Choosing A Course
There are many factors to consider when choosing what to study, but what do you choose first? The course or the university/college? Unless you have reasons for wanting to study at a particular institution it’s probably best to start your research with the type of course first.
Here are some things to consider:
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You can apply for up to 5 courses and you can apply for more than one at the same university or college (you can only apply for 4 courses if it’s medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine).
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If you want to study a specialist music, drama, dance or stage production course you can apply for up to 6 courses through UCAS Conservatoires. Most music courses have an October deadline and others are January. You can apply for other undergraduate performing arts courses through the main UCAS Apply system as well so you could potentially apply for up to 11 courses but you would have to pay twice for two separate registrations.
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If you are offered places on more than 2 courses bear in mind you can only choose one as your firm (first) choice and one as an insurance (back up) choice.
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Make sure you know what the entry requirements for each course are. Some institutions require a certain amount of UCAS tariff points which are attached to grades achieved and others will just ask for specific grades.
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It’s sensible to choose courses that are in line with predicted grades but you may want to apply for a course which is asking for higher grades than you are predicted as it’s possible they may still offer you a place. Make sure you choose at least one course that is slightly lower than your predicted grades so that you have a backup (insurance) choice if needed.
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If you have a particular career in mind you may want to choose a vocational course that is relevant to your goals such as teaching or nursing. If you want to work as a professional in a particular industry you should look for courses that are validated by a professional body e.g. the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) validates 49 UK courses.
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If you don’t have a career in mind choose a course you are really interested in and don’t worry that it won’t qualify you to do a particular job as over 60% of graduate level jobs are open to graduates with any degree subject.