Courses Extra

COURSES EXTRA University and College applications

2008

How UCAS Extra can come to your aid ‘X’ marks the courses at university and college on the UCAS website that you can apply to now for 2008 How to apply  College life  Institution profiles  Apprenticeships  Gap Years  Study abroad

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St. George’s University’s globally focused curriculum, extensive clinicals, worldwide network of doctors and one-on-one support offers you a medical education unlike any other.

ORSO. ST T AIN

PUT YO U RS

©2008 St. George’s University

TO WORK AG RTS MA

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tinue you con e the . Should you tak s, s in life ? Should? Decision ck, ba ssroad dying job at a cro tinue stu you get a d panic, sitoptions con r an ts you uld ool pu should you r off? Sho the sand tlining you g sch in Leavin ng? Where ving a yeayour head strain by ou ha ry dyi of bu take the y stu e you rtunit oppo s. Befor rses Extra ion decis and let Cou relax,

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46. can to go page urs’ choose are the hono icle from ver, se the art ers, howe te. The o know is rou n – it Oth cific there, wh education decisio o end up t ir y spe n a ver r ones ou from the ediate ple wh ond petitio an imm y peo tion a sec want all com grees luckie ver on make they off focus it. De d those applica what l brush wn ieve lise often ting the s later on wil l for lowdo ple and t to ach y specia al“, and icle com the toolege, doub e a ver o art giving the nths, and ra, cation Tw se and one time.

AS Ext y and col 12 mo to get practic wn as “vo ty of tho ut to of UC years: fill those projects that per kno your n abo iversit ges gap those to ll are ious the proconvictio Courses to un will make re are and ski the sta g how var ally … d. t on , lyin at The er on abroad tions are usu per cen will hea y Rankin reapp lain wh go well. the othed with ure 100 institu name: n nn exp e with their fut with Da and licatio rses and t your ool team som involv ar of. re app t up ing Liverp nt three torial cle note, where ’s of cou crying ou y’re the ices. next steer lighter in the edi world caugh reds w the s, cho t, emerg who spe ool the Extra hund UK simply w that l you ho t in On a e chap choice good bu up es, , rist Liverp dying kno l tel y sui itiv to dig se whose ap hoices nd so ngs are guita The Steepl at the in the t don’t s stu ine wil that the , inquis pelled rs sou thi d, jus en ts - tho by che to They ban rable yea ming Art however few you magaz ices so nt. Wh felt comst studen pickled at else lity, for This les of r cho rees, n g in rea to confro m, the memo te of Per –yet. al deg other loopie have bee knows wh n gettin examp e the ect you . one, harder nch of a few the sam Institu Vocation out all “The to dir erests ins right god e bee se d: wn . bra bu the y’v sai int cut a do ctly y life ke ly the it ol and who music your tracked with for tho dent your r in exa . Dann is that to ma alcoh at antics entire And in, and that int in We were lumpedre grows 36. don’t ic routes music subjects the stu greate er who y now be s. All no po ir see wh page ut out of the US on pressu haps at been felt ke aft ll academ ng abo different Therefore people you ma g of succes to use the in nts of step ma up to thi per we s it. ssure ice you elder ndme of and really good s so many ough may pickle ed reekin them wa s pre about . For wise Comma n who thr cho nting: it line e thi you bit e sse of able bee erg a n ide ice e has som 10 . The ed cro nk em isio t on dau been a gu ventur ht hav now line, requir and thi o their cho born ted the dent: ool is ndent dec le effect than the ligh as you ng I mig dying, I’ve was k– g sch ation tes int concoc rsity Stu ce. See .” pab epe of le tric olves leavin first ind a pal ive can anythi d in stu gh music imagin y rou e ste a Un l signifi have up ahead or dar is a litt – that inv to d on will be the s intere lore throu er secon le, there se that ming versity for a covere jungle biblica in ord goal. n sen n10. make years loo go to uni to exp we dis in the examp commo degree ? ut about decisio page r final here, d of deep film abo d ice on the uld you you bum into a job in the out re are Elsew relate ser to you t was a king a Sho r. An ight you choswamped feel, the ing uld t lur ool tes ing a clo king s wa you. p stra It's Sho tak Sch den ma thi the e? go iev e ste stu ver for s you for dical who this? ombia ced by colleg uld you Howe g proces tes to ach not be if get on inea pig sex Me e 17, pla ce of t of Col y Sho gu Sus ily dis on pag nce at bit? nifican l studen h makin other rou rsity ma o going Our and made a fam the sig ton cie iewed ive o ady Bristo – Spanis red int it and is always als. Un Brigh t, interv d neuros rs int s ing e alre Extra ; what ourceful go pressu n’t enjoy k o yea ing UCAS may hav are struggl h year t degree antage feel res your studenally studie stol. Tw wo s loo hav n’t two s: The adv is the you do Yet you ice, and result. Eac er tha Perhap – where of Bri ree, she od result that ns bined s – to his you: origin ing of cov com rsity go know yourself. stand Colombia ship the cho s the end dents dis complete re or Politic you Unive dicine deg bags of ly of and g an under ed by renticells in mo y app of ht! nk is app fac toward nds of stu tion the they see skill fully her me fun, and were rig ski or thi aking t gainin situation ortant ntly with ble ing an your UK – way, if n-m s of thousa AS applica ’t the las redicta at do er imp efficie bag means we decisio e to step hone ry in the s her wid the isn UC be unp can of Eit hap ak wis ll as an few the you which stress indust college. it would y be unately ing in in a bit. Per you as we able to spe any ply t to ain If the ng, it ma relax a brain unfort fly-tipp uld up aga e extra less ari going e being the str out. A turn and life wo ences e som box’ e UK sim – ye it. Lik e, it can about feeling e time overbe m it all in your eri cation requir the s in th there fro are ever. e som rs of edu so time sea tid later and tside of the exp yed you back utionat they're ht ye for er to tak ‘ou tit ere you other eptive to . Wide-e yea db eks aig of od wh ins no th 14 str we go at als], ntry – a bit kiss it goo ere eith in, so when world re rec ed by s andn‘t know nking wh a cou h [the loc to effort ks frazzl t be thi e out, and e of the be mo ling the do course ng – ing to ments ion kic t e wit vel no in of fre y tim sid mo s “Go jus tra ate fus ma e thinki ma of and arer. these them. munic on the out insight or con . The two r ndred : you it som p, fresh be cle com It’s at is low, give be will n the uld be are hu name t can’t nt you do anothehave regrou path always not gai – no morale it hau sho you There our your two r life let bs, the ing to you’ll refore ing you er you have bining nal don’t s for hav eith the cobwe TRA anothe cation crying that ers, or you are stand d. Com and atio taste m edu SES EX sai you reason tion are e voc off under s to g nt ry to fro and g for,” he larly on COUR your any: and o ‘joi hung a break in horde pin applica d all of – int and on ed to lookin s – particu tional flock globe, lap menti vers As decline n accept oca urses rse to the lea es.

Co s. cou oss tre non-v ool door when sting not bee ne in thi one – sch idylls acr palm and times ough the The and for contra step not alo these exotic sun, sea thr to ur ness. red one to flavo It’s at ers in good up the ting a allow are gea s having swagg le and get years res of Extra with sty magazine n of thi well gap ssu s es, pre the pai reaucracy laden ts of thi cultur m the ting fro conten s allevia ng the bu career away ns, ; toward , unravelli pplicatio aking n-m . period nding rea decisio the end gh surrou igation and ked on tac throu invest of fun a guide on a bit you and take We’ll

17 Through the

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4 Path finder

Don’t give up on higher education yet

6 Eligible bachelor?

How you can work your way into a degree

8 Revolving doors

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Alternative to university

34 Study abroad

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The Steeples guitarist on the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts

57 The apprentice

Options elsewhere

36 Students of

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Nailing the tricks of the trade XXXX XXTR IN XXXX OD XXXX XX UCXX XX TIXX XX ONXX XXXX XXXX XX

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XXST pe UDXX XX pres d wi rder to few th od bu INXX XX TREN th XXT XX t, ing XX OD PRXX s and sure gr a bu confro XXUC nc nt are ow XXTIOF XX IL s to h of th . Whe has perhap XX ON X XE ma th n ke em, than is pr s at no the es point the rig the sta su lea now. reap ges vin The re been in yo ht on of g e, ch be and plying UCAS the school oice felt gr ur life fi yo ea ma next explain to unive Extra ke th rst ind is daun u ma ter , on epen ting: ke af hund applica what rsity the to the at will ol an wi te de it tion fo d year ll you. have nt de may r in th reds go make college r of s well. colle Should loomi a palpa cision well your you e UK sim cour , ses ng ma you Th ju ble pl st bit? ge? Sh you go up er ke –yet don’t y cry and ins e ar ahea effec ofte an im Shou ould to to di . This ma know ing ou titut e n ld yo you unive d of t comp thos media ion rsity u go bum UCAS e te your rect yo gazin that t your s tim leting very pe decis straig abou or name ur e wi they Ex int Yet e. ion ht int t for We eres choices ll tell ’re th you tra : gap Two ar the ap ople wh – it ere the ma is plica peop track ts. oa a so th you y ch on years: ticles job ed tion o end at th how ho towa oice, have lat one ? down pick le wh up alr ey su and the w to o giv er on a seco hono a thou rds th othe fill th ing em le you were are eady focu nd it e inv er ma in few ma the urs’ ca olv r on va ose 12 the low s on the sands end re struggli de wa ged re y no exac exam artic n ed UC of s ste su w be tly th ples le fro prove er cle with rious mont down unfo AS ap stude lt. Ea ng Ot imag require eking e sa of in, very hs, pr ab ch m of rtu nt a ve hers, pli ar oje d me road On an year it. Lik na of th succ and of. catio s dis effec seco inatio ry sp howe page a te wh … an cts to d co inq es n em luc tive. ver, 46. ecifi sea e fly-t ly isn’t n they ver th uisiti lighter kie exam ndary and th wa s. All o d th get See ch tide, c ipp r felt s th no th ro at co wh ve to os ink pl at e ut te ing week comp chap at ones ou route. oose out e to last mplet e, th it ca es int a bi use , so in loo Thes to go of and they me e in ell effor s later n turn an un they pi o th t abou their takin comm ere is wa t ther se brain est stu ed to the ed nt fro e, wh e are and will br t ga on a little eir ch dig think t – a bit and re up ag predict e of th ito Ru ge us se relat rial ain tsh qu up trick oice. alcoh s have dents ab that doubt h off m their o know e of ing th te ed nse – It’s Forr thonede ste Ou all to – to ‘outsi ire so a few le decis degr that – bo For at see ol an been those e world am p clo skill practic achie comp educ guos rn io d go mo these kiss it de of me ex pick wh inv ee wh ine Br at to ns e ’s e ar ve se igh tra ra ose diptoin awh at a ve up th e rof are it. De etition ion pio to in orde olves to on antic d know led by don’t le is lowmome goodby e bo ry stu Cour us know foer teyo anad g ar gr ch bafick r to s wh dent nto n as spec with ually th unissun ur , or nts wh e fo x’ wi o re page they’ve s what eap reas let it Sude ialise ees na s origi se , fi “v r th co Ex te int 10 ss er re ev l ha re all oc 36 lin on e pr else tra ab ex r rang st, wa wh e er. unt nfus y be . e, it go. Pe al. appli s fo er 0 pe Unive nally ervie oper ation d ion eithe yo r we di oudt Me e ofl ms aay be rhaps conc some wistep ou And for en getti - to al“, Extra e their r cent rsi studi decli cation having u. The kicks r ho an her on ca to co ty of Scpi wi at anoUn octed se eld t of th those ng in, pahi tw me ty of Br ed neur w guita caug future nvict thos d ge e tim not ned all are th to do an o ma so th s 17 hocs.olTIM se to ta ditcin bags oin e ht ivee ion hoeno istol. oscie tim been bibl rsi of yo at eit band rist in up wi will he istyth e 10 Coer in the student abou othe in keica two not de Two isosp HAWpa nce , ewh wh of ursgr a jo ad St e he mm US r t l sig n,urs co alo accept ur off her yo ich fu isee lit be KINS me , The emerginth Dann . Co innifi anes a ,co year at ge en att:fe andm ob u ha me t hocaud ers, ur mo St ed d ba s int vioan 10 is stu It’s ne in twee If e is tha shmb altgu ve .

Insti rabl eeples g Liv y Rank ses uss ha o Els grea ents of t ge Extra at th this. to any: or you ha werm gs e esn dyin noncure.sSe over thdo er e ofnego ina tiovin str cohe we de ide stu new n of ha tere lin and mu tute of years , who pool in, onre be urre ’t ha swag ese tim g s of de lad be inges y, rig ralod se ang Span egrthee ly ha ba sic sp ofan at you ve is tha vede resu en ck arve gers es wh , keht th of Co nt lur ,swe ho htug tocis alt ish e lig are wh do . Vo Perfo the ent ! h ve d be it ne lts: cont with an yo ry,be at no tfro ma beion co on lom king dis cove and ep ing yo enacch n’t entir cationa rming Liverpo three Coa m this mp ot umca sty in thro en Co fiyciabe the-m fam deep tw bia caak Po le an ee lemhe itnall towa ents of Ar re ad urse l oo bi ch be se. ugh l ol ely lit de an on d ab ur ma wi ily ts n em ning oodse sin Tim Wh is wh in th on trae ics at go emore enrttim ou se to ing opod dissk kin at ca at ha perio rds all this ma d good the do s tions icgroyouturcut out grees, hostudying of travoca lax t joi plill e in retw ca rece each ste acsed g a fi e jung velling thcro nt gre eviat Thate sisusth ughtve tio a urs oth ness. or e Unss th ga esun all na yoerur o co ede bo pno n ing bit. ho lm open surro d, un . Da les to othe weve sigth by reso eff llin lpt anive up ive ing zine ab Tim ab ive es we Pe es Th urs ra lif ye Co d ec nifi the co r, ou antd nnrsiyty ou asloyo to rhtap on ll;efor rsity armb r wo tha inv unding vellin the pa are ge e cestfu elecame at ine t.urLa war. t mbiveso ThanerHawkinswigththUn ma e wo eth mu noen-v Sp ncnts hasic uld an: d“T es Aran g th ared expe ex ye e l Br in a, nt vin said anyt u ample s An gednti the Un d re ar,ist and tigat rsi wh ofnyBrdiist co ocati crine heur arde , who isiverld iveorsi aftol ofofth u, rienc yo ffer ga his that ion applica e bure of this nalitics tw yingishe an film is? d olenan isg th gaini Po of de e de inter hing I urer e ch hu in histy. Wi doing tygr er stu Bri-ey on Po and aucra ingng , he We a bit of al.esWe it an se. roug migh ethhe dent degree – en quite d froou es ’ll ta to his ofee a an sp toh t dsutabjlks gra decis tions, cs, re wisp m r litind fina stoled ce to “Im a cy – Sp t fou Busen deofr fam t ha ok ec ke yo fun ta ex ted in l ye student, undis and distin spyo ily os Air sandw to litting to fids ion career sit ve it.thTh r mo derst ad po ar stu lac eser tsto stu askin Spua vant an orrta “Th ng ct su ur point pl -m ish u on cked na ndofoutcowh es in ich we antio pla e th pictre to mehu e grery anddin nth dy ntly, dying been eefo ag g llthe bjects his m tha time: a gu on th aking s in as th ish nwafac ce e;Co ures It'n’t ca at to ug e be hohwe , I’ve ; e yotwuuratsehes aning Wovobelating na e s yo in going ro s cru ide .

