

The organisation Oxbridge applications are holding a series of one day events in the early summer to provide guidance for potential applicants.  the programme can be found on http://www.oxbridgeapplications.com/resource/91014ef8984b44879e86042a3584c52d.pdf there is a fee of £140 per students and if interested further details and dates can be found at http://www.oxbridgeapplications.com/ where additional help can be found including a free resources section.

Deloitte school leavers scheme

Details of how to apply for the school leavers scheme can be found at http://mycareer.deloitte.com/uk/en/schools/brightstart/scheme-details

free summer schools examining financial apprenticehips

The training agency Kaplan are offering free 3 day courses for years 11-13 who are considering a career in accountancy or financial services.  They explain what apprenticeships are on offer.
http://kaplanapprenticeships.co.uk/getting-started/summer-schools?utm_source=poster&utm_medium=print&utm_campaign=summer_school

free MOOCs from Future Learn

I have now completed one and started another free MOOC from Future Learn.  Details of courses can be found at https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/upcoming


For any student (no matter how old) this is a great way to learn, however, it strikes me as a great tool for a prospective applicant to university to be able to refer to MOOCs they have studied on in their own time to be able to demonstrate enthusiasm and commitment.

Support for SEN students at University

The SEN magazine provides good advice for students starting at University.
https://www.senmagazine.co.uk/articles/articles/senarticles/succeeding-at-college-and-university-with-sen

UCAS conferences in the Autumn for performance and design subjects

Compose your future
	Manchester Central Convention Complex, 6 October 2014 ExCeL, London, 15 October 2014
	The Compose your future exhibition focuses on performing arts and related subjects and features, live performances from current students, master classes and workshops, alongside the exhibition. This event takes place annually in October.
	Find out more and to register ro attend Design your future   ExCeL, London, 12-13 November 2014 Manchester Central Convention Complex, 24-25 November 2014       The Design your future exhibitions bring together institutions offering creative courses such as art, design, media and architecture. They include subject-specific and advisory workshops in an interactive exhibition environment. This event takes place annually in November and December.         Find out more and register to attend

Information about USA College Day in London

the information below is taken from http://www.fulbright.org.uk/news-events/usa-study-events/usa-college-day


Date: Friday or Saturday, 26-27 September 2014
Venue: Kensington Town Hall (Hornton Street, London, W8 7NX)
Time: Friday 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm or Saturday 10:30 am - 3:30 pm
Cost: Free if you register in advance. £5 if you pay at the door.
Registration: Registration will likely open in August 2014. If you are a student, parent, or UK advisor interested in attending College Day, please complete this registration reminder, and we will email you when attendee registration opens.

Partial debt cancellation for Welsh students

I was at a meeting with Student Finance Wales last night and they said few students from Wales are aware of the ability for partial debt cancellation and also that they don't advertise the fact very strongly. Students should apply for at least £1500 of maintenance loan and wait until that has been paid before making a small repayment.  Details are on the SLC  website.
http://www.studentloanrepayment.co.uk/portal/page?_pageid=93,6886489&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

Make sure you choose a course that you will enjoy

Official figures show that 6.7% of students failed to complete the first year of their degree, however, at 18 universities the figure is at least 1:10. It is estimated that 18.5% will fail to complete their course, after dropping out, transferring to another university or graduating with an alternative qualification. The highest dropout rate was at the University of the West of Scotland, where 19.4 per cent of students failed to complete the first year. In England, the worst was London Met, where 15.5% dropped out, followed by 12.5% at City, 12.4% at London South Bank, 11.9% at Middlesex and 11.7% at Bolton University.

Students show evidence of being more discerning in choice of HEI

The sixth biennial Sodexo-Times Higher Education University Lifestyle Survey has just been published. Amongst its findings are that 27% of students said that their university study would not be worthwhile in the long run, compared to 18% two years ago. In terms of future plans, 23% said future debt had affected their career choice, up from 15% two years ago, when fees were much lower. Other findings were that 24% said that access to wi-fi was their top priority in choosing university run accommodation, compared to 6% who said having a good student bar or café. The proportion of students living at home has remained broadly the same over the last 2 years, up from 18% to 19% but more students are choosing universities within reasonable travel time from the family home. Some 33% said they did not drink at all, compared to 23% two years ago, whilst 40% said they drank just once a week. The percentage of students worrying about their degree classification was 84%, compared to 72% two years ago and only 57% in 2006.

 

Reasons for University Choice	%		% who feel the debt is acceptable
Favourable internet research	55%		Medicine & allied subjects	79%
Friendly atmosphere	51%		Maths/computing & technology	73%
Good impression from open days	50%		Science and engineering	67%
Campus university	38%		Business and management	64%
Attractive environment	38%		Law	64%
Location/transport links	35%		Social sciences	60%
Living away from home but close enough	33%		Humanities and arts	54%
Recommendation from friends/peers	30%		Overall	64%
Advice from parents	26%
Quality of accommodation	24%

Students urged to show restraint in Personal Statements

In advice to applicants who intend to study English, Southampton University has told students to avoid “frantic self-advertisement” and says they are “applying to the English department, not The Apprentice”. Linda Ruth Williams, a professor of film studies at Southampton, said: “Some personal statements suffer from hyperbole, it’s media-fuelled. We want to hear their own voice, not a self-aggrandising voice.” Alan Carlile, head of admissions at Sheffield University, said: “Confidence is great, veering into egotism is not. It is amazing when you read personal statements, which are simply lists of superlative accomplishments, students could not have had the time to accomplish all the stuff they list.” He gave examples of a psychology applicant who wrote: “Thomas Edison made fantastic discoveries, which changed his life and this world for ever, and by reading this personal statement you are doing the same”

