what to think about if you're in y12

Are you heading down the uni highway?

This month you can officially start applying to uni for 2020 entry. UCAS opens its website for people to register on 21st May. 

Don’t worry, the deadline is still a while away, but the dogs are now off the leash.
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Hopefully, if uni’s for you, then your ideas on what you might want to study have been gradually solidifying. If you’re not quite there yet, have a look at our Which Course? section for some help on working out what’s right for you. 

Once that’s decided, the next question is where to study? Sometimes this isn’t just about where the college/uni/institution it is in the country, but about what the place is really like – the atmosphere.

No two unis are the same. The surroundings and building affect how it feels, but so too do the people, the students.
Some unis are posh and traditional, some are full of students from the area, some are ethnic melting pots, some are arty, science-y or business-y.

Some are none of those things.

But how are you expected to know this? How can you get to know unis a little better?

Get yourself there. Nothing gives you a better idea than being there, experiencing it first-hand.

Universities all have official open days, either for the whole uni or for just one department. But you don’t have to wait for an open day, just contact the department and arrange a visit.

Make sure you get the most out of an open day or visit. Don’t let them just show you what they want. See the bits that will matter most to you, whether that’s the sports facilities, the labs, the theatre, the housing, the parking, the student union bar.

Don’t just visit one uni and think you’re done, either. You need to get yourself to at least three before you even start to get a feel for how they’re all different.
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Do you have any friends who went to the place you’re looking at? Get in touch with people and ask them for their top tips too.

Author

LUCY HARDING is the Editorial manager for Push. She is an English Literature grad and an MA Publishing student at UCL. She is passionate about international relations and cultural diversity, having worked closely with her university’s Erasmus society to support European students. She also spent a year abroad studying at California State University: Long Beach