Choosing a University

University Open Days can be overwhelming, exciting, scary, surreal… and that was when they were in person. With University Open Days moving online, it has never been more challenging to choose the correct University and course. I remember finding it hard to know exactly what I was looking for in a University and actually how to understand the differences between courses that are available. So, here are some tips, based on my personal experience both as a student and then also as a teacher, in terms of what you should be looking for and how you can navigate the realm of University-searching.

Firstly, take a step back from all the options and courses and think about yourself.

What do you personally want from University life? What do you envision doing with your course after University? What do you want your daily life to look like in University? Do you want to be somewhere smaller where you can easily get to lectures and to friends or would you rather be in the buzz of a city? Do you want to have mainly one site (the campus Universities like Exeter or Loughborough), or do you like the ideal of travelling on a bus to get to lectures and to get to town? There is no right or wrong answer in these questions… but it’s important to sit down and think for yourself about what you would want to do on a daily basis and what you’re looking for. Maybe there are some Sports or Activities that you are desperate to take up or to keep doing. Sit down and map out what you are looking for from the next three to four years of your life.

Once you have done this thinking and personal reflection, then start the process of looking. It will be so much easier to visit Universities, albeit virtually, if you have already decided what you want from your University experience. The next crucial step is to compare courses at different Universities. Google is your friend here – look into what you would be studying in each year of the course. It is important to consider this because there will likely be modules and areas of your chosen course which you are less interested in. Keep a document or spreadsheet of these differences so you can keep track of your research, as the faculty websites can be quite confusing. This can also be quite overwhelming, so please do not hesitate to get in touch as we have expert tutors who are also University students and can provide a helping hand in understanding the process.

Over the next few months, it is important to be asking for the advice of older siblings, friends, and teachers. Many Universities are offering the opportunity to listen to a virtual interview with a current student, which is a brilliant chance to find out about what University life is like first-hand. Bear in mind however that every student’s experience is subjective and personal, so you may not feel the same way or enjoy the same University. This is again why it’s important to consider for yourself what you want from University and what you envision as important in the course and University life.

Many open days were in late June and early July but there will be more over the Summer and in September. Use this Open Days calendar to search and find out when University open days are on. You can also use the UCAS open day search tool, as well as their guidance on open days themselves. If you are undecided between two courses, see if there are any taster courses running over the Summer. Alternatively, get in touch with Compass Tutors and we could arrange two sessions in the subjects you’re undecided about to give you a flavour of the course at University.

Remember through it all that you will be given lots of different opinions about what you should study and where you should go. Keep coming back to what you want as it is your experience and you only get to do it once!