– sc t yont ed by gthe ile as u ion thita ofwa str able tiv been by thro end. e lan the lombia cia vesic junsttw d in rking ucho ca a br ngste Howe coumm alw ee choiun to a co mu pogu ab an Co to im r, th Colom exot turoledlean ch ugh rta l to ay .” ab ooea ou lea do stve thi r. His sp tot o n‘ ha joihe biaea agnte in ma sve ber sw ceicate untry ere isn le itutotio in suchlom diffvers sektw no bian ntr lif t kin onam up rniicngidy cok effi skaill s pro t kn ere fl fro gain om ’t mu wh jecst: e– we subje thepe with bens educhono aroun g pr an en uld alw yo llth ere cient coofun ow acro ntloc not e suarellsqu y -kwh be th urs ab tog ch pe ou u we in in oc ay d cts e try at le yo ite ve shsouot ople. thu,at tothcoe vironme rylycowi as thall ethn, tsi ss th os inde ins hord tha esigh ion is to kn d yo u Iyo s the cour e me a andistin e Yo watti er.seI ha cultut I ge es to t are mm UK nt me stlthy. uld ldhebe de r ro yot uanfee an wa d th th ey th“Aemow the both d pa ctglo – be tho n’tals cision u’ll you: go fam s fasres, nteng to 're unsim utkin d a avd ac l, th ha. Un loo away tua bu es d un t , lap ds of lth. “G dang op cin ga toflwo derst ere for my -e thteericateplwiyth ans you lly alw ou lm Cocalom treestha with ve you ilydo ping ive gtofor oin t go ean ers era n’t ough twofro atepd ye rk ac. hie er ardin rsi Politi n’t fee made comm Igwa byar inr fo e ve sum ther co ays. As to you fac suecce bia –ssfye those yoyo a fima In th vin ow out lsp fully kn bjethcts pres ty allow to atgse g Pont know ry e pr Lastin u’lu’l un sagecone ma cs is,thof l alw, there ullty l ha un e. sure lm yabno Am on litira kin at yo ea nse wees nypl trian at do ap ve ay ica and ou th is alw ericae tocssti ng n field te wi raltry ckd resu ofy yo co d eir e ly uru wo g th nereeds of into t tbe thfo siter to snebe – ste and and y th ayth fiwh eur neere bje an th aro you suing r langu is n’t woself.se, ine bu ed to havinthe undun uaefo tio re goon refp t n ct enjoy go the s th[th ing e locwhyo e th atappr rld ils de n. not tiate Pe xtr ag if furthe ica isloo less itcagiv g to ore Yo hone un ev reaals tuin thro kin you,rst entic’s corh es ive gain yoou it an e.” olu urtsi nflap bly t th], anan u ne r thi lin d ugg wade tioynind yo blico abou an uyo rsi tyeship ictss.loo Tim s.” y ou at theg yoed th r,” hed din ndurse hfo Stu ke ustryanuride ’s ca skills ma t go of ma onlyu toeknins to su s – talkin t of y –sowh kdying d yo caan igh sa ow a g Jo se sh pa ny ing sedsce a of id. u un in one ch an e e , ho to in rticu to th Co wayould thte themo er of th d du e goodinarEn e mb to be risks nano fee care su gla lin w thcoelle lifee’sUK rio,n-voarelar uses ch or ll ly onlocalsininglea rn th acge fun–da costca a co frazz a to fam ulde vo . Going takend gcath to Eithe orme thinkand n eimstrtio.ns yotio his , in ca two is ily of r u na nt ma led expe thetio in l – int your me paain by insoCo so y ur y, als: in me it woyowa tim ct on life.o ‘jowona if rstl giv no ncyearlom aw berie14 e theuld avera bia be int e it tare thinke. It s of ou wa lifebe ge th so ne youexpo ereeduc t.s A ss of wa for at intbr regrsinme r be egain g tim ofing ral cobw oup, in mae outhestr gr syaig e gaion ve oupsebtwee n fre kingt, an steht so him sh an a fi d m he ass,its the the go ve d frelmwh bapa then would ckth grou willrnme e of at us nt ed ndbe . clearanth d ereb a er. el

Wha

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464CO COUR URSE SES EXTR S EX TRAA

of the Earth

Far flung jaunts in your year out

42 The Stand-off

VSO versus Gap Year projects

12 Straight from A to B 46 Double Whammy Editor Francis Andrews • Head of Design Kathleen Rayfield

51 Towering

profiles  Ap pren

Showcasing the New Generation Arts Festival in Birmingham

Six universities in the flesh

10 The 10

Finding the right course for your dream career

1

life  Institut ion

27Institution profiles 54 Digital revolution

Tackling UCAS Extra

Fundamental guidelines for being a ‘good’ student

ply  College

How one medical student played the system

Crazy antics from our favourite species

Commandments

Your co for a un mplete guid e iversit y or co to getting an llege pl ace in offer now 2008

How to ap

back door

5

How come Etxtra can o your aid

The crazy adventures of joint honours

“Wo Colo rking in to co mbia m a coun arou mmun eans yo try like be v nd you icate wit u have ery cost – if not h those ly” it co uld

J

COUR CO URSE SES EXTR S EX TRAA 5 47

60

Clearing the way

Treading the path of Clearing

Courses Extra is published by Educate Ltd, 91-93 Southwark Street, London SE1 OHX, 020 7902 1200. Educate Ltd, the Editor and Publishers of Courses Extra do not necessarily agree with the views expressed in this publication and do not accept responsibility for any personal opinions therein. The paper used for Courses Extra is made from sustainable wood pulp.

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XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX INTRODUCTION

Courses Extra puts you o Leaving school puts you at a crossroads in life. Should you continue studying? Where should you continue studying? Should you take the opportunity of having a year off? Should you get a job? Decisions, decisions. Before you bury your head in the sand and panic, sit back, relax, and let Courses Extra take the strain by outlining your options

C

hoices, choices, choices.

They sound so good but, in reality, few things are harder to confront. When lumped with a bunch of them, the pressure grows to make the right one, and perhaps at no point in your life has this pressure been felt greater than now. The choice you make after leaving school is daunting: it may well be the first independent decision you make that will have a palpable effect on the years looming up ahead of you. Should you go to university or college? Should you bum about for a bit? Should you go straight into a job?

UCAS Extra Yet you may have already made the choice, and are struggling towards the end result. Each year thousands of students discover that the UCAS application they complete unfortunately isn’t the last they see of it. Like fly-tipping in an unpredictable sea tide, it can turn up again a few weeks later and require some extra effort – a bit of ‘outside of the box’ thinking – to kiss it goodbye for ever.

It’s at these moments where either morale is low, or confusion kicks in, so don’t let it haunt you. The two main reasons for having to do another application are that either you have declined all of your offers, or you have not been accepted to any: and you are not alone in this.

It’s at these times when Courses Extra swaggers in through the door laden with style and goodness. The contents of this magazine are geared towards alleviating the pain of this period, unravelling the bureaucracy surrounding reapplications, career investigation and decision-making; and a bit of fun tacked on the end.

We’ll take you on a tour through

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XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX INTRODUCTION

u on the right route the stages of UCAS Extra, the tool for reapplying to university and college, and explain what will make your next application go well. There are hundreds of courses and institutions in the UK simply crying out your name: you just don’t know that they’re there –yet. This magazine will tell you how to direct your choices so that they suit your interests.

We tracked down a few examples of people who were in exactly the same pickle you may now be in, and who emerged reeking of success. All that was required of them was to use their imagination and think a bit about secondary routes into their choice. For example, there is a little trick – born out of common sense – that involves taking a related degree in order to get one step closer to your final goal.

Our guinea pig for this test was a Brighton and Sussex Medical School student, interviewed on page 17, who originally studied neuroscience at University of Bristol. Two years into her medicine degree, she is having bags of fun, and bags of good results: which means we were right!

If the stress of decision-making is overbearing, it may be wise to step back from it all and relax a bit. Perhaps at no other time in your life would you be more receptive to the experiences of travelling the world. Wide-eyed

make an immediate decision – it is often those very people who end up completing the application a second time. Two articles later on focus on gap years: one giving the lowdown on how to fill those 12 months, and the other on various projects to get involved with abroad… and those to steer clear of.

On a lighter note, some inquisitive chap in the editorial team felt compelled to dig up the world’s loopiest students - those whose brains have been pickled by cheap alcohol and god knows what else - to see what antics they’ve been getting up to on page 36. And for those who really step out of the student line, some wise elder in the US concocted the 10 Commandments of a University Student: a guideline of biblical significance. See the light on page 10.

Elsewhere, we discovered one student lurking deep in the jungles of Colombia making a film about a family displaced by the war. And what is the significance of this?

The resourceful Bristol student combined two degrees – Spanish and Politics – to his advantage; gaining an understanding of the wider situation faced by Colombians as well as the important skill of being able to speak efficiently with

There are hundreds of courses and institutions in the UK simply crying our your name: you just don‘t know that they're there – yet and hungry to taste another life – not to mention a break from education – school leavers flock in hordes to exotic idylls across the globe, lapping up the sun, sea and palm trees. As well as getting a flavour for contrasting cultures, gap years allow one to step away from the pressures of having to

them. “Going to a country where you can’t communicate with [the locals], you’ll always be on the outside and therefore not gain the insight and understanding you should be looking for,” he said. Combining two courses – particularly one vocational and one non-vocational – into ‘joint

honours’ can prove very effective. See the article from page 46.

Others, however, choose to go a very specific route. These are the luckier ones out there, who know what they want from their education and will brush off all competition and doubt to achieve it. Degrees that practice a very specialised skill are known as “vocational“, and are usually the property of those with 100 per cent conviction about where their future will head. Courses Extra caught up with Danny Rankin, guitarist in emerging Liverpool band, The Steeples, who spent three memorable years at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts studying music. Vocational degrees, however, don’t entirely cut out all other academic routes. Danny said: “The good thing about music is that it crosses so many different subjects as you venture through it. Therefore anything I might have been interested in studying, I’ve been able to explore through music.”

It's your choice However swamped in the decisionmaking process you feel, there are always other routes to achieving your goals. University may not be for you: don’t feel pressured into going if you know that you won’t enjoy it and fully apply yourself. Perhaps look at doing an apprenticeship – where you can hone your skills in more or less any industry in the UK – or think about going to college. Either way, if you are feeling the strain it would be good to take some time out. A brain frazzled by 14 years of education may not be thinking straight so give it some time out, and when you regroup, fresh and free of the cobwebs, the path will be clearer.

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UCAS extra

Another bite at the cherry UCAS Extra gives students the chance to apply to further universities and colleges if they don't hold an offer from their initial application. However, you need to work out if you are eligible for Extra first

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o use Extra you need to have already made all five choices on your UCAS application. Second, you must have received decisions from all the choices. And finally, the crucial point is that you have either had no offers or have declined all the offers you have received.

Extra applicants are by no means pigeon-holed by their ability. Each year thousands of students use Extra to find alternative routes into their dream course, and often with great success. High-flying medical students across the country discover that their initial route into the highly competitive subject isn’t successful and therefore have to find another route.

Many use Extra to access related subjects such as Neuroscience or Bioscience. King’s College London even offer a Foundation Course in Natural Sciences.

Katie Rogerson accepted an offer on the course “because it offered a different route into medicine than the traditional one.”

Such courses are generally broad and give “a solid foundation to take on to degree level,” she said.

Others may fall into slightly different categories. Some students are setting their sights high and applying for single honours at the country’s top-flight universities. Unfortunately, however, in most cases the amount of applicants hugely outweighs the number of places

this. With hundreds of courses on offer at any one university, it is fairly easy to find two that go well together. Applicants for history, for example, could combine it with anthropology and archaeology, or even politics; and those who want to study mathematics can dip their fingers into accountancy or economics.

Because you are effectively spending only half the time in each subject, there is a strong likelihood that space will be available.

People who fall into this category can also look to do a similar, yet

"Each year thousands of students use Extra to find alternative routes into their dream course, and often with great success" available. One way of circumventing the pain of rejection is to think outside the box a bit when applying. There are far more applicants for single honours than there are for joint honours so, if you want to hold on to the status that studying at a topflight institution carries, it may be worth investing some time into thinking about

alternative, degree altogether. With strong similarities between various subjects, the popular ones can be substituted for perhaps the more under-subscribed courses. Again, history and politics or anthropology is a good example, likewise are psychology and neuroscience.

For those, however, that have not been accepted onto any of their courses and institution choices, there are plenty of other options. Perhaps you are not being realistic about the work rate you’ll put in to your degree? After all, university is about so much more than academia, and the top-flight institutions may not cater so well for the student who wants to combine study with play in equal measures. Check out other institutions in the country, and see how they warm to you. The chances are you’ll still be able to have a great time there whilst emerging with a good degree.

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08SG

©2008 St. George’s University

St. George’s University’s globally focused curriculum, on-campus teaching hospital and one-on-one support services provide a veterinary medical education unlike any other.

www.sgu.edu/svm 0800 1699061 EXT. 220 OR 413

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Grenada, West Indies

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UCAS EXTRA

On the receiving end of some bad news? Fear not. If you still do not hold an offer for a place it is by no means the end of the road.

UCAS Extra is here to point out other routes into higher education

U

CAS Extra gives you the chance to find a place at university or college, even if you have already made your five choices and have had no offers or declined all the offers you received.

If you find yourself without any offers, UCAS Extra is the process that makes it possible for you to apply to additional universities or colleges that still have vacancies. Extra runs from now until the end of June. It means that you do not have to wait until Clearing (in August) to apply for other courses. When using Extra, you apply for one course at a time using the Track service available on www.ucas. com, where you will also find details of which courses are available. Courses Extra magazine will aid and help you make your further choices.

You will be eligible to use Extra if you have completed your initial UCAS application, have already made five choices, received decisions from all of these choices and either have had no offers or declined all the offers you have received.

If you are eligible for Extra, UCAS will contact you and a button will appear on your Track screen which you can use to apply for a course in Extra. If you use the Course Search function on the UCAS website, courses with vacancies will be clearly marked with an ‘X’. Before you decide to apply, it would be wise to confirm with the university or college that they are happy to consider you.

What happens next?

If the university or college decides to make you an offer then you can choose whether or not to accept it. If you still haven’t taken your exams or are waiting for results, the offer is likely to be a conditional one, which will depend on whether your grades match the ones required by the university or college.

If you accept a conditional offer, you are then committed to that offer, which means that you will have to wait until you receive your results to find out whether or not you have been successful. If you are not successful then you can contact the institution to see if they will still offer you a place. If not, don’t worry as you can still apply through Clearing (see page 60). If you already have your examination results, you may receive an unconditional offer. Once you accept an unconditional offer, your place is confirmed.

If you decline an offer, the university or college turns you down, or you do not receive a decision within 21 days of making an application through Extra, you will be – time permitting – given another opportunity to use Extra. Your Extra button on Track will be reactivated.

What happens if you haven’t used all five choices?

If you haven’t used all five choices on your UCAS application, you can still apply to further universities and colleges by adding choices on Track at www.ucas. com. This will work exactly as your initial application did. If after using your five choices you still hold no offers, you will then be eligible for Extra.

ng door

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Need more information?

If you applied for high-demand courses in your original application and were unsuccessful, you could consider related or alternative subjects. Your careers advisers can provide useful guidance, as can the universities and colleges themselves. Entry Profiles, which appear with many courses listed on the Course Search section of www.ucas.com, are another good source of information.

If you have any queries about Extra and how it works, please contact the UCAS Customer Service Unit on +44 (0)871 468 0 468.

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student life

10 Commandments of a University Student

By Streeter

Seidell

Student was searching for divine inspiration. Student walked high on the mountain of knowledge and came across God. Student asked God how to live life as a university student should. And God said unto him, follow these 10 Commandments and you shall be all a scholar is. And Student thanked God and it was good. And Student spread the 10 Commandments of University to all.

I- Thou Shalt Nap

And God gave unto Student a great gift, the gift of napping. God said to him, You shall spend half your day napping. You shall nap in class, in your room and in your friends’ rooms. And God said, if you don’t nap, you will not be able to stay up all night partying. And Student said, Nap I shall, and it was good.

II- Thou Shalt Be Ill All Of The Time

Now God said to Student, you must be ill all of the time. And student said why. And God said unto him, you shall share drinks, stay up too late, party too hard and hook up with people you don’t know. Therefore, God said, you shall be ill all year round. But God said, blessed are the sick for they have partied the hardest. And it was good.

III- Thou Shalt Acquire A Nickname

And Student asked of his name, for he had heard that names often change at university.

And God said unto him, you shall acquire a nickname and that is what people will know you as forever. Some may even forget your real name, God added. And Student asked if he could choose the name he was to be known by. And God laughed a mighty laugh and said to student, He who attempts to pick his own nickname shall be called Assknuckle. And Student understood His wisdom and determined to accept whichever nickname he was given.

IV- Thou Shalt Wear A Dressing Gown

And then Student asked God, God how do I look like a university student. And God said unto Student, you must wear a dressing gown for most of the day, for it is a useful garment. And you shall never wash it either. Student asked God what kind of dressing gown should it be and God said, a toweling gown for it is adept at absorbing water while still warming the skin. And Student was pleased and God was pleased.

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VI- Thou Shalt Embarrass Yourself Online

And next Student asked God of technology and how one should conduct himself online. And God said to Student, Thou shalt embarrass yourself online. And Student was confused but God explained it to him. Said God, You will log into Facebook and write embarrassing things on your friends’ profiles. You will message people you are attracted to and then completely forget you have done so. You will post pictures of yourself that will someday be the reason you cannot find a job. And Student began to weep, so God took a video of this and put it on Youtube.

VII- Thou Shalt Hook Up

Student then asked of relationships. And God said, Student, you shall hook up and be happy.

You shall go home with random people every weekend and forget about them the next day.

You shall see them at class and be awkward amongst their company. You shall exchange saliva at bars and parties and it will be good. And Student became gleeful and God told Student to wrap it up because He knows where she has been, but Student does not.

VIII- Thou Shalt Join A Club And Never Go To Meetings Student inquired of his spare time and God reminded him that he should be napping. But Student said he wanted to do other things. So God said unto him, you shall join a club at the beginning of the term, but then never go to meetings. And Student asked why he should not go to meetings, and God told him, because the all male choir is for losers. And Student understood His wisdom.

IX- Thou Shalt Wake Up Confused

God said to Student, there will come many a day when you shall wake up in the bed of another and not know where you are. You will not remember what you did last night and you shall be confused. You will see that you have nipple rings and a tattoo now and are covered in permanent marker. And Student was disturbed by this, but God said, you shall tell great stories about it to your friends someday. And Student understood and God took a sip of a beer.

And God gave Student the final Commandment X- Thou Shalt Gain Weight And Student wished to hear the final commandment and God said he would not like it.

But Student insisted, so God said unto him, you shall gain weight. However, God said, you will not buy new clothes, so you will wear jogging bottoms a lot. God said, Student, you will watch a lot of TV and become fat to which Student wept profusely. But God comforted Student saying, you will still get lucky even if you cannot tie your shoes anymore.

This is the word of God, follow the 10 Commandments of University or you will be smote!

Streeter Seidell, 24, is the front-page editor of New York-based CollegeHumor.com. He lives in Brooklyn, NY, and, in 2006, co-authored the CollegeHumor Guide to College (Dutton).

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Straight from A to B COURSE CHOICE

Feeling like you are stuck between a rock and a hard place? Don't fear: all it takes is some imaginative thinking to reach your dream job. Below is a guide to finding the ideal launch pad for your chosen career

S

ome of the lucky ones out there already have a clear idea of what course or career is for them, and will sail through the next few years with the light at the end getting ever brighter. Others are completely stuck for choice and are yearning for a prod in the right direction. And there are those who may have a few options on the horizon but are not quite sure how to reach them.

If you fall into the first category, then by now you’re probably using this magazine to light fires. For those not so fortunate however, there are various strategies available to figure out a clearer path. A classic method is the Stamford Test (see www.ucas.com), a psychometric questionnaire which can help you match your interests to possible higher education courses. This has a double effect, both narrowing your options into a few key areas if you have too many, or demonstrating what you can achieve with your current interests and skills.

Questions, questions The Stamford Test asks you a range of questions related to four key criteria: which subjects interest you; what your skills/talents are; what career you would like to follow after college/university; and which academic skills you would like to improve. Example questions include: “Would you consider taking a course in a history-based

subject?” and “Do you enjoy solving unfamiliar mathematical problems?” The idea is that all your answers are automatically collated into a range of options determined by the interests you have shown.

Sometimes, however, they can seem quite vague. In such cases take them only as a rough pointer and investigate each option in greater depth: the Stamford Test, like much of the advice you'll receive now, is by no means a concrete projection of your future so don’t worry if the end result makes you squirm.

Your school careers adviser is also there to help guide you towards making a decision. This may be the closest you get to expert advice on course or career direction: careers advisers are trained in drawing up action plans and are a way of avoiding the generic answers you may get from psychometric tests and internet questionnaires.

Potential routes

If you have a rough idea of what field you want to go into, but are not sure how, the guide below suggests possible routes in, either via apprenticeships, internships, courses or degrees. Remember however that whatever you do not does not necessarily determine your career: graduates often find themselves branching out after university. On the right are some typical examples of what employees in particular areas may be looking for.

Accountancy – mathematics; accountancy; finance; information systems; business; management.

Note: internship in working environment is important Aerospace – aeronautical engineering; mechanical engineering; electronic engineering: naval architecture; product design; Graduate Apprenticeship.

Note: ensure your degree is accredited with the Royal Aeronautic Society.

Agriculture, Fishing, Forestry – agriculture; environmental science; physical geography; marketing; management; NVQ in Agricultural Crop/ Livestock production; BTEC in Agriculture or Horticulture Note: some colleges specialise in agriculture.

Arts – English Literature; History of Art; art; drama; archaeology; film studies; Banking, Insurance, Finance – accountancy; mathematics; business and management; finance; economics; marketing; information systems.

Catering & Hospitality – hospitality management; hotel and catering management; tourism management; travel and tourism Note: work experience is almost essential Construction – degree in building; building studies; construction engineering; building technology; BTEC/SQA Higher National Diploma and Higher National Certificate in Construction.

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For all courses visit www.bournemouth.ac.uk/extra

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course choice

Education – Bachelor of Education (BEd) in teaching; Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certificate; voluntary teaching abroad; placement at a school.

Electronics – BTEC/SQA in electronic engineering; information systems; BSc in electronic engineering; Apprenticeship with employer.

Cutting edge: Think about what you want to do after university when choosing your course

Environment – environmental science; environmental technology; geography; development studies; ecology; archaeology.

Health, Nursing – psychology; neuroscience; pastoral care; nutrition; psychiatry; health and social studies; health promotion; medicine.

Human resources – BA in Business Management; HND in Human Resource Management IT & Internet – BSc in internet technology; information systems; web design; graphic design; multimedia and technology; internet research methods; business economics.

Note: there are hundreds of IT training short courses.

Media, New media, Creative – media; communications; journalism; web design; art; product design; IT. Not for profit, Charities – anthropology; development studies; economics; international relations; geography; politics; welfare; sociology; history.

Note: internships are almost essential.

Property – chartered surveyor (note: ensure your degree is accredited to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors); building and construction; Apprenticeship in either of the two.

Public sector & Services – public administration; management; politics; social sciences; social policy; criminology.

Retail, Wholesale – business and management; customer services; retail.

Science – biology; chemistry; physics; pharmaceuticals; neuroscience; astrophysics; aeronautics.

Legal – LLB in law; finance; business

Social services – psychology; social policy; sociology; anthropology; nursing and health; neuroscience; children’s care.

Marketing, Advertising, PR – marketing; business and management; marketing and advertising; business and administration; communications; journalism; media studies; public relations.

Transport, Logistics – any degree is acceptable. For specialist qualifications see international trade/ Certificate in International Trade; logistics; business studies; marketing; languages; management.

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We offer teaching of the highest quality across a wide range of courses, from Foundation Degrees to Master’s programmes.

We provide an inspiring and supportive environment – our campuses are stunning. And, of course, Bath is a superb city.

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XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX STUDENT PROFILE

Dedicated conversion Not every university student starts out where they mean to end. Your early course choices do not necessarily determine where you’ll take your career, as student, Tanya Bainbridge, tells us. After completing a degree in Neuroscience, she now finds herself in her second year of Medicine at Brighton and Sussex Medical School. And she is absolutely loving it...

Studying Medicine is a commitment: five years of university's toughest workload combined with a notoriously gruelling party life.

Are you having fun?

Yes I’m having a lot of fun. I’m in the 2nd year currently and as in most modern courses the 1st and 2nd year are lecture and tutorial based, so we can have a relatively typical student life.

Whereas the 3rd to 5th year is clinically based in hospital and carries a lot more responsibility as a student doctor.

At university you are not constantly monitored by teachers, so you need to be able to work independently and have a fair amount of discipline. It‘s a case of organising your time efficiently, putting in a few hours a day helps to keep on top of the load. Studying Medicine can feel like a constant uphill battle as there is always more work to be done, but you have to remember you’ll get there somehow and you have to have time off to unwind.

You switched to medicine after completing a degree in neuroscience. Why the shift in direction?

Medicine was always at the back of my mind during my teenage years and I went on a course called Medlink run

by Nottingham University. Rather than inspiring me to medicine, it intimidated

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me, so I applied for Physiology (a biomedical science) instead. It was during the study of Physiology (in which I studied biochemistry, pathology and anatomy) that my desire to study Medicine was confirmed. So I did not really undergo a change in direction as such.

Did you ever see any risk in doing this, and was there always firm backing from tutors and careers service?

I had great support from tutors at the University of Bristol. They had had many students doing this conversion previously

university again but not the same one, but I found a great group of friends and as I had covered a lot of the information in the lectures before I didn’t feel too pressured academically. The benefits have definitely been far greater than the stress, but that’s not to say it hasn’t been quite stressful any sort of change always is.

Are you living proof then that one’s early academic choices don’t determine their future career?

I don’t think your early academic choices determine what you do eventually,

“At university you are not constantly monitored by teachers, so you need to have a fair amount of discipline and independence” so were competent and informed about the procedure. They helped edit my personal statement, wrote excellent references and offered practice interviews.

Also within my course I chose options and projects relevant to medicine. I didn’t see it as a risk as I knew it was what I truly wanted to be. I guess it was only a risk on the financial side!

whatever you have done in the past will come in useful and there are all sorts of conversion courses that allow you to change path if you want to do something different.

The transition, both in subject and institution, can be rocky. Has the stress and need to re-adapt outweighed the benefits?

Student life is great. Whatever degree you’re doing you get the chance to study some really interesting stuff, challenge yourself and your ideas and meet some great people. There are so many societies to get involved in from the pirate society to the yoga society and all the political and sports societies in between, so its not all academic work. And there’s all the exciting cultural stuff that being in a great city has to offer. Sometimes you can get annoyed with being in the

The transition between institutions was rapid and I had developed such a loyalty and fondness of Bristol that it took me a few months to come round to the idea of liking Brighton. The two universities are very different: different atmospheres and different types of people. It was very surreal at the beginning being at

Tell us a bit about student life. Some people reading this may still be undecided about university – has it been a blast?

“student bubble” - seeing life as a series of hedonistic drunken nights out - and the academic study can seem quite remote at times, but you know it is only going to last so long so just enjoy it.

You lived the student life in both Bristol and Brighton: surely two of the top student experiences in the country. How different would life have been had you chosen some dead-end town in the middle of nowhere?

Bristol and Brighton are two amazing cities: I would never have chosen to go elsewhere. I can’t imagine studying in a small, boring town although I would probably get more actual studying done!

I think whatever university you go to you get the university experience - the town you’re in may just be quite a good bonus.

When you’re still up at 1am cramming for an exam, do you wonder whether a straight 9-5 would have been the better option, or are you fascinated by your studies and lifestyle?

That thought does cross my mind, especially seeing all my graduate friends earning money and their free time being their own, not having any homework. I think this is still something I’m coming to terms with, that I have chosen a truly vocational course and I will have to dedicate my life to it if I want to be the best doctor I can be. I know that this will involve making lots of sacrifices. But medicine fundamentally interests and challenges me and I love the interaction with people so hopefully it’ll all be worth it in the end.

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STUDENT PROFILE

Vibrant campus life At home in Zimbabwe when Ashleigh Breda started her search for a degree course online, she found the University of Cumbria. And that was it. She looked no further. “It just felt right; and when I arrived here I wasn’t disappointed either. It was just as I imagined – friendly, supportive and a great place to study. I love it!”

Flexible learning At its launch, the University of Cumbria brought together the expertise and pedigrees of St Martin’s College, Cumbria Institute of the Arts and the Cumbrian campuses of the University of Central Lancashire. Ashleigh is impressed with the quality of the learning experience it offers and the support it provides, enabling her to achieve her personal and professional goals. “The university’s aim is to provide innovative, flexible learning that puts you at the centre and focuses on your needs.”

Ashleigh has found the student population at the university to be a rich mixture of full and part-time, young and not-so-young, vocational and academic, leading to a vibrant and creative atmosphere on campus. “As a

student here it’s easy to see how much the University of Cumbria celebrates its students and their success – they send us out knowing that we’re wellprepared, enterprising, resourceful and equipped to lead in our chosen fields.”

We have

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Bring your dreams

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STUDENT PROFILE

Kept the dream alive St George‘s University School of Veterinary Medicine in Grenada helped Jonathan McCotter realise his childhood dream to work alongside his father at his veterinary practice and also gave him the great experience of studying in the Caribbean

J

onathan McCotter, BSc, DVM, MRCVS DVM, MRCVS grew up in his father’s veterinary practice. And his childhood dream was to eventually work side-by-side with his father – a dream that came true several months ago when he passed the RCVS statutory licensing examination.

The path to the practice he now calls his professional home began not in the UK, but in Grenada, and was rounded out by educational experiences in the United States and Dublin: all part of the “international-in-its-DNA” St. George’s University School of Veterinary Medicine.

Canada to the UK

Grenada to the States

Maybe Dr McCotter was an ideal candidate for the school in the first place. When he was just a boy, his father relocated the family to Cornwall from Canada to establish a practice here in the UK. In both places, young Jonathan felt his calling: “I was around animals all my life and intended to follow in my father’s footsteps.”

His first degree was in biology, and he chose to apply to St. George’s after

The island’s beauty took a hit in September 2004 by Hurricane Ivan. But, according to Dr McCotter, the resulting experiences - including an unplanned relocation to Purdue University in Indiana, US - were “brilliant.”

“Dr Ray Sis [Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine] did a sterling job of getting the students back in class,” he says. And the following semester, all University students returned to classes on

“My class was small, only 42 students. There was great camaraderie - we were all in the same boat and studied hard together” hearing about its veterinary program from a colleague of his father’s. “I started in January 2003 and my class was small, only 42 students. There was great camaraderie – we were all in the same boat. We studied hard together; it was very intense, and then on Friday nights, had a beer together,” Dr McCotter remembers.

He lauded the natural beauty of St. George’s host nation, Grenada: “If I hadn’t take the opportunity to get off the campus, I would have wasted an opportunity – there is more to life than studying!”

the Grenada True Blue campus, part of a compelling island-wide disaster recovery effort that defied all expectations.

On to Dublin Dr McCotter completed his clinical training year at the University College of Dublin, for which he believed he was well prepared. “The visiting professors at St. George’s came from all over the world – the US, Scotland, Ireland, and England – and gave us all sides. It was a good broad spectrum of experiences. And our earlier hands-on clinical experiences,

such as in the teaching hospital and while treating animals in the local community (the Dublin students had never given an injection or spayed a dog), was a big bonus of St. George’s University.”

St George’s Curriculum = Success The international approach of the veterinary program, as well as its early hands-on training, is validated by the success of its graduates. Of the 41 people who took the last RCVS statutory licensing exam, only 17 proceeded to orals and then 12 ultimately passed. Six of those 12 were St. George’s graduates, Dr. McCotter being one. The UK test scores are matched by those from the US, where St. George’s graduates score as well as, if not better than, their counterparts educated in US vet schools.

Now, Dr. McCotter works alongside his father in their five-person, mixed largeand- small animal practice in Cornwall. He sees his fellow UK St. George’s classmates frequently, and stays in touch by e-mail with classmates around the world, praising the international community he was a part of. “It was brilliant,” he says. “If anyone has the option of going to St. George’s University, they should!” www.sgu.edu

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All the sciences in one Integrated Sciences – a new degree – offers students the chance to study all the sciences in one degree Forensics is one module of the new Integrated Sciences degree at the University of Leicester – and it sums up the point of the degree very neatly.

Basically you need practical knowledge of all the sciences to work out how and why someone died. Physics will tell you their time of death, chemistry will tell you what their blood alcohol level was, and you need an understanding of genetics, anatomy and biology. As part of the module, you will also need to present your findings to a lawyer – so you will have to learn presentation skills.

arm our graduates for the real world with skills which will be attractive to employers.”

Leicester is one of the four universities who have started to offer the degree, along with the University of East Anglia (UEA), London South Bank University and the University of Surrey. Each institution offers a common “core curriculum” with additional modules specific just to that

Attractive to employers “The aim of the degree is to make our graduates professionals, not professional students,” says Professor Derek Raine of the University of Leicester. “We want to L ED AD 0208 Isdegreeadvert-1

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institution – for instance the forensics course is only offered by Leicester.

The degree will suit any student who is interested in physics, but doesn’t want to specialise in just that. It will also be relevant for students who have taken physics A-level, and would like to continue the subject but haven’t taken maths A-level, which you need to study physics at university. “There is an increased tendency for sciences to overlap,” says Professor Peter Main, Director of Education and Science at the Institute of Physics, which is developing the degree. “This is a good course in its own right, but if students take the course and find they have a real taste for physics there will be an opportunity to transfer.”

Further details of the course can be found at: www.integratedsciences.org.uk

Page 1

Welcome to the future of science Are you naturally inquisitive?

Want to explore real-world issues?

Looking for the knowledge and key skills 21st century employers are seeking out?

If the answer to these questions is yes then Integrated Sciences is the course for you.

• A degree with breadth and depth, taught in a cross-discipline and thematic way allowing you more choice and freedom in what you study.

• Recognised by the Institute of Physics to ensure academic

But don’t just take our word for it!

‘Every module is based around real-world problems. The topics are relevant to me and the structure of the course makes it a more interesting format.’

Daniel Jarram, final year student, University of Leicester

quality and high standards.

• Currently available at Leicester, London South Bank, Surrey and East Anglia universities.

‘Employers will be attracted to Integrated Sciences graduates as it will demonstrate their breadth of study and show a capability of working in fast changing environments.’

Rod Kenyon, Centrica PLC

So whether you want to learn about astrophysics or genetics to quantum theory and forensic science – Integrated Sciences is the degree for you. For further information please visit: www.integratedsciences.org.uk or visit the relevant partner universities’ webpages.

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‘It‘s a fantastic course‘ G

uitarist and vocalist Chris Fletcher, wants to become a studio engineer but knows that it can be tough to get a break in the music industry. To give himself the best possible chance of success, he studied an HND in Music Production at Stafford College.

This course can be studied on a full or part-time basis and gives musicians like Chris access to the industry-standard recording studios created as part of an £8 million investment in facilities at the town centre campus.

“It’s a completely fantastic course and stunning facilities. Even at the end of the second year of my course, the studio set-up still impressed me every time I stepped inside,” said Chris.

While he studied at Stafford College, Chris was already fitting-in some work

as a sound engineer; experience that he hoped would combine with his highlevel qualification to provide a route into work as a studio engineer. After two years juggling college work with parttime employment and his own music, he was looking forward to a gap year at the end of his course.

“After that I’ll probably top-up to an honours degree with one extra year’s study. I am fortunate in that the HND gives me a great deal of hands-on work in a realistic working environment so I’ll be able to offer the qualification and practical experience that employers are looking for.”

In the meantime, Chris made the most of his studio time by recording some of his own music and producing his own CDs before leaving college.

This is just the beginning…

York St John University and the city of York offer a fantastic student experience. We offer a range of opportunities in Art, Design, Film, Media, English, Business Management, History, Sport, Teaching, Dance, Music, Theatre, Psychology, Health and Theology. At York St John University, we’ll help you grow and develop and we really can promise you a life-changing experience.

Apply now through UCAS Extra or visit www.yorksj.ac.uk or T: 01904 876598 York St John University, Lord Mayor’s Walk, York YO31 7EX

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Best kept

secret

RACHEL SMITH reports on the many advantages of studying at a college of further education

T

here are many different routes to your degree – and not all of them involve university. If you don‘t hold any offers from your initial application, there are lots of other avenues to try and some of them lead you to colleges of further education (CFE).

Many people don’t know about CFEs: they are still one of education’s best kept secrets. You can do everything from basic skills to job-related training at your local FE college. You can learn almost any subject you can think of, and though you might think of them as just somewhere for evening classes, they are increasingly offering a huge range of Higher Education subjects as well.

The differences between colleges and universities are multiple. There are variations in the type of courses offered and the cost of studying. Generally students will go to a college in their local area so the location and ease of access is more convenient. Some colleges specialise in particular areas so the facilities and resources can often be of a very high quality.

Type of course – a degree or a foundation degree?

Most colleges offer a range of foundation

degrees, which are two year HE courses usually closely linked to a career. Foundation degrees (FD) have been put together by colleges and universities in partnership, and are usually validated by a local university – for example, for Macclesfield College by Manchester Metropolitan and Colchester Institute by the University of Essex.

Employers are also involved in course design, and colleges that offer FDs usually have excellent links with employers so that students get the most out of the mix of academic and work-related study required.

Work placements are part of the course, to give students the insights and focus on the

Guildf ord Co

llege

or at the partner university.

Depending on the subject and college, you can also do full BA and

Some colleges specialise in particular areas so the facilities and resources can often be of a very high quality career to bring the subject to life.

Successful completion of your foundation degree gives you a qualification in its own right, recognised by employers across the career range – auto engineering, dance, IT, horticulture, theatre, and so on.

Or you can top it up to a full degree with a further year’s study, either at the college

BSc degrees at colleges. Otherwise, HNDs (Higher National Diplomas) and HNCs (Higher National Certificates) – vocational qualifications in subjects like IT and business that can also be topped up to full degrees later – are also an option.

The fees for HE courses at many FE colleges are lower than those of

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universities, so you can save while you learn.

Fees for part-time HE study at college are lower again, and you could combine study with a part-time job to help your finances.

Grants, loans and bursaries are available to you in the same way as at university.

Added to this, the abundance of colleges in the UK (around 400 in total) will make your travel and living costs much lower than for university.

Location, location, location In towns and cities, there are usually several colleges to choose from, but there’s at least one in every local authority area. If you don’t know where your nearest college is, try the Aimhigher website (www.aimhigher. ac.uk) and go to the “uni finder” page: choose the “FECs offering HE” option to get an A-Z listing of colleges or search by postcode. Alternatively, to find a college offering the course or subject you want, go to the UCAS website (www.ucas.com).

Size doesn’t matter In many ways, colleges can’t compete with universities – but they aren’t trying to either. Many colleges are smaller than

had to meet the same Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and validating body requirements that a university does, so all the learning resources you need will be there.

In addition, the whole FE college system has been going through a multimillion pound rebuilding project over the last few years, and many colleges have had a complete rebuild or significant refurbishment, or are in the process of doing so. Therefore facilities can be as up-to-date and modern as anything you’ll find in university, with the full range of IT resources, learning resources and libraries, student support and more.

And the larger colleges in major towns and cities will have as comprehensive and diverse a student body as any you’ll find in a university – a wide mix of adult, international, professional and business students as well as 16-19 year olds.

Subject specialisms Colleges don’t offer the full range of HE subjects that university do, but they do offer significant specialisms. Most colleges have one or more vocational specialist areas and can offer excellent HE courses in these areas.

Examples include Guildford College, which merged with land-based Merrist Wood College recently, and now offers degrees including Animal Management, Horticulture and Garden Design at this specialist site. City College Manchester offers niche courses in Jewellery Design and Design & Media Make-Up, as well as

Teaching groups and tutorials are often smaller in colleges so students can build up good relationships with tutors most universities although some huge colleges are being formed by mergers: the new Manchester College which will bring together City College and MANCAT, for example, will have many thousands of students. However, many people like the personal touch that comes with smaller organisations. Teaching groups and tutorials are often smaller in colleges so students can build up good relationships with tutors and fellow students. Campuses may be smaller and easier to get to know. But in order to offer the HE course, the college has

a range of courses in popular music. The college has its own commercial recording studios, rehearsal rooms and multimedia labs as well as its own commercial record label. It is also home to the Arden Theatre, a drama school with a state-of-the-art theatre offering practical degrees in acting and theatre. Macclesfield College is home to the European Centre for Aviation Training where options include mechanical, electrical and aircraft maintenance engineering.

Once you start looking at the range

of HE courses on offer at college, you’ll find they can provide a real alternative to university study. In addition to the links with validating universities, colleges are expected to gain the ability to create and award their own foundation degrees soon which will be designed with employer input. Therefore the HE course will be even more closely linked to employer needs, skills gaps and future employment.

From the students’ mouths Research carried out in 2006 by Sali MidjekConway, Aimhigher Development Manager for Bury, showed that most HE students in FE colleges made a positive choice to go for the personal touch colleges offer, the specialist nature of many of the courses, and the good reputation the college had for the course.

Focus group comments included: “You have more time with your tutors … you feel you are more

valued by your tutors in a college” and 92 per cent of the students surveyed said they would recommend studying an HE course in an FE college.

Find out more So if you are looking again at your options for HE study, Further Education colleges have a lot to offer you. For up-to-date resources, career-related courses and a more personal approach, they are usually hard to beat. Search the Aimhigher website for FE college provisions and then visit a few college websites to discover more – you’ll find there’s a lot more to HE than just universities.

The author is Development Officer of The College Marketing Network, a support organisation for staff working in marketing in FE, specialist and 6th form colleges.

Find out more at www.m-network.org

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From Croydon to Prague K

ailer came to Croydon College from Coulsdon High School to enrol on the GNVQ Intermediate in Business course. Whilst part of the Aimhigher cohort and studying towards a BTEC National Diploma

"Education was the key to giving me and my daughter the lifestyle we deserve" in Business qualification, Kailer was mentored, went to Prague and had the opportunity to attend the College’s Graduation Ceremony as a guest. It was this that spurred her into progressing onto Higher Education at the College.

Last November, Kailer graduated from the Foundation Degree Fashion Business course and she has now

progressed onto the Honours Degree course. Kailer has combined her studies with raising a young child whilst only 22 years of age.

Learning for life

‘Studying whilst having a child was a hard decision to make especially with a young child but the benefits have been so rewarding. Education was the key to giving me and my daughter the lifestyle we deserve and Croydon College is helping me to reach my goal.

The resources offered by the College are a huge help, for example, help with child care and Welfare, Advice and Counselling. I genuinely believe that without the College’s support I would not be where I am today – just remember, if I can do it, so can you!’

...a degree better A range of qualifications available in the following subjects: • • • • • • • • • • • •

Building Services Engineering Business Early Childhood Studies Education Studies Fashion Film Production Fine Art Graphic Design Human Resources Law Photomedia Theatre Design

WHY CHOOSE CROYDON? - We’re 12 minutes from central London by train - Average class sizes of 15 - no lecture theatres filled to capacity with over 100 students - There’s an annual cashback bursary of £1025 for EVERY student

Croydon Higher Education College forms part of Croydon College

London Metropolitan University is the validating body for Higher Education Awards at Croydon Higher Education College

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One of the UK’s best small Universities Small classes; plenty of contact with tutors; great employment prospects

Sunday Times ranked us a top 5 University College and top 20 overall for student satisfaction!

Offering a wide range of courses in: • • • • • •

Children, Youth and Community Computing and IT Drama, English and Writing Education and Teacher Training Live Music Management

Contact: 01752 636890

• • • • • •

Media and PR Outdoor, Environment and Geography Philosophy and Sociology Psychology Speech and Language Therapy Sport, Health, Coaching and PE

www.ucpmarjon.ac.uk

Come to Devon and visit our campus for yourself!

Open Day June 19th

admissions@marjon.ac.uk

Nursing places still available Nursing has changed a lot in the past decade. Modern nurses are taking on ever more senior roles in health care provision, carrying out additional tasks such as prescribing drugs and becoming specialists in clinical practice. And they are doing all this without losing sight of the basic needs of their patients.

The University of Southampton is one of the largest schools of nursing and midwifery in the country, offering high quality training across the whole of Hampshire.

This allows us to ensure you get the widest range of experience possible and are based in a location to suit you. We have state-ofthe-art teaching facilities where students learn to become the nurses of tomorrow.

25,26 Croydon College.indd 26

We still have places starting this year for: ~ 0Sd[c ]dabX]V ~ ;TPa]X]V SXbPQX[Xch ]dabX]V ~ <T]cP[ WTP[cW ]dabX]V We are able to offer training across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, with centres in: ~ 1PbX]Vbc^ZT ~ 8b[T ^U FXVWc ~ ?^acb\^dcW ~ B^dcWP\_c^] ~ FX]RWTbcTa There are no tuition fees to pay and you may receive a bursary of around £6,500 per year while you study.

Call us now on 023 8059 5500 for details.

12/03/2008 10:27:34

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Smaller, more personal Colchester Institute

Studying higher education at Colchester Institute means you will be in a learning environment designed to support smaller study groups than you might find in a traditional university environment, whilst maintaining high academic standards and an ethos of quality enhancement.

Colchester Institute has a reputation for very effective learner support services providing both personal guidance and additional academic or study skills support.

Student feedback highlights the dedication of the teaching staff.

Programmes are truly vocational and developed in consultation with employers or through involvement with industry. This is as

Institute, receiving a First Class, BA (Hons) degree in Music and was awarded the Ede and Ravenscroft Prize for outstanding

Colchester’s main campus is just a stones throw from the sea front important to our Masters degrees in Music, Art and Business as it is to the Construction Management programmes.

Adam Morris studied at Colchester

achievements at his Graduation ceremony.

Adam took up many playing opportunities to enhance his ensemble and playing skills, which he continued to perfect after college

life, performing regularly on the jazz/pop circuits throughout East Anglia. He said “I really enjoyed my time as a student at Colchester Institute. The standard of tuition is excellent and the people are great. I found the hands-on method of learning through regular performance really effective.”

As well as performing, Adam’s qualification meant he quickly found work as a peripatetic drum/percussion tutor.

Ben takes a walk on the wide side Cornwall College

Ben Murrell, Wildlife Education & Media Foundation Degree student, is beginning his second year at Cornwall College and hasn’t looked back.

“I was on a course at a nearby college when I saw a poster about the wildlife degree at Newquay that looked interesting,” he says, “so I came to an open day last year to find out more. I enjoyed the time I spent here so I applied.”

The students on the Wildlife Education and Media course get to spend time in Newquay Zoo, which is right next to the campus, to perfect their wildlife filming techniques. When he graduates, Ben hopes to put his filming skills into practice. “I would like to work within

Cornwall’s coastal setting provides a unique atmosphere the media, preferably as a photographer or cameraman.”

There are over 100 degree courses available at Cornwall College, Duchy College and Falmouth Marine School throughout Cornwall,

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in subjects like marine science, equine studies, animation, renewable energy technologies and zoology.

Cornwall College also happens to be the largest further and higher education college in

the UK with an average of 45,000 students and has centres dotted over the county.

Go to an open day on 12th April or 14th June at one of the College’s seven campuses – to find out more, or to book your place, call 01209 617698 or email he.admissions@cornwall.ac.uk. Details are available on www.cornwall.ac.uk.

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Money pumped into student life De Montfort University

De Montfort University (DMU) is one of the largest in the country, spread over two campuses and with over 20,000 students offering around 400 courses. The university strives to achieve high quality teaching and strong student support. With a large student population, Leicester is well equipped for a lively student life. The city offers numerous entertainment and social activities, cheap living costs and high quality accommodation.

The university has a strong record for postdegree success, with 95 per cent of students either gaining employment or enrolling in post-graduate courses within six months of finishing. The university will look to grow on

Leicester is vibrant and cosmopolitan - a great place to be a student an already solid reputation with the planned investment of £50 million on facilities.

Both campuses are located in the city centre and within 15 minutes walk of the

main train and bus station, making the various nightlife locations within crawling distance of the two campuses. Both the university and the wider city have a lot on

offer in terms of bars and clubs and provide entertainment most nights of the week.

You’ll be able to find the more ‘traditional’ English pubs alongside lively wine bars and clubs. Top city nightclubs include Revolution, Havana and Sumo and all offer cheap student drinks and admission. Also, there are a number of bars on the central campus close to all the student accommodation. And finally the DMU student union promotes daily events and a nightclub running themed nights throughout the week.

Leicester has a strong sporting history which has clearly rubbed off on DMU. The university hosts a variety of sports clubs and societies, ranging from Ultimate Frisbee to football and rugby. It also offers top sporting facilities including the John Stanford Sports Centre which includes indoor courts and gyms and a number of outdoor pitches.

It’s worth taking advantage of an open day at De Montfort. The next one is on 27th June. Here you can meet thousands of other applicants.

Studying on the beach University of Dundee

Another beachside haven, the University of Dundee oozes student goodness. Plonked on the east coast of Scotland, the University is surrounded by long, vacant beaches and high peaked mountains. Although the obvious distractions are plentiful, Dundee still manages to churn out high achieving graduates and is internationally recognised for its expertise across a range of disciplines, including science, medicine, engineering and art.

Both university and city have had a face lift in recent years, partially shedding their image as grimy throwbacks to a bygone era.

Split between four campuses, the hub of the university is the city campus. Being entirely self-contained, it has escaped the fatigue of the city centre by locating itself a mile or so into

architecture. The male/female ratio weighs heavily in favour of the latter, and the Dundee lass is thought to be the finest in the land. We welcome feedback.

The University of Dundee is surrounded by long, vacant beaches the scrub. Its position on the River Tay lends a hint of beauty and the eccentric patchwork of buildings old and new adds some eyecandy to campus life. And this doesn’t stop at

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Two of the campuses are in the city and the Kirkaldy Campus is located in scenic Fife, about 30 miles to the south, and specialises in nursing and midwifery. Dundee students are also pretty

well grounded, with 93 per cent coming from state schools. Furthermore, two-thirds are home-grown Scottish blood. So while it may not have that international edge that adds spice to other universities, it still refrains from clicquiness and generates its own particular charm. If you need more incentive, the student-run Mono club, Dundee University’s secret weapon, was voted by Ministry of Sound as the UK’s No.1 student nightclub.

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Environmentally superior University of Nottinginham

Centred around three stunning, yet very different, campuses in and around the city, prospective students for the University of Nottingham can look forward to a richly diverse and lively time in one of the country’s top universities.

The campus based at University Park is set in 330 acres of parkland nearly three miles from the city centre, and is the only UK campus to be awarded the coveted Green Flag award. Nearby Jubilee Campus has also won many environmental awards, and is noted for its spectacular architecture.

And Sutton Bonington is located 10 miles south of the city and is set in the striking Leicestershire countryside.

making way for the Mooch and The Venue.

During the day, students will be able to relax between lectures on the terrace of Mooch, and at night The Venue will showcase live

Nottingham has one of the biggest chemistry departments in the UK From September last year, the main hub of Student Union activity, the Ark, was no longer. An £860,000 project to upgrade the venue saw it split into two,

music and club nights throughout the week.

Academically, the University of Nottingham ranks amongst the strongest in the world. Newsweek World University

Rankings have rated Nottingham in the top one per cent of global education institutions, and in both the Guardian and The Times league tables, Nottingham has 29 academic schools/departments ranked in the Top 10 by subject, and 14 in the Top 5.

Anissa Assoul, 20, who is studying Chemistry at Nottingham, said: “The facilities on my course are brilliant. I visited all the universities that I applied to but I loved Nottingham when I visited.”

Eclectic course combinations University of Leeds

Leeds is one of the largest universities in the UK, and also the most popular among students applying for undergraduate courses. With over 35 departments achieving national or international ‘excellence’, and rated amongst the top ten universities for research in the country, Leeds continues to build on an already solid reputation as one of the UK’s leading universities.

With over 33,000 students, its size and reputation allows Leeds to offer one of the widest ranges of academic courses in the UK. Indeed the university has more undergraduates studying languages and physical sciences than any other institution in the UK. And taking a rather unorthodox approach to learning means students can combine the likes of music with

Leeds students can combine the likes of Japanese with linguistics electronic engineering, and Japanese with linguistics.

The university is located within Leeds itself, and so is surrounded by a number of renowned

clubs and live music venues, such as the Refectory. The university’s Access and Community Engagement programme sees staff and students work with local groups to provide

a lively and prominent cultural element to the city and surrounding area. This is particularly important with Leeds being the fastest growing city in the UK, and also helps to ensure that Leeds students carry a reputation that stretches beyond the campus boundaries.

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Parklife in Glasgow Glasgow Caledonian University

Located in the heart of Glasgow city centre, Glasgow Caledonian is Scotland’s fourth largest university with over 14,000 students.

The university prides itself on emphasising a career-based approach to academia and its success is reflected in statistic that 92% of all graduates seeking employment find work within six months.

Caledonian is on of the UK’s leading providers of vocational education and all teaching is career driven. The university

also to have fun. The city of Glasgow could have been invented for students. In between lectures you can relax in lush green parks and at night the city transform into a bustling hub for clubbers and theatre and restaurant goers.

Notable venues include 13th Note, Ad Lib and Club Buddha, and all are within easy walking distance of student accommodation blocks. In addition, Glasgow is an excellent launch-pad for exploring the rest of Scotland, with great links to the Trossachs.

Glasgow Caledonian Students’ Union

The city of Glasgow could have been invented for students. maintains active links with industries at a local, national and international level allowing students more opportunities in work placement and in future employment. In addition it is heavily involved in leading edge research and consultancy projects.

The campus is designed not just to provide space for people to learn, but also to meet their human needs – to talk, to recharge and

(GCSU) is active and runs a variety of campaigns which students are encouraged to join. It also hosts events at the GCSU-run bars so there is much to keep you entertained.

Information on open days can be found on the university website and come with a strong recommendation. For those of you at college, there is also a further education open day on 8th September.

Hone your sporting prowess Heriot-Watt University

Heriot-Watt University is the eighth oldest in the country and is often referred to as Scotland’s international university, with a campus in Dubai and over 50 international academic learning partners. It is consistently rated as one of the top universities by leading national newspapers, and almost all research activity at the Edinburgh Campus is independently assessed at international national excellence levels.

The university is split between two major campuses, one in Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders Campus, in Galashiels. A further small campus in Orkney, on the north coast of Scotland, is home to Heriot-Watt’s International Centre for Island Technology.

The Scottish Borders Campus is the location

autumn 2008. The project includes the building of a new library, Learning Resource Centre, enhanced IT facilities and a new refectory.

Heriot students study in the relaxing atmosphere of a green campus of the university’s world-famous School of Textiles and Design. £31.4 million is being channelled into modernising facilities there and at the Borders College, due to be finished in

At Edinburgh, students will study within the relaxing atmosphere of a beautiful green campus. The campus is renowned for its firstrate sporting facilities, including three sports

halls, numerous squash courts, gyms, Sports Medicine Centre and Performance Laboratory, alongside an impressive Sports Academy. The city of Edinburgh itself is a registered World Heritage Site and boasts a stunning array of Georgian and Victorian architecture, as well as a number of famous festivals. Students become fully integrated into city life via the mass of bars, clubs, galleries and shops that Edinburgh boasts.

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Accomplishing my Diploma of Commerce at QIBT gave me the confidence and knowledge to go into the second year of a Commerce degree at Griffith University.

I was impressed with QIBT’s effective learning environment, friendly and helpful staff, great learning facilities and flexible course structure.

The greatest part of my year was the students and academic staff that I made contact with. The lecturers and tutors were an inspiration and always encouraged me to achieve my goals. They were very approachable and supportive, and delivered the curriculum professionally. I benefited from being able to interact with students from different countries, with different cultural backgrounds and, as a result, I met friends to last a lifetime.

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Meet a friendly face

Explore the Great Barrier Reef in tropical north Queensland

CONTACT US For free, professional and friendly advice or further information please contact Frances or Fiona by phoning 020 7262 2666 /2888, emailing navitas_uk@navitasworld.com or visiting www.navitasworld.com/uk 2007 ALL CLEAR 33 32,33Navitas.indd 33

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STUDY ABROAD

Broaden your horizons b There are many advantages to studying abroad which give you returns in the short term, but also in the long term with your future job prospects. DEE ROACH outlines the major benefits to Courses Extra

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here are many advantages to studying abroad – either for part of your course or for the whole degree. “Studying abroad exposes you to different cultures and different landscapes,” says Dee Roach, General Manager of European Marketing of Navitas. “You can gain new skills, and it can help you grow as a person. It is great for your long term prospects and career.”

Broaden your horizons “Studying abroad will broaden your horizons, and you get the opportunity to travel as well. Australia is a great place to explore and as the education system was originally set up by the British, it is comparable to the UK system,” says Dee. “There have always been a lot of

The benefits of studying abroad include: Independence: you have to cope on your own when you are studying abroad. You can’t go home when your laundry needs doing or you need a good meal. You have to be able to travel by yourself, look after yourself and sort out your own affairs. And make sure you don’t leave your passport and tickets in your room before you leave!

Culture: the best way of finding out about another culture is by totally immersing yourself in that culture, and you can only do that by living in the country. In the future, when you visit a country it may only be for a week or two – so studying abroad is a great opportunity to stay for a good length of time.

Travel: obviously you will not just be tied

You can't go home when your laundry needs doing or you need a good meal. You have to be able to sort out your own affairs students who have gone to the USA to study from the UK – around 8,000 although there has recently been a 2 to 3 per cent increase in that number. However, Australia has had a big rise in UK students – from 1,400 in 1998 to over 6,000 now. By and large UK students who do go abroad have an amazing experience,” she adds.

to the university or city you are studying in. You will also have the time and opportunities to travel in the country you are in. This will normally be with the added benefit of cheaper travel as you will be armed with your student card.

Course work: if you want to learn a language the best place to do it is where everyone talks that language. But if you are studying another subject you might find the best place to learn is from a university in another country.

Career: anyone who is able to put that they studied abroad on their CV is at a great advantage for future employers. At a very basic level it will give you something to talk about in an interview. But much more importantly it will prove to your potential employer that you have the ability to stand on your own two feet, that you can fit in when placed in different environments, and that you are resourceful and have initiative.

Practicalities Obviously if you decide to study abroad you can’t just buy your ticket and head off. You need to sort out your place first and then work out what you might need to sort out before you travel. Dee Roach also says you need to work out how home sick you might be before you decide to take the plunge: “London and Sydney are 10,500 miles part – with a large time difference, which makes communication very hard.” Make sure you weigh up all the pros and cons before you commit.

Visas: obviously the university you are applying to will be able to help you telling you about what visas, if any, you will need.

The general rule is that if you are studying in the EU, you will not need a visa, but you might do if you are

studying outside the EU. Contact the country’s embassy or consulate in the UK to confirm and remember the task of getting the visa is down to you, so make sure you apply in plenty of time.

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STUDY ABROAD

s by studying abroad University choice: When searching worldwide for a university that is right for you, there is no substitute for coming face to face with people from that university. Clearly it will most often not be feasible to actually visit the university before applying. However, major worldwide universities have alumni associations, often with an international network. It is always worth trying to identify any alumni who may be willing and able to meet you closer to home or just talk to you on the phone and give you that all-important feel of what it is like to actually study at their university.

Dee Roach agrees: “The best thing you can do is try and talk to people who have studied abroad to find out what they thought of the experience.” She also recommends that you follow the same approach when choosing an institution as

language. Obviously the language difference will be a great advantage if you are actually studying that language because you are immersing yourself in it.

Quality: Global rankings, such as the THES-QS World University Rankings (www.topuniversities.com/ worlduniversityrankings/) can help you quickly focus on some of the most highly regarded institutions worldwide. Analyses by subject area help you further hone your shortlist of universities that are outstanding in your chosen area of study.

It is just as important to aim high when

“The best thing you can do is try and talk to people who have studied abroad to find out what they thought of the experience” if you were choosing one in the UK: “Think of the factors which are important to you.

Do you want to live on a campus? Do you want to know people already there? How important are the facilities to you? Find out about the possibility of work placements and internships.”

Language: If you are worried that you will not understand the classes at university abroad, rest assured that an increasing number of universities around the world offer courses which are taught in English. Also, in some of the more popular areas for studying abroad – such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the USA - English is the first

you study abroad as it is when selecting a university at home.

Also check with Naric (details in box) that whatever qualification you are going to receive will be recognised back here by employers.

Costs: If you are studying in the EU, the costs to you should be the same as if you were a national from that country. If you are studying outside the EU you may be charged more than the national students.

Check with the institution you are applying to for their fees and also ask about details of bursaries and scholarships. Remember to take into account travel, accommodation and living costs when you are calculating your total spend.

