Doing your Research
UCAS Conventions
The College organises an annual trip to a UCAS exhibition which gives students the chance to gather information from a huge variety of higher education providers. There are lots of these held all over the country so if you didn’t get to go on the College trip you can register to attend as an individual at other events.
Open Days
The best way to ensure you choose the right course and place to study is to go to a few open days. Going to open days will help you with writing your personal statement as you will have a good insight into what the course is about. The peak times for open days are June/July then September/October. You usually need to book to go on an open day. These are two good websites which provide listings www.opendays.com and www.prospects.ac.uk/postgraduate-study/study-abroad
University Websites
Looking at university course information provides you with details about what you will be studying each year with a breakdown of compulsory and additional module choices.
League Tables
There are three main league tables published each year which give institutions an overall ranking as well as by subject area.
The Times Good University Guide (you need to pay a subscription to have full access)
The order of ranking may differ slightly between league tables depending on the criteria used to measure them. Using league tables can be a good starting point but should be used in conjunction with other forms of research.
Unistats
This is the official website for comparing UK higher education course data. It includes official data for undergraduate courses on each university and college's satisfaction scores in the National Student Survey, jobs and salaries after study and other key information for prospective students.
Course Search Websites
There are a number of sites which are a useful starting point from which to make a shortlist.
www.ucas.com – comprehensive course search with filters for preferences.
www.sacu-student.com - complete the student quiz to help you choose a course and create your own career and course clouds
www.university.which.co.uk – good site for general advice, course search facility by UCAS points and links to all three league tables under degree subject guides.
www.whatuni.com – includes student reviews.
www.prospects.ac.uk – this is the official graduate website and can be used to help students decide what course to study in relation to future careers. Under the heading of Careers Advice, you can select What Can I Do with My Degree?
Books
Updated and revised each year, there are a number of books which provide a useful guide including: Heap: University Degree Course Offers; The Times Good University Guide.
Study Abroad
If you are thinking about studying for a degree in another country there are various specialist websites depending on each country you are applying to. It is possible to study a degree taught in English where English is not the first language in a variety of countries, especially in Europe and tuition fees can be cheaper or even free. A good starting point to research this option is www.prospects.ac.uk/postgraduate-study/study-abroad