[neelab]

Hi All. Sorry i don't have the time to look through all the posts on this thread so am probably going to repeat what someone else might have asked lol but I have PGCE Interview for Roehampton on the 4th January 2012 at 11.30am. Anyone got an interview on this day? Or already had an interview at Roehampton? What was it like? What preparation did you do / are you doing? Thanks

[joshua07]

(Original post by neelab)
Hi All. Sorry i don't have the time to look through all the posts on this thread so am probably going to repeat what someone else might have asked lol but I have PGCE Interview for Roehampton on the 4th January 2012 at 11.30am. Anyone got an interview on this day? Or already had an interview at Roehampton? What was it like? What preparation did you do / are you doing? Thanks

Hi, I had my interview in November. It was very nice and relaxing. You had to hand in all your forms, then a tour of the university, followed by an English test and then the individual interviews. I tried to read as much as possible on currrent educational issues which meant subscribing to the TES. There is no Maths test which is brilliant!!! We were told that if you didn't get in they would let you know within two weeks but that no news is good news as they are waiting for the allocations from the tda. I am still waiting, fingers crossed.

[beth1406]

(Original post by Longloz)
Hi, I'm hoping to do Primary education (English specialism) at Roehampton. I've had my interview and just waiting to hear from them now.
How have you found the course?

I've just had an email saying that i have an interview on the 29th February for Primary Education (English Specialism). What was your interview like?

[Longloz]

(Original post by beth1406)
I've just had an email saying that i have an interview on the 29th February for Primary Education (English Specialism). What was your interview like?

Nothing to worry about they were really encouraging and friendly!

[Longloz]

Just got an offer!

[neelab]

(Original post by joshua07)
Hi, I had my interview in November. It was very nice and relaxing. You had to hand in all your forms, then a tour of the university, followed by an English test and then the individual interviews. I tried to read as much as possible on currrent educational issues which meant subscribing to the TES. There is no Maths test which is brilliant!!! We were told that if you didn't get in they would let you know within two weeks but that no news is good news as they are waiting for the allocations from the tda. I am still waiting, fingers crossed.

Thanks very much Joshua07. Now I have been asked to bring one example which illustrates children’s learning, to use as a prompt to enable you to talk about children’s learning for example a plan, activity, game or photograph and to talk for 3 minutes about a child’s learning related to this example. Also to be familiar with current educational issues and current government policies and initiatives related to primary education and be prepared to discuss these at interview (prepare by for example reading the Times Educational Supplement, education section of newspapers).

What game / photo etc did you talk about? What topic?

Also did you get asked any of the following:
Why do you want to teach?
Do you know its nt just a 9 to 3 job teaching its hard work- do you agree?
What good lesson have you seen?
Why was it good?
What ways do you think you can impelement for behaviour management?
How can you engage children with EAL?
Did they question u about the National Curriculum?
Who is your favourite children's author and why?
Do you prefer Key Stage One or Key Stage Two, and why?
Are standards in Primary Schools slipping?
Should the use of calculators be restricted in Primary Schools?
Literacy levels are still low. Primary schools are not doing their jobs. Discuss.
Primary School SATs should be abolished. What are your views?
What do you think about the National Curriculum? Is it a good idea? You may want to compare it to another country's educational system.
What are your views on Pensions/strike?
Is it fair that Students should pay university fees?

Lastly did you do PGCE Primary or Foundation Stage and Key stage 1?

Thanks again!

[joshua07]

(Original post by neelab)
Thanks very much Joshua07. Now I have been asked to bring one example which illustrates children’s learning, to use as a prompt to enable you to talk about children’s learning for example a plan, activity, game or photograph and to talk for 3 minutes about a child’s learning related to this example. Also to be familiar with current educational issues and current government policies and initiatives related to primary education and be prepared to discuss these at interview (prepare by for example reading the Times Educational Supplement, education section of newspapers).

What game / photo etc did you talk about? What topic?

Also did you get asked any of the following:
Why do you want to teach?
Do you know its nt just a 9 to 3 job teaching its hard work- do you agree?
What good lesson have you seen?
Why was it good?
What ways do you think you can impelement for behaviour management?
How can you engage children with EAL?
Did they question u about the National Curriculum?
Who is your favourite children's author and why?
Do you prefer Key Stage One or Key Stage Two, and why?
Are standards in Primary Schools slipping?
Should the use of calculators be restricted in Primary Schools?
Literacy levels are still low. Primary schools are not doing their jobs. Discuss.
Primary School SATs should be abolished. What are your views?
What do you think about the National Curriculum? Is it a good idea? You may want to compare it to another country's educational system.
What are your views on Pensions/strike?
Is it fair that Students should pay university fees?