Contacts Navitas: 020 7262 2666/2888; www. navitasworld.com/uk - get more details about studying in Australia Study Overseas: 020 7262 2666; www.studyoverseasglobal.com – help students interested in studying in Australia and some universities in Canada and the USA. Help with course and institution selection, applications, calculating costs and pre-departure briefings.

UK Council for International Student Affairs: www.ukcosa.org – guide for UK students going abroad to study.

Includes country specific contacts and further advice on visas and formalities.

UNESCO – Studying abroad: www.unesco.org/education/ studyingabroad/index.shtml advice on studying abroad from the United Nations Naric (UK National Academic Recognition and Information Centre) - www.naric.org.uk – check that the qualification you are going to receive will also be recognised in the UK

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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx student life

Students of the world The first rule of student life is that you don't draw a line at anything. All over the planet, students are pushing their claim for a no-holds barred existence, reinforcing the idea that higher education isn't solely the stomping ground of rational minds. Like the rock ’n’ roll magazine that it is, Courses Extra tracked some of the key contenders for the crown of excess

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tudents are notorious for their antics. It must be to do with that particular stage in life, spent clutching on to the last straws of youth whilst desperately trying to deny the approach of adulthood. Add that to a body pickled by cheap alcohol and processed food, and you’re part of the way towards realising why this species go a bit loopy from time to time.

The road is long

Across the world, students are taking on decisions that perhaps should be left to the more rational human. We start off in China, where one determined lad from Yangtze University decided to use the snowstorms that have crippled the country’s transport systems to his advantage. The unnamed man hired a pair of skis and attempted the 150 mile trip home but after 25 miles his project was foiled by police who dropped him off at the nearest working bus station.

Perhaps the image of a student bound to his/her sofa for the majority of their

September last year and landed himself in jail. Farhood Azarsina, a PhD student at Memorial University, in Canada’s eastern province of Newfoundland, admitted to kissing a woman on her breast while the two were sharing an elevator. “You can’t expect all males to control themselves when the breasts are out,” he said, and was promptly banged up for two months.

The jailhouse rocks

He would be glad to learn, however, that prison doesn’t necessarily put an end to the greatest perk of student life. Recently it was revealed that 250 inmates in the UK had received maintenance grants since 1998, while 91 more had been given repayable student loans. The total sum slipped through the prison bars amounted to over £250,000. At the time these jailbirds were on higher education courses designed for offenders, yet Universities’ Secretary John Denham has said that the grants and loans will be suspended.

Student swindlers are not just operating inside the borstal walls. It’s long been known that students struggling to juggle

“Across the world, students are taking on decisions that should be left to the more rational mind” degree is a relic of the past? Last year a University of Bristol student completed the “toughest race on earth”, rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic to raise £60,000 for Bristol Zoo. Niall McCann and his pal, James Burge, spent two months at sea, eventually docking in Antigua. “We had a boat full of girls in bikinis come out to meet us”, said Niall. “After spending two months staring at a hairy guy rowing, the bikini boat was definitely one of the best things about arriving back.” Amen to that.

But an Iranian student took perhaps too much of a shining to the opposite sex in

study with fun are buying pre-written essays and passing them off as their own.

Well, nothing out of the ordinary there. But recently an essay-writing firm, UKEssays. com, said that parents are in on the act: “The students will talk about the essay they want and then they put their parents on the phone to give the credit card details.” The firm claim that 78 per cent of student customers are using parents’ money to purchase ‘model essays’.

Such parent power got another boost with the news that Halle Berry’s unborn child has already landed a place at a top-

flight US university. On the TV show, Inside the Actors Studio, host James Lipton – who is also the dean of New York’s prestigious Pace University – said: “I would like to say that since this little person has already attended this craft seminar and has behaved like a perfect gentleman or lady, he or she is officially and forever an alumnus or an alumna of Pace University.”

Lucky blighter.

Couch potato

But luck comes in all forms, and a Law student may have been gifted with something even better. Last year Brigham Nordstrom discovered he had more than his fair share of kidneys: five of them to be precise. Doctors running a CT scan for a kidney infection made the discovery, hailing the man as a medical marvel. And with kidneys being a key player in the breaking down of alcohol, how fitting that the host is a student.

Elsewhere, it seems one student may have indulged so much that nothing would budge her from the sofa. Victoria Bramall, of Rusholme, Manchester, was left stunned after a “respectable looking” man sauntered into her house smoking a cigarette and strolled off with the TV she was watching. Despite the sound of breaking glass and a stranger wandering into the house, none of the five resident students managed to intervene. I rest my case.

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STUDENT PROFILES

Constant buzz in beautiful York Y ork St John University really is a special place to live and learn. Founded in 1841, York St John has a long and proud tradition in educating students. Its campus is just a stone’s throw from the bustling and vibrant city centre of York and their students love the fact that everything is on one site.

Buzzing atmosphere A major investment of £50 million in recent years has seen the development of cutting-edge buildings and facilities and there is more student accommodation coming online this autumn. As a relatively small university,

own potential. Treating students as an individual is at the heart of what they do.

“I have loved every minute of my experience here.

I'm overwhelmed by how many people I have met“ they get to know our students well and work hard to help them realise your

Charlie Hadden, Year 3, English Language & Linguistics student says:

“The best things about being a student at York St John are the constant buzzing atmosphere on campus, the enthusiastic staff and the nightly entertainment in the Students’ Union – they cater for everyone! Being a campus university, York St John has everything you will ever need for being a student here, all on one site.

Since the day I arrived the tutors and lecturing staff have been extremely supportive and they work hard to help you to succeed. York is a beautiful, historical city and quite compact so everything from the smaller, quirky shops to the large high street shops and supermarkets are within walking distance from the campus.

“I have loved every minute of my experience at York St John. I‘m overwhelmed by how many people I have met, from around the world.“

Whole people, not brains on legs Y ou probably want to go to university for a lot of different reasons. Getting a good job is usually high on the list of priorities; so is getting more deeply into the subject you loved at school, but just as important is the chance that university offers you to spread your wings a bit, get away from home and make your own decisions about your life and future.

Extra-curricular activities Universities aren‘t in the business of turning out brains on legs, they‘re interested in the whole person. At the University of Greenwich, they provide plenty of extra-curricular activities, such as clubs and societies, where you can develop your interests and meet new people. Our clubs, bars, cafés and coffee shops are great venues for getting to know fellow students

from some of the hundred plus countries represented at the university.

Sport is a great way of expanding your horizons: you may remember that team

rugby. Now you can try something a bit different, like American football or rowing.

Your academic life will stretch you as well. You’ll learn negotiation skills (and patience!) on team exercises, and how to stand up and argue your point in tutorials; and you’ll need plenty of organisation to get that essay in on time.

Olufunke Olajide, a BSc Hons Biomedical Science student, speaks for many: “My experience at university has developed my confidence and self belief, as well as my independence.”

That, plus a first-rate education, is

“My experience at university has developed my confidence and self belief as well as my independence“ spirit and determination at school, but then you were playing football, netball or

what university’s about. www.gre.ac.uk

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Time to think about a better future Customise your career with a degree of help from us

•• More higher education courses than any other college in England •• Well deserved reputation for being a truly supportive place to study •• Friendly, helpful and knowledgeable tutors committed to helping you succeed Contact our Admissions Team to find out which of our 270 courses is right for you

Making the most out of who you are takes focus, effort–and the University of Greenwich.

Our full-time and part-time foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes are all geared to help you fulfil your potential, whatever your stage of life. And with fees lower than nearly all other universities, there has never been a better time to invest in your future.

From architecture to events management, from language to sports science, our wide range of programmes will help you to develop the skills and knowledge to take the fast track to the career of your choice.

For more information:

Freephone: 0800 005 006 E-mail: courseinfo@gre.ac.uk Web: www.gre.ac.uk

) 01274 433333

* admissions@bradfordcollege.ac.uk 8 www.bradfordcollege.ac.uk

38, 39 York Greenwich.indd 39

Minimum fees

Maximum prospects

12/03/2008 11:00:28

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XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX GAP YEAR

Time to spread your wings Don’t get weighed down by the pressure of making a decision about your future too quickly. After 14 years of education, your brain will be saturated. Therefore it may be wise to step back and take a year out: you’ll have time to think about what you want to do, and an opportunity to experiment with various ideas, such as internships, apprenticeships, and travelling

“Nowadays your average student can be found clambering over Mayan ruins in Guatemala, or swanning off for nine months with no word to the parents“ SARA EVANS

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ap year travels are becoming increasingly popular among those in the sandwich period between the end of school and the beginning of the next stage in their lives. Where even 10 years ago, only the most daring and privileged would consider leaving the nest for longer than a break, nowadays your average student (230,000 of them each year!) can be found clambering over Mayan ruins in Guatemala, and swanning off for nine months with no word to the parents.

Indeed the UK gap year industry is now so huge it is thought to be worth £2.2bn.

The benefits of taking a year out after school are multiple. You can spend the time how you like, whether in work, doing an apprenticeship, internship, or travelling. Either way, it’ll give you some time to step back from life and figure out what it is that you want from it. After all, you’ll have been in education for 14 years straight and are probably gasping for a break. And with so much time on your hands, you can experiment with a number of things, even a combination of the four mentioned above.

Travelling for a while allows you to shake off the cobwebs brought on by a decade and a half of studying. Many people work for a few months after school has finished to earn the money for their trip. If you have an idea in mind of what you want to study at university it would be good to get some experience in this before you go away; and if it pays, all the better.

Doing so will greatly benefit your degree and will show an initiative that no doubt appeals to future employers. Otherwise, there are many well-paying, but perhaps mundane, jobs to keep you ticking over until you jet off. Youngsters persistently end up in call centres, flitting door-to-door selling double glazing, or scrubbing dishes in the local greasy spoon. If this is your future, then you may want to reconsider: however, given that it’s all for a worthwhile cause, the thought of heading off to sunnier climes will push you through.

As well as the obvious taste of freedom and the opportunity to sample an array of different cultures, climates, and activities - travelling can also give you some time to decide what to study at university, or even whether university is the right thing for you. There is a lot of pressure towards the end of the final school year

to make a decision on where to go next, and too often teachers and parents make the assumption that university is the right move. In this case it is good to step back from all the hype and have the time to make your own decision, based on whether you think you’ll fully apply yourself and enjoy the time there.

A first for everything Gap year travels can be one of the most rewarding periods of your life. For the majority of travellers, it is a first for many experiences: the first good stint away from home and free of the parents, the first time you’ll “live” abroad; and perhaps the first time you can fully immerse yourself in a culture and society other than your own.

While some people purely travel, moving from one place to another and sampling the different delights that each has to offer, others may end up living in one place for a while and working.

The work can either be to make money, such as bar or office work - in which case you should have a decent grasp of the native language and correct visa – or it can be one of the many community or environment-related projects on offer abroad. These can be rewarding, provided you pick the right one. Many of the organisations seem to be profit-driven, charging you upwards of £1,000 to clear some forest floor for three months. It is important that, if you do decide to go with one of these, you know where your money is going. Perhaps the most effective way of getting involved in a project is to wait until you arrive in your country of choice and spend time speaking to locals and researching on the ground. You may come across a local, grassroots group who will welcome you with open arms and scoff at

the idea of charging you for your help. See the article on Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) programmes on page 42

Earn while you learn Another way to fill your year out is by doing an apprenticeship. Four words: earn while you learn. It’s that simple.

Apprenticeships are like gold dust for people wanting to combine education with a bit of income, particularly if they have a clear idea of a role that would interest them. Your year out after school would be a good time to complete an apprenticeship, giving you both time to decide whether you’d like to go back into education after the apprenticeship, or to determine whether you’ve found your making. A section on page 57 goes into more detail on apprenticeships.

Similar, though perhaps not as hands-on as apprenticeships, a stint as an intern in an attractive looking role would be a great way to fill some of those empty months. Hundreds of industries out there are looking for young people to work for free: it is a gift to them. Some will offer you creative input while others will lump you with office administration tasks: it depends on the organisation and the type of work they do. Check carefully what sort of work you’ll be doing before you accept an offer, and try and gear your choices so that they tie in with your ideas for university or a career.

Work hard, play hard Finally, you can spend your gap year earning some soon-to-be-needed hard cash. University could wipe you dry if you haven’t built up a little stash for those tricky times, although you wouldn’t want to spend your whole gap year working in a mundane 9-to-5, so combine it with a bit of holidaying.

Importantly, your time out after school should give you some space to think about what you want to spend the next few years of your life doing. Enjoy the freedom but remember that it could get tedious if it goes on too long, so start to think of ways to fill it. It is a particularly good period if you haven’t been accepted on a university or college course and need some new strategies. You can withdraw your application and re-apply the following year; fresh from whatever you’ve filled that period doing. With any luck you’ll be tanned, wide-eyed and ever the wiser.

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Is volunteering overseas t A surge in the desire for young people to help out in projects in the world’s poorer countries has seen a rise in the number of volunteer-based organisations. Some have proved effective, some not. University of Sussex student, JONNY PLATT, spent two years on a Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) programme in Vietnam. He tells Courses Extra about his experience, and advises on what to be careful of when choosing such an organisation

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have just returned from two of the hardest years of my life. It feels like I have been put to the test in so many ways, like I never stopped moving and at times like I’d never been under so much pressure – yet I wish I was still there. I was working as a Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) volunteer in a small organisation in Vietnam.

I first applied to VSO in late 2004. After a thorough application and training process I was offered a position as a Fundraising and PR officer in a school for street children in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam, and was sent a full job description outlining my tasks.

It was a little overwhelming – how could I do so much in one year? Nevertheless it seemed like a great opportunity for me, and genuinely

understood the cultural differences and had a basic grasp of Vietnamese, so we could work effectively without clumsily upsetting people due to cultural insensitivity. It was impressive how comprehensive the preparations were – not just so I could get the most out of the year but to ensure that VSO and the partner organisation also achieved their goals.

Proof of the pudding

It was also slightly frightening – it was the time of the bird flu crisis which originated in Vietnam, and while we felt supported by VSO we had to frequently write up and re-assess plans for what would happen in the event of an evacuation, or what would happen if all air traffic was suspended in the event of an

‘I was sent a full job description outlining my tasks. It was a little overwhelming - how could I do so much in one year?’ matched my strengths in event organisation, promotions and, although I didn’t realise until later, telesales!

Cultural differences

I flew to Vietnam with another volunteer in August 2005 and met four more volunteers who had arrived the day before. We spent four weeks training in Hanoi to ensure we

I realised it was Tiet Canh – raw, congealed duck’s blood soup. It didn’t taste too bad, slightly metallic, but it didn’t stop me imagining horrible things happening to my insides for the next week or two.

Arriving in Saigon to start work was thrilling but a real shock to the system. Here I was, a country lad at heart, in a city whose

outbreak – where would you go? It didn’t help that whilst exploring Hanoi in the first week I met a nice man on the street who offered me some of his pudding. It looked a bit like pink Angel Delight, topped with peanuts, herbs and a twist of lime – it was only as I put the spoon in my mouth and he started gesturing how good it was for my strength and my heart that

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s the right thing for you? population is between 7 and 11 million people, surrounded by six million motorbikes who seemed to have a deathwish, countless building sites, all kinds of great food and drink sold by vendors on every corner. And very, very few trees!

The work at the school was overwhelming at first – unlike most VSO placements

due to the school having lost several of its staff over the previous summer and not having enough funds to hire more. As a result I was asked to take on a bigger role than I had expected, and as a result I began managing a lot of the extra curricular activities at the school and coordinating the activities of the short term volunteers.

