University - we don't know where to start!

[Unicycle82]

My ds is nearly 17 and in his first year of A levels.
He would really like to go to university and we would like to support him. We are very proud, neither myself or my dh went to university and we literally have no idea where to start.

They did go to a UCAS event from college but they only had an hour there and ds said it was packed and just came back with some brochures.

Does anyone have any tips when looking for a university. Did you shortlist 2 or 3 and then travel to see them?

How do you know which universities are best for certain subjects? Or which would suit your child better?

Thanks so much in advance ☺️

Yes Edge Hill is an unusual one. Not an ex-poly, not RG, not plate glass, but newish. They were some other kind of college and then moved out of Liverpool and at some point became a full Uni. Are the grades they want about right?

You want to include a couple of applications that are "aspirational" (wanting better grades than your sin is predicted), one that's "safe" (slightly lower grades than he's expecting) and the rest more or less in line with what he's expecting. By the time he has to narrow it down, he will have a better idea how his grades are looking.

That's very helpful and good advice, thank you.

Just start off by going to the first open day that close to you even if he's no intention of going there. They have all kinds of "talks" about funding, accommodation, and usually short tours of the campus. You have to start somewhere!

They usually have stalls where you can talk to staff/students, pick up brochures/leaflets, do tours of laboratories, gyms, theatres, etc - just whatever floats his boat really. Each department will also have subject talks which give an overview of the courses they offer, structure (i.e. module patterns), etc etc.

Our son was the same and he found it a brilliant way of "immersion" in the experience, and a good starting point to answer some of the questions, etc. It meant he could make informed choices about which other Uni open days he wanted to go to and then, as some "talks" have the same content whichever Uni, you don't need to do the "funding" talk again etc.

Once you've done a few open days, you can then start drilling deep into the brochures and websites to get to the detail of the Uni, facilities, courses, etc.

I used to be a lecturer at Edge Hill but they've slowly been decimating the courses (mainly Arts/Humanities in favour of STEM) so I lost my job along with dozens of others.

I don't know anything about the Plant Sciences course (to be honest I didn't know they had one!) but, with your sons predicted grades, I think Edge Hill might be a good option.

The campus is stunning and the accomodation fantastic. You get the uni experience but in a very safe environment. I loved London as a teenager and couldn't wait to get down there for years on end so by the time I moved there to study I was overjoyed and very excited. I was very surprised to absolutely hate it, feel unsafe, struggle to make friends (people seemed so cold and distant compared to my hometown) and find it very expensive - it is financially crippling to study in London unless you have family already living there. I know I would have been much happier at Edge Hill. We didn't have many problems with homesickness, compared to other universities I worked at. The students are a really nice bunch, it's not at all "edgy" or "rough". It is rural, in a small pretty country town called Ormskirk.

That being said, if he wants a bit of city life then Liverpool is 20 mins by train and Manchester not too far either. There are also cities and towns like Preston, St Helens, Warrington, Chorley, Wigan that aren't too far so it's not cut off at all.

The management is very keen on the "student experience" being at the forefront. There are lots of initiatives to keep students happy...there seemed to be a major event most weeks. Christmas Fair, Therapy Dogs, "Feelgood February" etc. There are excellent gym, sports, swimming facilities, the library is fantastic, there's a theatre which (as well as student shows) has visits from well known comedians, free cinema etc. Students can study a language for free too and the student societies are excellent and varied. Dining is fab. Gahhhh I really miss working there!

There are videos on Youtube by students on living at Edge Hill, check them out and visit too.

Do ask though about recruitment...if there's 10 students or less each year it's likely the course will be phased out.

I'm really sorry what happened to you.

I've just washed the video and I think it would suit my son so well I think. I really like the look of the campus. The accommodation costs are affordable too compared to other universities.

Can I ask. Do universities but any thought about who they put in together? Like their interests, whether they drink or not etc..or is it potluck?

I can't answer for all universities but if you mean in terms of accomodation, yes Edge Hill asks about whether students would prefer to be housed with non drinkers. Interests don't tend to come into it. I've never actually come across students from the same course for example who were put in halls together. After 1st year, students tend to rent privately with friends that they've made.

I've found that in the universities I've worked in, if there are housing problems they get rectified quickly via SU or Student Life services. I've had lots of students unhappy with who they lived with get moved in anything from a week to three weeks.

Some universities offer quiet accommodation, although I think looking at some reviews some students find them too quiet

Presumably he's looked at things like https://www.fragrancefoundation.org.uk/working-in-the-industry

https://boisdejasmin.com/2014/02/career-in-fragrance-where-to-start.html

https://www.perfumeartschool-uk.com/employability--careers.html#/

https://www.quora.com/What-qualifications-do-I-need-to-work-in-the-perfume-industry

Be wary of anyone trying to sell you a course but look at suggestions for places that might offer work experience.