Lastly did you do PGCE Primary or Foundation Stage and Key stage 1?

Thanks again!

I typed out the name of a game that I observed a teacher playing with her class to help them think about the use of punctuation, nouns, etc. I talked about why it was beneficial for the pupils such as reinforcing their understanding of vocabulary but also that it was a game which everyone could participate in. I was asked what good lesson I had seen and how I felt I would be able to cope with doing a PGCE. She also asked me what I was doing to prepare for the PGCE as I graduated this year. I told her while volunteering, what was being taught in class gave me the opportunity to go back and look at ways of teaching it to children and also I kept revising things I had forgotten.

I believe I showed my enthusiam for teaching but also that I am keen to keep learning. I applied for Key stage 2. I wasn't questioned about EAL or the curriculum which I tried to read as much as I could, including all the topics you mentioned above. I was asked about how children learn and what current educational issues I was aware of.

Overall, I hope I did well, my only worry was the English task.

Hope this is helpful but any questions feel free to ask.

[neelab]

(Original post by joshua07)
I typed out the name of a game that I observed a teacher playing with her class to help them think about the use of punctuation, nouns, etc. I talked about why it was beneficial for the pupils such as reinforcing their understanding of vocabulary but also that it was a game which everyone could participate in. I was asked what good lesson I had seen and how I felt I would be able to cope with doing a PGCE. She also asked me what I was doing to prepare for the PGCE as I graduated this year. I told her while volunteering, what was being taught in class gave me the opportunity to go back and look at ways of teaching it to children and also I kept revising things I had forgotten.

I believe I showed my enthusiam for teaching but also that I am keen to keep learning. I applied for Key stage 2. I wasn't questioned about EAL or the curriculum which I tried to read as much as I could, including all the topics you mentioned above. I was asked about how children learn and what current educational issues I was aware of.

Overall, I hope I did well, my only worry was the English task.

Hope this is helpful but any questions feel free to ask.

Well done Joshua07 sounds like u were very prepared. Can you remember which extract it was? And the spelling mistakes, were they like characters or places from the harry potter story? Im asking because i dont actually know harry potter stories obviously names of characters will be obvious but places, im not too sure if ill recognise the spelling mistake if u know what i mean

[joshua07]

(Original post by neelab)
Well done Joshua07 sounds like u were very prepared. Can you remember which extract it was? And the spelling mistakes, were they like characters or places from the harry potter story? Im asking because i dont actually know harry potter stories obviously names of characters will be obvious but places, im not too sure if ill recognise the spelling mistake if u know what i mean

I don't know any Harry Potter stories either but I believe it was 6 or 8 sentences from Little Red Riding Hood and you had to put the commas in the correct place. There was only one mistake in each sentence which wasn't too bad although I struggled on one (couldn't find anything wrong with the sentence). After that, you had to write a 200 word essay on how children learn. My advice would be not to go over the amount given, this works out roughly the same as the sheet you are given to write on. I noticed other people asking for more paper but that meant they would be over the requested amount. Hope this helps.

[6jonesy9]

I've been accepted to study Media and Culture starting September 2012. I haven't made a decision yet as I'm stuck between deciding on Roehampton or St Mary's uni.

Roehamptons' course is far more theory based which, surprisingly, I'm much more excited about than St. Mary's practical based Media Arts degree. I eventually would like to become a teacher. However, I have known quite a few people who raved about St. Mary's and on uni guide tables they're a far more reputable uni, yet I find myself drawn to RU because of the course and from what I've looked at on various websites, it looks and sounds like a beautiful place.

I am currently unable to attend open days at the moment as I'm overseas travelling. I'll be back in April.

Can anyone compare those two unis? Has anyone studied or are currently studying Media and Culture?

Cheers,

JD

[Hennnaa]

I got an offer a month ago for Biomedical Sciences
Roehampton's my second choice - If I get an offer from St. George's, definitely putting Roehampton as my Insurance (if not, it's my firm, with Brunel as an insurance )

Anyone got an email about the post-application open day things?

[Doodlemon]

(Original post by Hennnaa)
I got an offer a month ago for Biomedical Sciences
Roehampton's my second choice - If I get an offer from St. George's, definitely putting Roehampton as my Insurance (if not, it's my firm, with Brunel as an insurance )

Anyone got an email about the post-application open day things?