However, as time progressed I fell into a more comfortable rhythm. I got to know the children living at the school well through organising birthday parties and trips out to the park or a local pool, and very occasionally to the beach.

My roles were multiple at the school. I booked and organised large fundraising dinners at hotels, made countless phone calls, emails and meetings with potential sponsors, and attending business networking functions organised by the

‘I enjoyed the work so much I opted to extend my placement and eventually spent two years in Saigon’ there was little time to find my feet before launching into organising a big fundraising event,

foreign embassies. I also investigated out new leads for sponsorship, helped to ensure that we received plenty of coverage in the local press for our efforts, and managed and recruited short term volunteers. On the side I organised art and vocational classes and, of course, spent a good amount of time with the children.

Language barrier

Whatever I was doing it never seemed to stop, and it wasn’t unusual for me to spend six or seven days a week at the school. Fortunately

I still managed to arrange a trip out of the city for some fresh air and to remind myself what hills, trees and greenery looked like every couple of months – and Vietnam is an exceptionally beautiful country to explore.

Language was always a significant barrier and it wasn’t always possible to work with a translator, complicating work in the office, but with the students this never really mattered. It was great seeing the facilities and opportunities available to the kids increase as we worked, but it was even better when we had funds left over to take the children off to the water park. I enjoyed the work so much I opted to extend my placement and eventually spent two years living and working in Saigon.

Living in a foreign country for such a long time was a very strange experience, as you go from the shock of the new sights, sounds and experiences to eventual familiarity – the city became my home away from home. It was fascinating and often shocking to meet a whole section of the overseas business community working in the developing world.

Many were good, caring people and I made many friends. At the same time it was inspiring to see the efforts of the many small Vietnamese organisations working to improve conditions for the less fortunate and meet the passionate, committed people working in them.

Of course, there was a lot more I enjoyed – I came to love my little motorbike and adore the food. Most of all I developed great relationships with the children I worked with, who I miss terribly now. Over the two years

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GAP YEAR

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I know in retrospect I was lazy in organising my gap year - I liked the idea of letting someone do everything for me and for that I paid a hefty price

I got to see them develop into mature, kind and delightful young people, and I know that whatever the future of the school they were living in, they are bright and independent enough to go far in life.

Choosing a placement

More and more people wish to do something constructive in their gap years – they love the idea of travelling the world yet don’t want to just be tourists to poverty.

I was exactly the same when I planned my gap year, and yet I found the whole experience very disheartening and frustrating as I felt the ‘gap year experience’ organisation had misled me. It was my frustration with the gap year project I worked on that lead me to apply to VSO three years later.

Be realistic: you aren’t going to change the world. It’s also unlikely that as an untrained volunteer you will be of more help as a teacher, nurse or vet than a qualified local professional, so don’t be surprised if you sign up for such a project only to arrive in country to find there is no work for you.

Instead, think about what skills you have to offer and what position would suit you, and apply for a relevant role. For example, instead of teaching, perhaps you could organise extra-curricular activities or work as a teacher’s assistant? Could you assist the organisation in the office, doing fundraising and PR work, helping build a website or some other work you have past experience of?

Consider as well the responsibility of the gap year organisation – is it really ethical to send people without skills to do work that most would spend years in training to achieve? I don’t think so, and I would suggest you tread carefully when you come across a gap year organisation that does. Do your research: I

know in retrospect I was lazy in organising my gap year – I liked the idea of letting someone do everything for me, and for that I paid a hefty price, all of which seemed to go to the UK office rather than the project I was working on.

There are literally thousands of small, local NGOs worldwide who are looking for volunteers, and if you spend a bit of time looking on the internet you’re bound to find one that suits you. It needn’t cost you anything either – and perhaps that is money you’d like to save to support the work of the organisation you volunteer for.

Give your time: It can be a big shock to the system adapting to a new country, let alone new working practices and a new job. Allow time to settle in before expecting to be able to fully apply yourself, and expect to commit for at least six weeks to be of any use. Don’t approach organisations asking to volunteer for ‘one or two days’ or a week – if they reply at all (we never used to bother) they are likely to reject you.

Learn about the country

Get educated: Learn about the country you will be living in before you visit – it will greatly enhance your experience and help you uncover a lot more while you’re living there.

If you choose to organise your placement through a UK organisation, make sure you pick one that gives you training to prepare you for all you will experience, and that offers support for when you return home – many people find the culture shock on returning home the toughest part of going away.

One of the most striking things at VSO was the level to which they ensured you were prepared for working overseas:

”

after all, the more prepared you are, the higher the quality of your work will be.

I remember sitting there amazed, as it really brought home how the ‘gap year experience’ company had thrown us in the deep end with no preparation whatsoever.

Ask the right questions: Is the organisation or company a registered charity? If there is a fee, what does it go on: supporting the local partner organisations, or the volunteers themselves? Or just marketing? Try to find out what percentage of the money is actually used on the ground and how much is spent on the organisation’s overheads.

Is the organisation selective? Remember – you’re applying to do volunteer work, so expect an application process as if you were applying for a job. Organisations should be selective to ensure the volunteers are both skilled enough for a job, and prepared mentally to spend a long time living and working overseas. In the meantime, travelling can still teach you a great deal about the world around you – and seeing the difference in living standards worldwide will hopefully make you re-evalute your life in the UK and inspire you to get involved in charitable and campaigning work on your return home.

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Building bridges abroad I

f the idea of going straight into higher education gives you the shivers, or if you’re just looking for more time to discover where your career is headed, then why not defer university for a year and jet off on an exciting work or volunteer adventure with BUNAC? Not only will you experience life in another country, but you’ll also make life-long friends, earn money to travel and develop valuable career skills that will put you ahead of your peers.

BUNAC, the leader in work and volunteer abroad programmes since 1942,

as Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

You’ll have the added security of BUNAC’s global support network every step of the way, with the opportunity to meet new friends before you even touch-down on a BUNAC group flight!

Raising awareness

Beach, Machu Picchu or the Great Wall of China could be right on your doorstep.

BUNAC will take care of all the necessary visa paperwork and travel arrangements so that you can concentrate on making this the working holiday of a lifetime.

Alternatively you could spend between five weeks and six months contributing towards one of BUNAC’s worthwhile volunteer projects, such as helping to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in Africa, teaching street children in South America or working on a local community project in South-East Asia.

Participating in a BUNAC working holiday has the potential to be one of the most rewarding and memorable experiences of your life. It also provides a great talking point for potential employers once back in the UK.

"BUNAC takes care of all the visa and travel arrangements so you can concentrate on making this the working holiday of a lifetime" offers you the chance to explore some of the most exciting destinations in the world, and not just as a tourist. Places like New York, LA, the Rocky Mountains, Bondi

BUNAC’s flexible work abroad programmes give you the chance to spend anything from eight weeks to 12 months living like a local in countries such

gap year

working holidays

Make the most of your time out from studies with BUNAC’s wide range of exciting work and volunteer programmes.

With the benefit of BUNAC’s support, you’ll be able to gain work experience while exploring another country. It also looks great on your CV!

g n i rd

a w re

Work and travel for up to twelve months in Canada, Australia or South Africa or, up to two years in New Zealand Volunteer or teach in Ghana, South Africa, Costa Rica, Peru, Cambodia, China or the USA

Summer camp jobs in the US on Summer Camp USA

For further information or to download an application form, please visit the BUNAC website.

TM

www.bunac.org/coursesextra Tel: 020 7251 3472 E-mail: enquiries@bunac.org.uk

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Rushed decisions often backfire. Perhaps at no time is the heat felt greater than when choosing your university and course.

For those who are unsure, it may be wise to take a joint honours degree, keeping your options open and having the chance to dip into a wider range of topics. TIM HAWKINS is studying Spanish and Politics at the University of Bristol and talks to Courses Extra about how his time is split between courses and between travelling to Colombia, where he took these pictures

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oint honours is a combination of two courses that generally have an obvious harmony, although this doesn’t have to be the case. What can be very beneficial about joint honours is that you can choose two courses that complement each other well; for example, one vocational and one non-vocational. We caught up with University of Bristol student, Tim Hawkins, who is in his final year studying Spanish and Politics, to find out what he gained from splitting his time between two quite distinct subjects.

“The great thing about joint honours is that you can choose two subjects that are structured differently - whose methods of learning are quite distinct – but that go very well together. I had actually always known that I wanted to work in the Politics field and was fascinated by Latin America – therefore my two subjects were needed to further this.”

Combining skills Tim has used both elements of his degree to great effect. Last year, after doing a sandwich year at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina, he spent four months in Colombia filming a family displaced by the war. His grasp of Spanish was crucial to this project: lacking the native language in a country as volatile as Colombia could be very costly.

Working in such an environment means you have to be able to communicate with those around you, both to operate successfully and to know the dangers you face.

“Although I was generally fine whilst in Colombia, there is always the threat that you’ll have to negotiate your way out of a tricky situation. You need to know the risks around you, and the only way to learn this is through talking to the locals. Going in blind to such an area could, in the worst case scenario, cost you your life.

“Importantly, however, there isn’t much point in going to a country where you can’t communicate with people. You’ll always be on the outside and therefore not gain the insight and understanding you should be looking for. In that sense I couldn’t have made a film about this family without speaking their language.”

Politics is, of course, inextricably linked to many of the world’s conflicts. Studying the subject at university may sound dull but it gives you an idea of the causes and evolution of many of life’s fundamentals: in Tim’s case, how the actions of your average Joe in England can impact on the life of such a family in Colombia was integral to his experience. It therefore gave him some awareness of the system he would be exposing in making a film that used a war between the government and rebel groups as its background.

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“Studying Politics gave me the tools to understand the structures in place that have caused the problems I was documenting. This was hugely important because I needed to understand the background to this story: the sensitivities of their situation, how it fits into the wider Colombian context and, particularly, for my own development, how my country has played a part in this war.”

Study abroad Of course having the ability to speak two languages can be useful in many

has described as very formative.

“I wanted to study in Latin America in order to see the world from a totally new perspective. When I mentioned Buenos Aires, my tutors at Bristol were incredibly supportive because they saw that I was determined to follow my own path. They really encouraged independence when they could see that I wanted to achieve something different and exciting.”

Although Tim had a strong notion of what he wanted to achieve during and after his degree, joint honours work equally well for people who don’t

“By studying Politics and Spanish my life turned into an incredible adventure. It‘s not what you study, it‘s what you do with it that counts“ situations. Tim spent a term in Spain as part of his degree before heading to Argentina. There, whilst polishing up on the language, he studied Spanish guitar and developed a taste for film-making, which would eventually lead him to Colombia. And, without the language of course, he wouldn’t have been able to study in Buenos Aires: an experience he

necessarily know what they want from the academic side of university. The prime purpose of studying two subjects alongside one another is that your options are wider and therefore you don’t specialise early on in one subject that turns out not to be to your liking.

Generally, joint honours are weighted equally so that each subject carries the

same value. Sometimes, however, you’ll find universities offer a balance of 70/30 or 66/33, and so on. You should definitely check out whether the balance offered is to your suiting.

All the skills Furthermore, you graduate with two specialisms. Although some employers believe the point of university is to focus on one particular area, joint honours give you multiple skills and a wideranging knowledge bank. And although the skills you learn are a fundamental part of university, it is the situations you then apply them to that really make the experience worthwhile.

“People should realise that university is about so much more than your degree,” says Tim. “I have learned what an incredible privilege it is to have such a varied and engaging education and am determined to get as much as I can out of it while it lasts. By studying Politics and Spanish my life turned into an incredible adventure. It’s not what you study, it’s what you do with it that counts!”

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“I wanted to study in Latin America in order to see the world from a totally new perspective“

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Towering Over Liverpool Danny Rankin, from Scouse band, The Steeples, is a focused lad. He studied music at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, and tells us about the plus-points of following a specific skill and how this has propelled The Steeples to success Why is Liverpool such a fertile breeding ground for bands?

You could do an entire research project into this question because there really is a constant flow of good bands. I doubt any of them could deny the influence of The Beatles, even if it is indirectly through their own influences. I suppose it's the domino effect: The Beatles were such an unstoppable force that young lads wanted to be in bands because of them for years after, and from then on record labels were looking for the next Beatles.

They made more bands successful based on this and it will go on.

You obviously had a very specific idea of what you wanted to study. Did this waver at all while you were there?

Apart from maybe sport and maths, music was my strongest subject in school. I enjoyed languages as well

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but the good thing about music is that it crosses so many interesting subjects as you venture through it. Therefore anything I might have been interested in studying, I've been able to explore through music. Being quite strong at maths was great because music theory is very mathematical. Everything happens in fours and eights and intervals are all explained through numbers. The whole physics of sound is mathematical so this left me with the ammunition to attack the creative side.

Did you ever worry that choosing such a specific course would narrow your options later in life?

I new what I wanted at an early age so it made it quite easy for me to choose my course. Music was something I had become so involved with on different levels that there wasn‘t really a choice.

I remember when my mates and I were in school picking our GCSE options and mine pretty much picked themselves. I

they do, and yet you're working hard writing essays when you could be learning the new Libertines song. A music degree is very hands on anyway so it doesn't really feel like studying most of the time.

Obviously writing essays requires a lot more of an academic attitude but my essays were to do with recording contracts or studying the soundtrack from a film so it was all beneficial to my future. Such a well-renowned institution will no doubt be fiercely competitive for applicants.

Were you a bundle of nerves going into the application process?

The application process was quite long winded really: lots of forms to fill out, then interviews and performances, writing in groups, and theory tests. It’s all part of the process though and, again, it sets you up for the future. The way I saw it was that if I wasn’t good enough then I wouldn't get in and therefore there would be no point in me doing the course anyway because I wasn’t ready.

“Music crosses so many subjects. Anything I might have been interested in studying I've been able to explore through music” don't worry that choosing music could leave me without options because there are many jobs in music as in any subject.

There's writing, producing, arranging, teaching, performing, management, A&R. The options are endless and every route requires so many musical and non-musical skills so you’re always learning new methods and tricks of the trade.

What was the feeling like knowing you were studying for three years something you would do anyway in your spare time?

It’s weird studying a subject that you got into because of musical heroes that probably have no qualifications in what

The Steeples didn’t form at LIPA but you no doubt developed your musical ability to a great extent. How much was the experience crucial to The Steeples current success?

I learnt a lot at LIPA but to be honest none of it really clicked while I was there. In fact I was pretty average as far as I remember. When I left, however, a lot of things clicked into place, mainly from real life experiences. On many occasions I was completely baffled by what was going on and yet everyone else understood. I know now that they were all either a few years older and more prepared than me, or blagging it: another valuable skill I learnt!

A lot of people go to university or college to get a degree and emerge realising that academia is only a small part of the experience. Are you part of this school of thought?

Yes, I agree it’s a small part but unfortunately it's the important part. The student lifestyle is renowned for being a pretty wild one but it's up to the individual to balance it out. If I had partied more I would’ve failed. I was pretty clueless when I did my degree and it took a while for a lot of it to sink in.

Spill the beans on what your average day as a student would involve.

My average day as a student usually involved getting the train to Liverpool and being late for lectures. I'd have a few lectures, some songwriting classes and technique performance classes.

Because LIPA is mainly pop, rock, blues and jazz – and the more popular music styles – you have to learn how to teach yourself as opposed to being taught how to play a song. Usually I would go to the library because they had shed loads of albums and films to rent so I’d grab them and then go home and watch a film and do some work then maybe go out at night or play a gig.

Can the distractions at times be so tempting that work is put on the backburner?

Work always gets put on the back burner.

