Advice and Guidance for Higher Education

This website has been written for students at Truro School and their parents, to provide advice and information to assist with applications to universities and other higher education institutions.

 

All students in the Sixth Form will follow a programme of education and guidance that is designed to give them the knowledge and skills to make all the decisions that need to be made, for example:

• Should they apply to higher education?
• What subject or subjects should they apply for and to which universities?
• When should they apply?
• Should they have a ‘gap year’?
• Is an Art Foundation course appropriate?

 

In addition, they will get help with the completion of the UCAS and other application forms, preparation for interviews and the opportunity to visit a range of universities.

 

Students can, of course, always seek advice and guidance from all sorts of people at school, but, in the end, they must make their own decisions. They will spend three or more years studying at university; they must do the research themselves to make sensible and realistic choices.

The background to higher education

The pressure on places at university, especially the most prestigious, is increasing.  This is especially true for some subjects, such as medicine, law and English, for which the numbers applying far exceeds the available places.  We are finding that even the most well qualified applicants are experiencing some difficulty in getting the place they want and it is becoming more important that students make realistic choices and apply early.  Look at the Application Tactics page for more advice.

 

The funding of universities has changed recently and the cost of a university education has risen substantially.  Look at the Finance page for further information.

 

Why go to University?

Most people agree on the benefits of a university education:

• graduates usually have better starting salaries and will, on average, earn more over their working lives than non-graduates
• you will be able to study a subject you enjoy to a much greater depth and with more independence than is possible at school
• you will be able to take advantage of the wide range of activities that are available in universities
• you will meet a large number of other students from a wide variety of backgrounds
• you will become much more independent as you take more and more responsibility for your own work and life.

 

But do think things through with care:

• Many students drop out of university without completing their course, for a variety of reasons.  Some may have chosen the wrong course or subject or university.  Others have not worked hard enough whilst others get into financial difficulties.  Careful planning and preparation whilst in the sixth form can help avoid problems like this.
• Not all graduates will earn high salaries.  Indeed, some graduates will find it hard to find graduate level employment at all.  Having a degree does not guarantee a job; employers will also look very closely at your personal qualities and your employment skills.
• Most graduates will emerge from university substantially in debt – for those with a three year degree, debts of £18000 are becoming common.  You may want to consider this when you are choosing your subject.

 

University is not for everyone.  It is true that most sixth formers from Truro School do go on to higher education but not all do so in the year in which they leave school; many have at least one year ‘off’.  There are real advantages to taking such a ‘gap year’; look at the Gap Year page for more advice on this.  There are other alternatives; some prefer to seek employment or work based training, others look at an art foundation or other vocational course.

 

The Careers Centre has many resources to help you with your decisions, as do websites such as the main UCAS site – www.ucas.com.  There is a page indicating Useful Websites and there are many other links throughout this site.  The Careers section of the school intranet has many useful programs.