The Student Room Group

Can't choose a university!

Hi :smile:
I'm new on here so not sure if this is the right place!
Basically I'm having so much trouble choosing a university to study at!
Originally, I wanted to be a primary school teacher, so my first choice would have been Canterbury Christ Church, Primary Education with QTS. When I visited the university, it didn't seem that 'great'.
I visited Anglia Ruskin in Chelmsford, for Education and Childhood Studies, and the environment was amazing. I much preferred the university itself.
However, if I go to Anglia Ruskin, I won't get a QTS and will have to do an extra year for a PGCE BUT Anglia Ruskin would mean I would not be tied down to teaching, I would be able to pursue a career in different sectors of education, from teaching to psychology to government and more.
Here's what really gets me- everyone knows Canterbury. Everyone loves it as far as I know. But when I mention Anglia Ruskin nobody has even heard of it half the time?!
Sorry it's a bit of a long read... Thanks 😊
I'm in the same boat as you tbh. I've looked into anglia Ruskin and they look really good but it's a shame none of their courses award QTS. Going to anglia Ruskin seems like a good idea just because you won't be stuck with teaching however I heard doing a PGCE is really difficult.
You need to ask yourself how much you want to go into teaching and also what other careers you are into
Original post by 1secondsofvamps
I'm in the same boat as you tbh. I've looked into anglia Ruskin and they look really good but it's a shame none of their courses award QTS. Going to anglia Ruskin seems like a good idea just because you won't be stuck with teaching however I heard doing a PGCE is really difficult.
You need to ask yourself how much you want to go into teaching and also what other careers you are into


Yeah I know what you're saying it's definitely the hardest decision I've had to make. My mum done a PGCE and I think it is hard but if you keep you're head down it's doable, and not go out partying constantly (that will be my downfall haha).
Have you decided where you're going to study yet then or still trying to figure it out?
I'm torn between Early Childhood Studies at UCS and Primary Education with QTS at Hertfordshire.
If I do ECS I will work with 0-5 years olds at nurseries however to work with 5 years olds at a primary school I will need a QTS. My mind is literally such a mess because there's so much stuff to think about.
I'm currently in year 12 so I still got a few months to decide, I'm just gonna go with the flow for now.
Wow sounds like a hard decision. I've got 6 days to make my decision! Talk about last minute haha :smile:
I went to Anglia Ruskin - it's okay but there are much better universities out there.

It's based in central Cambridge too so it's quite pricey and you'll often be compared to the 'real' Cambridge Uni students.

There's no rush to get into teaching, it's a job that will always be available and in need. I would suggest doing a non-qts degree and then deciding later on if it's the route you want to take. Besides, the life experience will be beneficial. From what I've seen, teachers that take little time to 'live' between Uni and PGCE struggle at the start. They've spent their entire lives in education learning that the transition to teaching is difficult.
Original post by Tayla Vivienne
Yeah I know what you're saying it's definitely the hardest decision I've had to make. My mum done a PGCE and I think it is hard but if you keep you're head down it's doable, and not go out partying constantly (that will be my downfall haha).
Have you decided where you're going to study yet then or still trying to figure it out?


Deluded.
A PGCE is essentially credits towards and MA and a few extra assignments.

You work in a school 5x a week and will arrive earlier and stay later than the kids, you go home, plan lessons for the next day/week (which is loads of paperwork), mark all the work you've set, teach yourself new concepts, complete assignments for your QTS/PGCE, plan for observations, parent's evening, school meetings and then find time to eat and sleep. It will be a hard year if you're under-prepared.
There is literally no time to party.

Also, unless you're applying to a specfici subject or receive a bursary, you work the whole year for free. No income.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Findlay6
Deluded.
A PGCE is essentially credits towards and MA and a few extra assignments.

You work in a school 5x a week and will arrive earlier and stay later than the kids, you go home, plan lessons for the next day/week (which is loads of paperwork), mark all the work you've set, teach yourself new concepts, complete assignments for your QTS/PGCE, plan for observations, parent's evening, school meetings and then find time to eat and sleep. It will be a hard year if you're under-prepared.
There is literally no time to party.

Also, unless you're applying to a specfici subject or receive a bursary, you work the whole year for free. No income.


All of the marking and planning etc can't be easy, but being in the school is great. I've had to do it in a primary school for my college course. I love working with children!
Thanks for the advice- I must become mentally prepared for this!
I chose Anglia Ruskin by the way :smile:
Original post by Findlay6
Deluded.
A PGCE is essentially credits towards and MA and a few extra assignments.

You work in a school 5x a week and will arrive earlier and stay later than the kids, you go home, plan lessons for the next day/week (which is loads of paperwork), mark all the work you've set, teach yourself new concepts, complete assignments for your QTS/PGCE, plan for observations, parent's evening, school meetings and then find time to eat and sleep. It will be a hard year if you're under-prepared.
There is literally no time to party.

Also, unless you're applying to a specfici subject or receive a bursary, you work the whole year for free. No income.


You must be doing something wrong if you need to plan for observations in any different way from your normal planning.

PGCE's do not organise parents evenings and their participation in 99% of the times involves sitting down next to the teacher and observe the interactions. I have done it twice and both times I was dismissed after 40 minutes since there's no point in listening to the same thing again and again.