Another useful careers resource

In a similar thread to my last post, this magazine was sent to me today.  When I looked at the online resource I found it even more useful.  It can be found at http://movingonmagazine.co.uk/

Excellent careers site and magazine

Thanks to the people at GetSmaart who sent a link to their latest magazine with information on univsersity and careers advice.  The summary of key dates is particularly useful.  The website is http://getsmaart.com/?mag_q=student-guides and the latest magazine can be found on http://www.smaartmags.com/docs/smaartnational.php?utm_source=emailcampaign124&utm_medium=phpList&utm_content=HTMLemail&utm_campaign=Get+Smaart+Careers+Advice+magazine+12.3+January+2014

BMJ careers news for those with interviews soon

The BMJ collates medical news stories on its website which ought to be looked at by students with medical interviews in the near future.

http://careers.bmj.com/careers/advice/article-search.html?action=browseNews

Top 10 questions teachers are asked at job interviews

Very useful reading for anyone thinking about entering education but cn also be applied to certain other occupations. 
http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2014/jan/29/teacher-job-interview-questions-top-ten

free MOOCs including "So you want to be a Vet?"

The website www.coursera.org has hundreds of online courses that may be of interest.  Starting in May the University of edinburgh is runing one for potential vets  from https://www.coursera.org/course/edivet

Graphic showing career paths in Law

lawcareers.net has a nice graphic that illustrates possible career paths in law
http://www.lawcareers.net/Courses/LegalCareerPaths

Which HE course are popular this year

The THES has analysed statistics to compare university admissions from the 1996/7 cohort and the 2011/12. However, in 2002/3 there was a major reclassification exercise which led to reallocating a number of courses and a change in the way joint courses were recorded. The figures look at all full time, part time, undergraduate and post graduate courses.

Over the period the number of students has grown by 42%, media studies has grown by 360%, journalism by over 400%, sports science as a course did not exist in 1996, but since 2002/3 it has grown by 150%, travel, transport and tourism has grown by 300% since 2002/3, politics has grown by 125% since 1996, economics by 75% and psychology by 280%. Business and administrative studies has grown by 64%. However, in science subjects the growth has been much more muted; physics has grown by 26%, biology 22% and chemistry has declined by 1.3%. Engineering has grown by 21% but the majority of this growth is from overseas students. The only STEM subject to buck the trend is mathematics, which has grown by 134%.

Jurgen Enders, professor of higher education at Southampton University, noted that “Low cost/high fee fields can be attractive for universities, think of universities using their business schools as cash cows”. In addition, universities are keen to expand courses that draw in lots of foreign students (who pay much higher fees) with almost two thirds of the increase in business studies coming from overseas students. The UK is unusual in allowing universities to choose what courses to offer to meet market demand, with little central planning.

Graduate pay

A survey of 100 major employers, by High Fliers Research, says there will be a 9% rise in graduate recruitment this year, about 1,400 extra jobs. Many will go to people who have already worked for the company, either on work experience or via a placement. Average starting salaries are £29,000 a year, with investment banks averaging £45,000 and law firms £39,000. The European Commission and the supermarket chain Aldi, both offer rates of about £41,000.

 

Two-thirds of the employers surveyed had paid work-experience programmes, with more than 11,000 paid placements for first and second-year undergraduates. In all, 37% of this year's entry-level positions are going to people who have already worked with the organisations in some capacity. The largest graduate recruiter is the charity Teach First, who have 1,550 vacancies followed by PwC (1,200 vacancies) and Deloitte (1,000 vacancies).

Martin Birchall, managing director of High Fliers Research, said: "This very significant increase in graduate vacancies at Britain's top employers means the job prospects for graduates leaving university this year are the best they've been since the start of the recession seven years ago."

 

Please note that High Flyers only deal with major employers and the vast majority of graduates will not work for them. Nationally, about 1:10 graduates are believed to be out of work six months after leaving university, according to HESA. Among those who graduated in 2012, average wages were £21,000 a year for men and £19,000 for women, around a third of graduates were working in sectors that did not require a degree.

 

Drop out rates

This report summarised below shows a link between poverty and dropping out.  The more a student can convince admissions tutors that they are a serious studnet with less chance of dropping out, then they hve to be in with a better chance of securing offers.

A study, by York St John College, on dropout rates at university, has shown a clear correlation between retention rates and the proportion of students from lower socio economic backgrounds. Les Ebdon, Director of OFFA, said the research “starkly” illustrates the cost of taking too many students from poorer backgrounds because of the “significant loss of money” when a student drops out.  He noted that; “If universities were simply a business they wouldn’t do it”.

 

However, the retention rate varied amongst universities attracting a similar socio economic student base, and similar pre entry qualifications. Tessa Stone, chief executive of the Brightside education charity, said that university location, number of international students, and course quality, all made a difference in retention. In addition, she said the problem could be a vicious circle because when peers see other students dropping out it “reinforces the fact that it’s possible”. Les Ebdon said “Money is clearly quite important. The poorer you are, the less likely you are to stay on the course”. However, he added that, “A sense of belonging is critical to student success. If you feel that you don’t belong either because of class or ethnicity, you’re more likely to drop out”.

thanks to G Collins of ceslondon