You’re 18 years old, there are loads of girls, pubs, bands and parties so the last thing on your mind is work. Then about four weeks into the course people seem to be handing in assignments and you hit the panic button and start to get your head down to some work. Obviously by third year you can’t really party much at all because the work will pile up.

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The Digital Revolution We are in the age of revolution. So rapid are the changes in modern media that technologies become extinct only a few years after their creation. The plus-side, however, is the rise of digital arts, an expanding realm inhabited by highly creative artists and showcased this year at the New Generation Arts Festival in Birmingham. Tom Green tells all...

A

lthough no technology form ever completely replaces another (video didn’t kill the radio star; TV and DVD’s haven’t killed the cinema and the internet hasn’t been the end of print), forms do evolve to meet the needs of those that use them.

Successful artists are great integrators – people who can see how each medium or channel fits together with others.

The rise of digital technology has been accompanied by a surge in digital artists and one city in particular which seems to be attracting technological, digital and artistic innovation is Birmingham.

One of Europe’s largest showcases for graduate talent, Birmingham’s New Generation Arts (NGA) Festival 2008, organised by Birmingham City University, kicks off on 5 June and showcases over 16 days of digital arts euphoria covering music, visual art, theatre, performances and special interactive features. The festival aims to be the ultimate platform for showcasing new graduate talent alongside established names within the framework of the modern digital era, reinforcing Birmingham’s status as a centre of culture, creativity and digital innovation.

Previously supported by a host of

local Birmingham community by inviting them to submit mobile phone pictures of “Life in Birmingham”. The photo gallery will also be exhibited on the BBC Big Screens across the city alongside ‘Billboard Narratives’ supported by the Betty Trask Award-winning novelist, Nicola Monaghan.

By posting storylines on billboards

“Successful artists are great integrationists - people who can see how each medium or channel fits together with others” celebrities including model Erin O’Connor, social commentator Germaine Greer, comedian Frank Skinner, artist Anthony Gormley and author Philip Pullman, the exploration of the digital theme takes centre stage this year through a dynamic blend of celebrated emerging artists on the verge of international success.

One of the most eagerly anticipated exhibitions at the NGA seeks to engage the

located around the city, commuters will be encouraged to contribute their ideas and responses via text message, which will then be developed by a network of writers.

This will allow members of the public to fashion their own unique story board.

Explosions in 2008 Other highlights of the 2008 festival will include a 20 foot kinetic art sculpture

plant in Birmingham’s city centre, created by up-and-coming digital artist Jane Prophet; and the one-off extravagant VJ/DJ event, the “omni-media” Project X Presents. There will also be the eminent ‘Big Debate’. With our daily experience very much influenced by the increasing reach of digital media, the explosions in the online community and social networking, and the development and adoption of new technologies - the debate poses the question: ‘Is this connectivity or just lost content?’

A new dawn Art is increasingly about interaction, and there is no bigger arena for this than the digital arena. So if you fancy being directly involved in a festival, rather than just a passive recipient of its content, then check out the New Generation Arts Festival this year.

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Nottingham... a great place to study New College Nottingham offers an exciting range of university-level courses in the following subject areas: � Art, Design, Fashion and Media � Business, Computing and Law � Food, Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism � Music (Performance and Production) � Performing Arts (Dance, Acting and Technical Theatre)

As well as high standards of teaching and student support, ncn offers a vibrant, cosmopolitan atmosphere, plus some excellent facilities all within easy reach of Nottingham City Centre with its lively nightlife, cultural hotspots and bustling shops.

There are lots of reasons to choose ncn.

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The Apprentice Want to learn the tricks of the trade?

Apprenticeships are rising in popularity, in part driven by the ‘earn while you learn‘ perk. And for those unsure whether university or college is for them, apprenticeships provide a direct route into the world of work.

Luke Baines, from the Learning and Skills Council, reports

S

uper chef Jamie Oliver, fashion designer Karen Millen and Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson all have one thing in common: they proved that apprenticeships open doors to a better future. Even the BBC thinks highly of them, having produced a triumphant reality TV programme on apprenticeships lead by the guru of all young enterprisers, Sir Alan Sugar.

The UK alone caters for over 180 apprenticeships in more than 80 sectors, so you are pretty much spoilt for choice.

You can try your hand in sectors as diverse as accountancy or sea-fishing, veterinary nursing or ceramics, or even football.

Life changing Four words: earn while you learn. An apprenticeship is a combination of on and off the job training which not only offers a structured route to a successful career, but can also act as a stepping stone if you want to go on to university. This often carries the financial backing of your employer. Paid from day one, apprenticeships are now seen as a viable, debt-free route to getting the career you want.

By his own admission, John Vickery lacked motivation after leaving school and jumped from job to job for a while, uncertain what direction to take until he heard about

Rise to the Premiership Footballing prodigy, James Cullingworth, hopes that his apprenticeship will lead to the premiership

apprenticeships. John started work as a telecommunications apprentice at Orange in 2002, and having completed his Advanced Apprenticeship in record time in September 2005, is now working within the Field Operations team at Orange. John put his achievements into perspective when he said, “The apprenticeship has given me technical skills, life skills and a college education.

Above all, it has given me the opportunity to build myself a life changing career”. His achievements were rewarded in 2006, when he was named Advanced Apprentice of the

between one and four years to complete, depending on the type of apprenticeship.

Rise to the Premiership Footballing prodigy, James Cullingworth, hopes that his apprenticeship will lead to the premiership. James, 20, completed his Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence in 2007 and is now fulfilling his boyhood ambition of playing for Nottingham Forest. Apprenticeships offer a stimulating work environment, combining theory and practice, and

“Apprenticeships are a combination of on and off the job training, and act as a stepping stone if you want to go on to university“ Year at the LSC’s national Apprenticeship Awards. John is now the dedicated trainer of new apprentices in the Midlands Region.

Double storey There are two levels of apprenticeships: ‘Apprenticeships’ - equivalent to GCSE level - incorporating a National Vocational Qualification to Level 2, key skills and in some cases a technical certificate; and 'Advanced Apprenticeships’, equivalent to A-levels, incorporating a National Vocational Qualification to Level 3, key skills and a technical certificate Apprenticeships typically take

enabling an individual to pursue their dream career whilst building a solid foundation of transferable skills such as communication, numeracy, team working and problem solving. "My Apprenticeship was mentally challenging, but fun at the same time. It has given me the knowledge and skills that I can take forward into my footballing career. The great thing is that if the football doesn't work out, I could apply to do sports science at university with the qualifications I've got now".

From war to employment The selection process for an apprenticeship

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Gareth Moore

John Vickery

Zenel Lika

is just like any other job application process.

You are put through a series of interviews, and in some cases, tests, to establish if you are the right fit for the role.

Zenel Lika, now 20, fled the war torn Kosovo to the UK in 2002. After his house was attacked by masked gunman, his mother arranged his escape. He arrived in Warwick when he was 14, and went to school before being accepted to undertake an apprenticeship in Mechanical Engineering with A N Tools in Warwickshire.

Alan Naylor, Director at A N Tools, believes that Zenel is a remarkable individual and has high hopes for his future. “Zenel has overcome barriers over the past four years that, to most people, would be untenable. He has become a well respected member of the local community and his achievements at school, college and work make him a shining example.”

Zenel says: “I was determined to succeed and make something of myself despite my circumstances. It’s been difficult for me to learn the language and keep studying but I was determined to achieve something. I will not give up until I have gained my qualification.” Zenel was crowned Personal Achiever of the Year at the Apprenticeship Awards 2007

are impressed by the high quality of applicants for apprenticeship places. NG Bailey, one of the UK’s largest building services providers, receives around 40 applications for every apprenticeship place it offers, many from young people who could have gone to university but choose to undertake an apprenticeship instead.

Chief Executive Mark Andrews says: “As you can see, we have a lot of competition for our apprenticeship programme, in which we invest heavily to provide training in the complete range of high quality skills demanded by today’s construction

syllabus. When practical application goes hand in hand with theory, the end result is apprentices who are ‘work ready’ and able to get on with the job from day one.”

Despite some perceptions, apprenticeships are not just for those who don’t excel academically or can’t get in to university. More young people across the country with many options open to them, including university, are turning to apprenticeships to kick start their career.

Gareth Moor has flourished thanks to his

“Today’s apprenticeships are designed by industry, for industry, to ensure apprentices add value to an organisation from the start” industry. This demonstrates the value that young people place on getting practical experience in their chosen profession as well as learning the theory behind it.

“Whilst both theory and practice are equally important, an employer needs to know that a prospective employee not only understands what they are doing but that they can apply themselves practically to the task in hand.

“This is how apprenticeships set themselves apart from a mainly academic

What employers think Today’s apprenticeships are designed by industry, for industry, and are based around up-to-date, relevant, work-based training to ensure that apprentices add value to an organisation from the very start. As well as technical skills, apprentices are trained in the key skills of communication and numeracy as well as team working and problem solving – helping them improve not only the way they interact with clients and customers, but the way they work and engage with colleagues as well.

Employers up and down the country

Opening doors

Beth Pullman

apprenticeship, and was promoted to Site Foreman an impressive two years into his training. Gareth, 23, began his Advanced Apprenticeship in Electrical Engineering in September 2003, and instantly became a crucial member of Dougal and Railton’s team. Gareth says: “One of the main benefits of doing an apprenticeship has been the ongoing training I have received at college and at work.”

Gareth is currently in his second year working towards a degree in Building Services Engineering at Northumbria University. He does this part time whilst working, and has one year left to go.

Excitingly, Gareth has just purchased a plot of land and using his skills, he plans to build his own house.

With the announcement of 500,000 new places by 2020, apprenticeships have never been more accessible. To find out more, call the national apprenticeships helpline on 08000 150 600 or visit www.apprenticeships. org,uk. You can also make a direct approach to an employer you know is offering apprenticeships.

For young people aged 14-18, www. connexions-direct.com is also a good source of information

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Your way

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Clearing the way through Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get desperate if your first university application arrives back on your doorstep. Each year thousands of students go through UCAS Clearing to reach their dream course. Here, we break down into simple sections how to nail Clearing

C

learing is a way of applying for university or college places after you receive your exam results. It is there to help you apply for a place if your results were below that asked for by both your firm and insurance offer, or you hold no offers.

It is also to help you if you didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t apply to UCAS for a place at university or college until after 30 June 2008.

Clearing is a fairly simple idea. Basically, universities and colleges publish lists of all the places they still have available for 2008 and you

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can apply to any of the courses on that list.

If they accept you, you then confirm your decision, and start your degree course later on this year. More than 30,000 people gain a place through Clearing every year.

The Clearing listings are published from 12.01am on August 14 to September on the UCAS website (www.ucas.com/ clearing) and are updated regularly. As Scottish students receive their results earlier, there are Scottish listings published from 12.01am on August 5. All listings will also be published in The Independent and The Independent on Sunday. Once you have found a course with a vacancy that

confirmation letter automatically, as the institution will tell UCAS that they have accepted you.

Clearing Passport But what happens if you don’t have a Clearing Passport because you still haven’t applied to UCAS? Getting it is easier than you think. Just go online as soon as you can and make sure that everything you do is accurate. UCAS handle nearly all applications for full-time undergraduate courses at universities and colleges in the UK. You can apply very easily through Apply on the UCAS website. And the good

“UCAS has the right to cancel any applications which are found to contain any false, misleading or incomplete information” you are interested in, you have to call the admissions tutor of that course. Nobody else can do it – just you. If it goes well with the admissions tutor, and you feel this is the one for you, send them the reply slip from your Clearing Passport, having told them you’re Clearing Number. Don’t send it to UCAS. If they accept you, they will keep the form, if they don’t, they will send it back again, and you can contact other institutions. If you accept a place through Clearing, UCAS will send you a

thing is that you can start your application, and go back to it before you have to submit it. You will have a unique login, you can save changes and close it down, and then make as many updates whenever you want before you submit it, so you don’t have to panic about having to finish it all in one go.

2008 entry For Apply, go to www.ucas.com, and when the home page is open, click on

“apply” on the left hand side. This page has links to lots of information on how to use Apply. You can then go to the section for student login for 2008 entry. The first time you go to this, you need to click on the word “register”, and details of the terms and conditions appear. Once you accept these, it asks you how you are registering – through a school or college; a careers organisation; another organisation; or as an individual. If you are applying through your school or college, you will need to know the “buzzword” that your teacher will give you. If you choose one of the other options, you will then be asked a series of questions to check if you should be applying through your school, and that you haven’t already made an application for 2008 entry. They are also checking that you can send an appropriate reference – and that you can pay online when it is time to submit your application. Yes, there is a charge of £15 for every application after 30 June that UCAS makes to cover their costs.

You will then be asked to choose a password and enter a security question and answer (in case you forget your login details). Once you have done all that, you will receive a unique username – write it down somewhere safe, or email it to yourself. You will need it every time you log

“Personal statements are your chance to stand out from the crowd. Prove that you are keen, committed, and an asset to the university”

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on. You can then press “enter” – and you are in the world of Apply, by entering your username and password. And now you have five sections to complete (the section on courses is not available to you as you are applying to enter through Clearing).

Education As you would expect, this section asks what secondary school or college you have attended, and when. Whether you have attended any others, and whether you were full or part-time? You will also need to provide details of your exams, including those where you’re waiting for results. Easy enough.

Employment Have you ever worked in employment, full or part-time? Provide details. Again, straightforward enough.

About you Runs through the information you have already given to register. Then asks you a few more personal questions – where you were born, your ethnic origin, the

Reference Now you have to have all your comments about yourself backed up. As it says on the UCAS website, the reference should be written “in English by one of your teachers/tutors or someone who is able to comment with authority on your academic ability and potential to succeed on your chosen programme of study.”

It cannot be written by a member of your family, or a friend. A school or college teacher or tutor would be a suitable referee. There is very good advice on the UCAS website for the person who is writing your reference, but chances are that they will have written them before, so will know exactly what to do. You have to provide all their contact details here. If you are not submitting your application through your school or college, you will have to “cut and paste” your reference into this section. There is one very important fact to bear in mind that UCAS outlines in this section: Please note that you will be asked to declare that your application is "true, complete and accurate". UCAS has the

wait for your Clearing Passport to arrive, and then have this in front of you when you start to apply to universities and colleges during Clearing.

Good luck – it will be worth it.

“UCAS has the right to cancel any applications which are found to contain any false, misleading or incomplete information” occupation of your parents, if you have any disabilities, whether you have a criminal conviction, and what student support you will be getting. Most people are eligible for some support from their local education authority, and there is also a “don’t know” option.

Personal statement This is where it all gets a bit more interesting. Now is your chance to stand out from the crowd. An admissions tutor will not base their decision solely on your qualifications – they will read this section and the following section. You want to prove to the admissions tutor that you are a keen and committed student who will be an asset to their university or college.

Say what you found interesting about your studies at A-level, and show that you are a responsible person who will be able to work independently. And if you have any major achievements such as a Duke of Edinburgh award, music or sports victories, now is your chance to tell them about those.

right to cancel applications which are found to contain any false, misleading or incomplete information. Do not write all or any part of your reference yourself. Do not edit or change the wording of your reference.

Please also note that when your application is passed to the universities and colleges they will be informed that the reference has been provided by you. And remember that you have had to provide all their contact details, so it would be very easy to check up.

Once you have completed all the sections of the application and the reference has been added, you (or your school or college) will then be able to submit it to UCAS. You will now be asked to pay your £15, if you have not already paid. Then you

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Untitl

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