I'm in my 2nd year of biomed at Roehampton right now, and all I can say is that you won't regret it! I had Roehampton as my insurance (Brunel as my firm, but just missed the entry requirements) and in a way I'm so glad I didn't get into Brunel. I know people doing biomed at Brunel and they say the lecturers are so unorganised, it's not accredited and the content is dull. The lecturers at Roehampton are really helpful and organised (with the exception of one, but she left and has taken up a job at UCL starting next term, thankfully!), it's accredited and because the uni (and therefore the life sciences department) is rather small, the lecturers actually remember who you are and can provide you with a lot more help than you'd get at a larger uni. The lecturers are always available to meet you and they do everything they can to make life easier for you; for example, next year I'll be starting my dissertation but instead of starting in October, I'll start the practical work soon after my exams are over this summer. That way I'll have a lot more time to write my report as well as revise for my final year exams.

[Hennnaa]

(Original post by Doodlemon)
I'm in my 2nd year of biomed at Roehampton right now, and all I can say is that you won't regret it! I had Roehampton as my insurance (Brunel as my firm, but just missed the entry requirements) and in a way I'm so glad I didn't get into Brunel. I know people doing biomed at Brunel and they say the lecturers are so unorganised, it's not accredited and the content is dull. The lecturers at Roehampton are really helpful and organised (with the exception of one, but she left and has taken up a job at UCL starting next term, thankfully!), it's accredited and because the uni (and therefore the life sciences department) is rather small, the lecturers actually remember who you are and can provide you with a lot more help than you'd get at a larger uni. The lecturers are always available to meet you and they do everything they can to make life easier for you; for example, next year I'll be starting my dissertation but instead of starting in October, I'll start the practical work soon after my exams are over this summer. That way I'll have a lot more time to write my report as well as revise for my final year exams.

Aw, makes me want to go there even more to hear from a student how great it is (Still banking on SGUL, hearing nothing from them atm is good news )
So Brunel is a no-go? (Unless I have to have it as my insurance if I get my first rejection!)
I love smaller classes, it makes it a bit informal, so you get to know your teacher/lecturer so much better, like in school, in my biology class last year there were only about 8 of us, so we got quite a bit of individual attention, but this year I got moved to a larger set, I can totally see the difference.

Roughly how many people would you say there are in one lecture?
Also, do you know anything about the SU and and the sports, would we, as students, be able to set up things like bollywood dance classes or a BRC uni group (unless you already have one I'm unaware of..)?

and, last question, do you have the free Wednesday afternoons or is that just UofL? Sorry about the overload

[Doodlemon]

(Original post by Hennnaa)
Aw, makes me want to go there even more to hear from a student how great it is (Still banking on SGUL, hearing nothing from them atm is good news )
So Brunel is a no-go? (Unless I have to have it as my insurance if I get my first rejection!)
I love smaller classes, it makes it a bit informal, so you get to know your teacher/lecturer so much better, like in school, in my biology class last year there were only about 8 of us, so we got quite a bit of individual attention, but this year I got moved to a larger set, I can totally see the difference.

Roughly how many people would you say there are in one lecture?
Also, do you know anything about the SU and and the sports, would we, as students, be able to set up things like bollywood dance classes or a BRC uni group (unless you already have one I'm unaware of..)?

and, last question, do you have the free Wednesday afternoons or is that just UofL? Sorry about the overload

Oh definitely pick SGUL as a firm if they give you an offer! Brunel is decent as a whole, but tbh they're not accredited and that puts you at a huge disadvantage if you ever want to work as a biomedical scientist. You'd have to top up your degree with extra modules, which is quite pricey. If you care about league table rankings, Brunel has been coasting at the 50 mark whereas Roehampton has been zooming up the tables since they split from Surrey University in 2002 - they're now in 73rd place, and now the entry requirements have increased I'm sure they'll only go higher.
In my first year, the lecture groups were quite big as we shared modules with zoology, biological anthropology, nutrition, and biological science. Now we have lectures alone (except for a couple of modules where we're mixed with one or 2 other courses)...there's only 30-40 biomed students in my year; I've noticed a few people from my course have been removed due to failing the exams as they never took the course seriously. The lectures are quite informal as we're in smaller groups and the students are considerate, so I've never felt too shy or stupid when asking a silly question.

