Researching universities!

Hello everyone!

I hope you’re all well. Chances are, you’ve clicked on this post because you’re in the process of researching for the perfect university. To help you find the university that is just right for you, i’ve collated my top 3 tips to follow when researching universities. Enjoy!

1. Immersing yourself in the campus tours

This is really important, as this is going to be somewhere you will spend most of your time - therefore you have to imagine yourself there! Of course, due to Covid this has been quite challenging, but university’s (such as ours) are doing virtual campus tours and this is still just as valuable. Some of the key questions you might want to explore may be: ‘How close is the accommodation to the university?’ or ‘Where is my department’s building located?’. If you can’t see yourself strolling along to the library, getting a coffee to go, or waiting for some of your new friends, then the university may not be the one for you. But, don’t be disheartened by this, because it’s just as important to know what you DONT like as well as what you do.

2. Speaking to current students

Another great way to get the ‘vibe’ of the University is to speak to its current students, and more specifically those on your course! A great thing to look out for would be to see if the University is on the platform ‘UniBuddy’. You can either find this on the University’s platform, or on UCAS on the page of your chosen University. This is your chance to ask all of your burning questions that you wouldn’t find anywhere else (like ‘How’s the University adapted to Covid’, or ‘is the University in a safe area?’). As well, chatting to current students will give you an insight into any societies and clubs available for you to get involved in; which is a great way to meet new people! The students on these platforms are completely honest, so don’t hesitate to ask them anything on your mind & get the insider’s scoop.

3. Making a checklist when comparing universities

Something that I found really beneficial was making a list of personal priorities. My list was a collection of factors I was looking for in the university, such as: closeness to home, nightlife and specific module topics. I then rated each university out of a 10, and gathered the scores at the end to find who the winner was! To find out most of the information, I explored all of the UCAS resources available on their website, as well as the University’s own webpages and prospectuses. It was really beneficial seeing the statistics displayed on the webpages, as well as overall satisfaction rates. I’d highly recommend this method, as I’m currently at my first-choice university (the winner of my little checklist) and I would never go back on my choice!

So, there you have it! Hopefully that’s given you some ideas to help you when researching universities. There are a lot of universities out there offering different things so it’s really important to do your research. Remember, only you can make the right call so don’t rely on others to make the decision for you – you’ve got this!

If you are interested in finding out more about ‘researching university’, why not join our Entry 2022 Webinar and Q&A of the same name taking place on Monday 26^th April 2021 at 4.30pm. You can book on here.

Ana :smile: