What’s this all About?
Higher Education is a popular destination for young people in Medway with many 18/19 year olds choosing this option to continue their education. It may be the right choice for you too. Every year about 250,000 students in the UK leave schools and colleges to start on degree courses. However, about 40,000 of them drop out before gaining a degree and this is mostly because they choose the wrong course. This is hardly surprising in view of the fact that there are over 750 degree subjects and over 70,000 course combinations - from Accountancy to Zoology, from Media Studies to Sports Journalism. It is also possible to combine subjects either equally or by “majoring” in one subject with a “minor” in another (sometimes this actually can involve more than two subjects).
Entry requirements vary between institutions and even within them depending on the subject to be studied. It is therefore important that you check carefully and be realistic about the grades you expect, to make sure that you have a reasonable chance of being offered a place.
When choosing your path through higher education there is plenty of help at hand. Staff at your school or college can give advice and your Medway Youth Trust Connexions Personal Adviser is also ready to talk to you about your plans.
Use the page links below to see a brief summary of your different options.
What are the different qualifications?
Choosing the Subject
Choosing an Institution
Entry Requirements
Where Can I Get Help?
What are the different Qualifications?
This section sets out basic information about Degrees, Higher National Diplomas (HND) and Foundation Degrees.
A Degree course:
- Usually for three years
- Can be four years if a year in industry or a year abroad is part of the course
- Can be four years if there is a “foundation year”, particularly in science and technology subjects if your qualifications do not allow you to start the degree course immediately
- Can be longer in specific subjects (such as medicine)
An HND (Higher National Diploma) course:
- usually for two years
- can be longer if they include an industrial or commercial placement
- is “vocational” and usually relates to specific career areas
- successful HND students can sometimes later transfer to degree courses
A Foundation Degree:
- similar to an HND in that it is more vocational in approach
- usually takes two years
- has far more of a work experience (usually paid) element
- should NOT to be confused with a “foundation year” in other degrees
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Choosing the subject
Many Higher Education courses are aimed at producing graduates for specific careers, such as HNDs that are more related to a vocational area and sometimes lead to professional qualifications. However, a high proportion (about 50%) of employment vacancies for graduates do not depend on the subject at all, but on the fact that the applicant HAS a degree. It shows employers you have acquired particular skills such as analysis, presentation, co-operation in a team etc. – which are highly valued in both industry and commerce. The majority of graduates do not directly use the subject knowledge gained on their degree course five years after graduating.
When choosing a course, you will need to consider some key questions:
- The course must be interesting and stimulating for you. If you lack interest in it, you are likely to lose motivation and become less likely to succeed.
- Do you want to choose a “new” subject (eg. Social Administration) or one which builds on your previous learning and knowledge (eg. French or Chemistry)
- Do you want to specialise in one subject, combine more than one (not necessarily related) to study two subjects 50/50 or major/minor combinations, or even choose a modular course?
- Are you really clear about what you are applying for? Do not just make assumptions based on the course title and content – Geography at “X” university can be totally different to studying at “Y” university. Make sure you check the course content in detail.
- Which teaching methods best suit you? Do you prefer theoretical or practical? Individual or team approach? Modular exams, end of year exams or continuous assessment? What you prefer will be unique to you.
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Choosing an institution
Higher Education institutions are not “good” or “bad”. Some of course do have different reputations but these are not always accurate! Comparisons between them are difficult in that Departments differ within an institution, staff may leave, research priorities may change etc. More importantly, what is good for you may not be good for another student. You should think about what you personally are looking for. To help, you will want to think about:
- The size of the institution
- Is it a “collegiate” institution?
- Is it campus-based or split over a wide area
- Is it located in city, in suburbs or countryside
- What is the availability of sports, leisure and cultural activities
- What is the accommodation like – availability, type, cost?
We have a very simple message for you. VISITS TO UNIVERSITIES ARE INVALUABLE BEFORE YOU APPLY! Make sure you take the opportunity to look round the department and the general area and try to talk with current students and tutors.
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Entry Requirements
In theory, the minimum requirement for a degree course is two A levels (or equivalent qualifications) and one A level for an HND. However,
- Entry requirements are generally more than the minimum
- Popular courses attract more students so the entry level will be higher (higher requirements are more a function of the popularity rather than the difficulty of a course)
- Some degrees and HNDs depend on prior knowledge, so a pass at a certain grade may be required in a specific subject
- Some universities have additional requirements at GCSE level (particularly in English, Maths and Sciences – depending on the course)
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Where can I get help?
Obviously there is help at hand in the form of resources in your school careers/Connexions library, and you can contact your Medway Youth Trust Connexions Personal Adviser too. You can take advice from Tutors on the application process and specialist financial advice, but there is also a lot you can do for yourself to smooth the transition to Higher education.
A good starting point for your research is www.ucas.com, especially if you already know what you want to study. The site does also include the “Stanford Test” – a short questionnaire to help you decide on your subject area. The website has a course search (a single subject or combined with a second), links to university websites, details of grade and subject requirements. After you make an application, you will be given your own password so you can track your offers.
If you are not sure of what subject to study, you might also find www.ukcoursefinder.co.uk useful. It also has a questionnaire available to help you make your subject choice. It only takes about 15 minutes to complete.
There are many help books and guides that have been published which young people have found helpful. We are not able to print an exhaustive list on our site but have set out just a few below. Let us know what you think of these and if you find an other which helps you, please let us know about it.
Degree Course Offers:
Many people see this as the definitive guide to grades required by different universities. The book is arranged by degree subject and lists universities according to the highest requirements down to the lowest. This can be particularly useful if you know the approximate “range” of tariff points you expect. The book contains a lot of additional information though such as which places accept General Studies, which places/courses encourage a Gap Year (and which don’t), which are the toughest to get into (ie; the most applications), what might you be asked at interview for a particular subject, what work experience would be useful, what they would like you to include in your personal statement, and why are students rejected. There is also some very good information at the beginning of the book too, with sections on “why go to university,” budgeting, surviving life as a student etc.
The Push Guide to University:This book covers what the universities are actually like – facilities, surrounding area, clubs and societies available, accommodation and average cost, male/female ratio, number of mature students, number of foreign students, and even the average cost of a pint! Similar publications include The Student Book and the Virgin Guide to University.
From Learning to Earning:This book help signpost which degree subjects lead to which type of career. It also explores the difference an institution at which you study makes to future career prospects? Some of this information can also be found in “What Do Graduates Do?”
The BIG UCAS Guide:This contains all the courses available at universities and the entry requirements. The publisher produces regular updates. It is also a useful way for you to see the combination of subjects available (for example, the Psychology section has both ‘Psychology and…’ and ‘Psychology with…’ as well as topics such as Behavioural Science and Applied Psychology etc)
The UCAS Directory:This book contains all the information you will need to complete your UCAS form. Your course choices must be entered on the Form in the order they appear in this directory. Any “additional information” needed on the Form will be indicated (eg. Campus Codes). This Directory is increasingly available on CD. If you are applying to university, you should be supplied with your own copy, either on CD or in book form.
The Times Good University Guide:This guide uses a league tabke format. It starts with the most recent “overall” league table, followed by subject tables. It will be tempting as you consider your options to ask the question…”where is the best place to go for a particular subject?” Many prospective university students do ask just this. However, always remember that league tables are someone else’s idea of what makes a “good” university. There are similar “online” league tables, according to subject, on www.educationguardian.co.uk and then hit “interactive guides”
