Work experience ideas for uni courses?

I'm trying to figure out what kind of work experience or part-time jobs are useful for university courses and careers. Any students want to share what jobs or volunteering you did before starting uni, and whether it helped with applications? 😊

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Reply 1

artful_lounger

Universities Forum Helper

Courses which require work experience for entry (principally professional fields like healthcare professions, teaching, social work etc) will make clear what their expectations and requirements are on the admissions pages.

Other courses do not require work experience nor will it advantage you compared to an applicant who was unable to obtain work experience - because unis recognise that not all applicants have equal access to those opportunities.

You should reframe your thinking of work experience away from a "magic bullet" for your application to convince admissions teams into admitting you due to your superior work experience activity, and more for something you are doing for yourself to pursue or confirm an interest in a particular field :smile:

Reply 2

Kingston Eve

Official Rep

Original post

by Srey nin

Hey @Srey nin,

I volunteered with my local football club when I was in sixth form and was awarded a Gold Volunteering Award via the club's governing body; whilst it was fantastic experience, I can't imagine it swayed any of the admissions teams that much as it was completely unrelated to my course (Fine Art).

I also worked a part-time retail job during sixth form; admittedly, that was more for the extra cash than it was for my UCAS application. Work experience can definitely be beneficial - it can give you something to talk about in your personal statement/interviews and can act as a source of inspiration for why you want to study your chosen course - but for most undergraduate courses it isn't necessary or expected.

Try not to worry too much about having the right work experience at this point in time; if you have a strong application and a clear passion for the subject, it should come across regardless of whether or not you've had any hands-on experience. 🙂

Hope this helps,
Eve (Kingston Rep).

Reply 3

MMU-UGStudentRep

Official Rep

Original post

by Srey nin

Hey there! Loads of different jobs/volunteering roles can help - it doesn't have to be linked to your course and unless its required, it'd play no part in your application being accepted as artful_lounger mentioned. However, having the skills from these roles on-hand can make a big difference in possible job applications that need a bit more.

Here's a few I did before uni and how it helped:

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volunteering with young people - great for showing communication, patience, and leadership. Helped loads when I applied for a teaching agency in my first year since it was quite recent. I approached my old primary school and asked to sit in a few lessons when A-Levels were over (June/July). If you are in sixth form/college you could possibly ask your old teachers if you could sit in a few classes.

•

mentoring - my sixth form gave us the opportunity to mentor some year 7s so I took it up.

•

community volunteering - volunteered at my local foodbank once a week - empathy, organisation, customer service.

Pick something you enjoy, because you'll naturally learn more from it and it's easier to talk about in personal statements and interviews.

If you can't find anything, don't worry! Passion is what a lot of universities look for.

All the best,
Innaya
MMU Student Rep x