Narrowing down my choices

From what I remember about the process of joining university, I know I got accepted for my firm university but decided to go to my insurance university instead. I attended open days for both but, as I talk about later in this blog, I found some bad points with my firm choice in the exams/tour which led me into labs/side rooms not disclosed on open days. 

I chose my universities and courses based on location, course and personal opinions. I did attend open days for the main university I got accepted into, but after sitting my interview exam and learning more about that specific course I learnt that it wasn’t right for me. On the open days there wasn’t really anyone technical around so I personally couldn’t ask the right questions. So at my interview I learnt what OS/Software they preferred which wasn’t my first choice. I know I could learn this new OS and software but, because I was familiar with another platform, I wanted to pursue that path.

Another reason the interview and exam helped is because we toured the building, and I noticed how poorly its upkeep was. I won’t say which university it actually was, but I remember not being please how unhygienic and basically overall how the building wasn’t cared for on the inside. There was  paper/wallpaper peeling off in the waiting room. In the labs only 50% lights were working and there was dirty/muddy carpets in those rooms too. Open days only show the latest builds and the cleanest rooms, yet because I was actually touring/taking an exam for the position I noticed how bad the conditions where. 

Location is a factor too. Living costs change from place to place and there are certain areas which are extremely costly and it will affect your decision. As well as if you want to live at home. I lived at home while at university and I do regret it. I would move out if I did a masters/PhD and would recommend others to do so too. It might be costly, but it’s possible to live. 

 

Reflection on my university application

I remember the application process being very tedious. I didn’t think about what I wanted to do after sixth form until late in my final year. I started the application process on time although, from what I can remember, it took a long time to register. One of the annoying things about the process was not knowing  how many UCAS points I would get. Predicting my grades was rather difficult especially because some are exam based.

I started looking at universities based on how many UCAS points I guessed I would get and shortlisted 5 universities. I could only visit a few local ones because I didn’t drive and had a job in my last year at sixth form. I researched online before visiting my final choices. For my industry it’s heavily based on portfolio work so I looked up people who had graduated from my selected universities to check what their standards where. This gave me an idea of what I would be able to achieve after finishing that exact course. This helped narrow my decisions down, as well as reading the university course briefs. It’s rather ironic that the more research you do on what university you want to visit, the less time you have to revise for you exams and do coursework to achieve the UCAS points you need!

If I could give any tips it would be to visit the institutes yourself. For some people it might be difficult to choose a degree area and course. I cannot give advice on this topic because I’ve always known what I’ve wanted to do since I was young. Although I did have my personal preferences in software and operating systems. I’ve already written a blog post on applying to universities available here.

A simple search for show reels and showcase work for a university does give you a good overview of the tasks involved for the course. So if you can’t personally attend all open days, maybe consider attending the virtual open days. Some universities even use a virtual tour which seems to be filled with info about the course. You need to know as much as possible about a course before attending university, as it is a life changing decision.