He will benefit from working hard now at his A levels. If his nose is not good enough he'd have other options for working in the industry.

He might want to consider this as his aspirational option https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/university-of-reading-r12/courses/chemistry-with-cosmetic-science-with-a-year-in-industry-bsc-hons-2024-a77002659d9e

A year in industry can be really helpful in getting a job later. There are straight Cosmetic Science courses he may want to investigate.

Can he find companies / people doing what he wants to do and ask them about their career route and education. Eg beauty/!pharma companies? Best to get info from the horse's mouth! If he approaches in the right way he may also get info about internships etc that will help him secure a job post uni.

https://www.theuniguide.co.uk/subjects/plant-science

If he can get his grades up the I would advise applying for Bristol, Nottingham or Edinburgh. His grades look good for Aberystwyth too.

@3WildOnes Those top 3 are not really attainable though in this case are they? Bristol wants AAA! Let’s be realistic here.

Ds likes the look at the Plant Science Degree at Eden Project and we've just been looking at Kew Gardens too.

@Unicycle82 Realistically, with his grades, he won’t have a massive choice. So don’t waste lots of time and money looking at unis he might not get into. It’s all about choosing roughly the right level of entry standards for the course. If AAA is not likely, don’t go and look around those unis that want it. It’s pretty pointless. Start looking at league tables and then look at who wants BBB if that’s what he might stretch to. Look at what jobs graduates get. Do any match what he wants? Contact perfumiers. What profile do they want? How much perfume is made here? What jobs are there and how do people get them?

@Unicycle82 Are those apprenticeships? Could be worth a look.

No, the Eden Project one is a degree over 3 years. It requires 82 Ucas points.

I'd say most students can improve a grade or 2 from their first year to final grade.

Do Reading still do plant sciences/botany? That might be an option. Also have a look at what the RHS offer through wisley

I used to be a University housing officer at a Russell Group University, my specialism was looking after all students with declared disabilities but I also had input in to allocating self catering and catered accommodation. When looking at who went in to what flat I just didn’t mix people that had long-standing issues between their countries.

I had enough and moved and got a post as an admissions officer which was a much nicer environment to work in. You learned too much about the dark underbelly on campus as a housing officer.

Some Universities make contextual offers. We used to use first in family but this is a few years ago. I know the University DH works in currently uses postcodes. We live in a really deprived ex mining area. We do however live in the ‘nice road ‘ and ‘ooh you live there’ place. So if DS had applied to DH University we think he would automatically have been placed in the contextual offer pile.

I'd say most students can improve a grade or 2 from their first year to final grade

Offers are made on predicted grades.

His offers won't take a potential massive grade improvement into account.

If he's getting Cs and Bs in Lower 6th offers will be made based on the assumption he will get those grades as his final result.

It's vanishingly unlikely that an institution that's entry requirements are AAA will make an offer to a student who is predicted BBB. The likliehood is he won't even be invited to interview, sorry. They need a broadly similar level of academic ability in the cohort.

If he somehow miraculously got AAA on results day and his heart was set on say, Bristol, his best bet would be to take a year out and apply with his AAA already in place.

Also an offer is just that, an offer not a place. Unless, and these are quite rare, he got an unconditional offer.

Otherwise he'd have to at least come close to the grades the offer is based on.

If his offer is BBB and he gets CCC, chances are he will lose his place at his Firm.

If he gets BBC they might still take him, a chat would most likely be involved.

It's wise to make sure the Insurance offer is lower.

Firm should be based on the most realistic best possible outcome.

Insurance based on a worse than expected outcome.

Odd last message. None of these courses will be running interviews. Don't confuse the OP (op- very few courses interview, largely just Oxbridge, imperial and healthcare. Some exceptions, but biology degrees at the unis your son will be looking at won't)

Warwick is a bit of both, but students often live in Coventry and commute to Warwick (not that far).

Warwick is a full campus university in Coventry (not Warwick)

I'm a lecturer (course leader currently), I'm not confusing the OP. We interview all of our applicants with the right predicted grades (and some without for widening participation) to make sure we're a good fit for each other, then offers are made based on the Applicant Days.

It's been the same in every university I've worked in, 20 year career.

That's not normal these days. Our son got five offers after no interviews at all. These included Durham, Leeds and Warwick. In fact, of all the Open Days we went to, on the "application process" talks, none said anything about interviews - the presentation slide timeline went straight from UCAS application to offers.

That's your son's experience.

Interviews may not be required for every institution or course but that doesn't mean they aren't an entirely normal and routine part of the application process at many universities.

My friends daughter has just had to attend two interviews. One for Cambridge and one for Cardiff. She may have said online interview but not sure.