The SU has a lot of societies, there's a list on the SU website but that hasn't been updated to include all the societies...there's a lot others, you can find them all on facebook. Yeh the SU allows you to create your own societies if you can provide a list of 10 members - this year, I helped set up a Life Science Society (I'm Vice-Preisent, so definitely check that out ). Yup, there is already an active bollywood society with around 40 members...not sure about a BRC group as I don't really know what that is lol

Yup, last year I had Wednesday afternoons off and this year I have all day Wednesday off. The timetables are pretty good - you'll be in for 4 days in the first year and 3 days in the second year...not sure about 3rd year.

[Hennnaa]

(Original post by Doodlemon)
Oh definitely pick SGUL as a firm if they give you an offer! Brunel is decent as a whole, but tbh they're not accredited and that puts you at a huge disadvantage if you ever want to work as a biomedical scientist. You'd have to top up your degree with extra modules, which is quite pricey. If you care about league table rankings, Brunel has been coasting at the 50 mark whereas Roehampton has been zooming up the tables since they split from Surrey University in 2002 - they're now in 73rd place, and now the entry requirements have increased I'm sure they'll only go higher.
In my first year, the lecture groups were quite big as we shared modules with zoology, biological anthropology, nutrition, and biological science. Now we have lectures alone (except for a couple of modules where we're mixed with one or 2 other courses)...there's only 30-40 biomed students in my year; I've noticed a few people from my course have been removed due to failing the exams as they never took the course seriously. The lectures are quite informal as we're in smaller groups and the students are considerate, so I've never felt too shy or stupid when asking a silly question.

The SU has a lot of societies, there's a list on the SU website but that hasn't been updated to include all the societies...there's a lot others, you can find them all on facebook. Yeh the SU allows you to create your own societies if you can provide a list of 10 members - this year, I helped set up a Life Science Society (I'm Vice-Preisent, so definitely check that out ). Yup, there is already an active bollywood society with around 40 members...not sure about a BRC group as I don't really know what that is lol

Yup, last year I had Wednesday afternoons off and this year I have all day Wednesday off. The timetables are pretty good - you'll be in for 4 days in the first year and 3 days in the second year...not sure about 3rd year.

Yeah I heard that about Brunel, I'm not going to become a Biomedical Scientist after my degree, hopefully doing grad med So not too much of a problem if I have to go there
I don't really care too much for league tables, they're pretty biased :/ but it's great that Roehampton's getting more recognition and stuff
Aw I guess that's good mingling with people from different courses and stuff yeah, I'd feel that way too

Aw that's so cool, I'll deffo check it out if I come, it sounds awesome!
Yaay Bollywood Society, here I come! Don't think I could live without that touch of Indian-ness
Oh, BRC = British Red Cross, we have uni groups in some unis, I don't know about Roehampton though, would be good to set one up Keeps me in touch with the Red Cross

Awesome timetable! Sounds awesome Can't wait for uni!
Thanks

[BasedOnmind.]

(Original post by 6jonesy9)
I've been accepted to study Media and Culture starting September 2012. I haven't made a decision yet as I'm stuck between deciding on Roehampton or St Mary's uni.

I'm stuck between those two as well.

[6jonesy9]

(Original post by BasedOnmind.)
I'm stuck between those two as well.

I chose Roehampton. The course content, it being much more theoretical than St Marys practical Media Arts, went in its favour for me. I also love the idea of it being a campus uni, plus its in absolutely gorgeous surroundings. . Easier for me to get to from home as well.

I hope you make the right choice for you. Maybe see you there next year? Good luck.

[naruto69r]

(Original post by BasedOnmind.)
I'm applying for Media and Culture/Marketing/Marketing and Multimedia.Still considering exactly what to choose.

Do you honestly expect to get a job on the back of doing that degree going to that university?

Just canvassing opinion. Not meaning to be condescending before everyone chooses to take offence.

[BasedOnmind.]

(Original post by naruto69r)
Do you honestly expect to get a job on the back of doing that degree going to that university?

Just canvassing opinion. Not meaning to be condescending before everyone chooses to take offence.

I'm applying to City University, St Mary's, Roehampton and Kingston. My choice of universities is guided by the fact that I want to live in London. I have to admit that I'm expecting a lot .. At least that's what the University profile promises

[Doodlemon]

(Original post by naruto69r)
Do you honestly expect to get a job on the back of doing that degree going to that university?

Just canvassing opinion. Not meaning to be condescending before everyone chooses to take offence.

Explain your opinion, please...