Honestly, I do have time to party. People exaggerate the amount of work that the programme involves. Perhaps this is because I worked elsewhere before joining the PGCE and therefore I have a different perspective from the students who join it straight from their uni degree.

PS: I'd go for Canterbury, it's a lovely setting and the uni is specialised in teacher training.
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 9
It partly depends on where you train. Some course providers have less paperwork, or at least less comprehensive paperwork, for their students to complete than others. This can make a huge difference to the workload. The workload can even change from year to year on the same course; I have to do more in some regards than last year's students because the university chose to change the way weekly reviews are conducted and now expect a greater amount of evidence for each standard than they previously did. Then there's the ever increasing list of directed tasks that changes from year to year... If the course provider is not particularly prescriptive about what and how things need to be done; the workload is easier to manage. The expectations of placement schools also play a big role; some schools don't require in depth planning to be made available whilst others do, particularly if these plans are shared.

I don't really know what to make of people who claim that they do not plan differently for observed lessons. I am quite happy for my children to create some slightly impolite expanded noun phrases when I am not being observed, but I am not going to give them opportunities to do that during an observed lesson because the observer might not have the same sense of humour that I do. Either on a conscious or subconscious level, the fact that you are going to be observed by someone with potentially differing sensibilities will surely inform planning. Additionally, the expectation of an observed lesson is generally that you will give the observer the opportunity to assess your teaching adequately. If you had planned to administer a test or have the children write the final draft of their independent writing, but you've discovered that someone is coming to observe that lesson, I find it hard to believe anyone would choose not replace the lesson with something else. A lesson that is almost wholly a summative assessment of the children will significantly narrow to what extent the observer can assess the teacher against the standards and that is unlikely to go down well with them.
Original post by Pierson
I don't really know what to make of people who claim that they do not plan differently for observed lessons. I am quite happy for my children to create some slightly impolite expanded noun phrases when I am not being observed, but I am not going to give them opportunities to do that during an observed lesson because the observer might not have the same sense of humour that I do. Either on a conscious or subconscious level, the fact that you are going to be observed by someone with potentially differing sensibilities will surely inform planning. Additionally, the expectation of an observed lesson is generally that you will give the observer the opportunity to assess your teaching adequately. If you had planned to administer a test or have the children write the final draft of their independent writing, but you've discovered that someone is coming to observe that lesson, I find it hard to believe anyone would choose not replace the lesson with something else. A lesson that is almost wholly a summative assessment of the children will significantly narrow to what extent the observer can assess the teacher against the standards and that is unlikely to go down well with them.


1- Perhaps our views differ on what an 'observed' lesson is. My lessons are, fortunately, always observed. The rules of my course specify to schools that there always needs to be a person in the classroom observing the trainee teacher and providing feedback. At the end of the day we are not meant to be substitute teachers, just mere students who are learning the job.
2- What I understand by observed lesson are the formal observation from external people, such as the uni tutor.
3- I feel jealous that you can be yourself and teach in your style. In my case I've had to adapt to the school culture and the teachers' culture, so for instance I've been unable to use my humour in my classrooms, in other words my planning is always taking into account those observers.
4- In my course, the visits by the external observers are mutually agreed. The learning of the kids should not and is not modified by those visits, so if they have a test on XYZ day the visit would take place any other day instead of having to modify any planning.

i.e. I've put the same amount of effort in my planning whether a second (or third! On one occasion I was observed by 4 people!) person is there or not. Hence why "I don't really know what to make of people who claim that they plan differently for observed lessons"; it sounds highly unprofessional to put more or less amount of effort depending on who's observing, the students who are constantly there deserve better than that.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Tayla Vivienne
Hi :smile:
I'm new on here so not sure if this is the right place!
Basically I'm having so much trouble choosing a university to study at!
Originally, I wanted to be a primary school teacher, so my first choice would have been Canterbury Christ Church, Primary Education with QTS. When I visited the university, it didn't seem that 'great'.
I visited Anglia Ruskin in Chelmsford, for Education and Childhood Studies, and the environment was amazing. I much preferred the university itself.
However, if I go to Anglia Ruskin, I won't get a QTS and will have to do an extra year for a PGCE BUT Anglia Ruskin would mean I would not be tied down to teaching, I would be able to pursue a career in different sectors of education, from teaching to psychology to government and more.
Here's what really gets me- everyone knows Canterbury. Everyone loves it as far as I know. But when I mention Anglia Ruskin nobody has even heard of it half the time?!
Sorry it's a bit of a long read... Thanks 😊


Sheffield Hallam is the best
Original post by 1secondsofvamps
I'm torn between Early Childhood Studies at UCS and Primary Education with QTS at Hertfordshire.
If I do ECS I will work with 0-5 years olds at nurseries however to work with 5 years olds at a primary school I will need a QTS. My mind is literally such a mess because there's so much stuff to think about.
I'm currently in year 12 so I still got a few months to decide, I'm just gonna go with the flow for now.

I am on the same boat as you. I would like to go for Primary to keep my options open but I enjoyed working with 0-5 years olds.
Original post by teaching1997
I am on the same boat as you. I would like to go for Primary to keep my options open but I enjoyed working with 0-5 years olds.
Hey there.:hi:

This thread is over 2 years old now.:smile:

Don't want anyone to see it and start giving the OP advice which they probably won't read, so the thread will be closed shortly.:wink:

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