With their examinations now out of the way, and the UCAS predicted grades published, members of the Lower Sixth are starting to narrow down their options for what they are going to do once they leave Downside. To this end, they attended a series of workshop to explore the possibilities available to them after school, and to outline the application process for UCAS.
The first session of the day, delivered by Head of Sixth Form, Mr Rawlins, focussed on applications to UK universities through UCAS. In this session, Mr Rawlins explained the importance of continued, thorough research, particularly in light of the UCAS Exhibition which took place earlier in the term. Pupils will use Unifrog as one of their main research resources, as this platform not only offers extensive information on applying to UK universities, but it also covers international possibilities. Pupils will also use Unifrog to prepare their personal statement for UCAS.
The UCAS personal statement is, without a doubt, the most time-consuming part of the application itself, and one that needs care and time taken over it. We were delighted, therefore, to welcome back to Downside Steven Lawrence, Head of UK Undergraduate Recruitment at Bath University, who gave an excellent presentation on how to prepare an effective personal statement, pitfalls to avoid and, crucially, what universities like (and do not like) to see in a the statement.
Later in the morning, Richard Judd from The University Guys, probably the UK’s leading advisers on applying to study abroad, talked to the pupils about study options outside of the UK, debunking in particular myths about what are often believed to be prohibitive costs of this option. His presentation had a particular focus on studying in the USA and Canada, as these are probably the most popular options, after the UK, for Downside pupils. He did also, however, cover offerings in Europe and Australasia. The take-home message from this workshop was the huge variety of courses available worldwide, all of which differ in style and ethos and are often significantly different from the offerings of UK universities; in short, there is something out there for almost everyone.
University, as we all know, is not for everyone; some pupils like the idea of going directly into the world of work after leaving school, but may be put off this by the idea of not actually being able to gain a degree. There is, of course, an excellent option which covers both of these issues, namely apprenticeships and especially the degree apprenticeship route. We were very pleased, therefore, to welcome Nikki Blackwell from SkillUpSomerset back to Downside, along with Anna Gates, an Apprentice Ambassador who is currently in the third year of her degree with Exeter University, but employed by EDF on their apprenticeship scheme. One obvious advantage of the degree apprenticeship is that students are salaried throughout their apprenticeship and will complete the course with a full degree at either Bachelor’s or Master’s level, often a professional qualification and, perhaps most attractively, no student debt, as all tuition fees are paid by the sponsoring company. Both Nikki and Anna did much to help pupils understand what modern apprenticeships look like, and they are far-removed from the image many of us have engrained in our minds of the office gopher employed through the YTS (for those of us old enough to remember that!).
The Higher Education day was packed with information for the Lower Sixth, perhaps at the risk of information-overload, but it was hugely useful, and we are immensely grateful to our visiting speakers, all of whom would welcome further enquiries from our pupils.