Hey Guys!

In this post, I wanted to share with you a little guide to choosing a university or where to study in the UK. It is an important decision, and having the right support is key. I hope the below steps will help you get started. If you have any questions after reading the post – feel free to pop these into the comment section below.

Step 1 – Choose the Course You Are Going to Study first, Not the University!

This step might seem obvious for some but is many students do not follow it. I have almost made a mistake of going to a particular university, just for the “name” or “status” of it. The truth is, there are a lot of amazing and prestigious universities in the UK, so don’t fixate on the one you think you are meant to go to.

So, first think of the field of study – what course is it going to be? Then, try to narrow it down to a more specific field (if you can). For example, you wish to study Economics, is it a priority for you that the course is focused on Economic development, or are you looking to specialize in a mathematical side of this science?

Not everyone can know what they prefer to specialize in at such an early stage, but if you know for sure the reason you are studying Economics is to work in a developing country at the NGO, then you need to think of this in advance. There are so many variations of the same course “Economics” and each university will have a different structure, focus, and options for the same degree. Or even think about the professors, each university might have different stars working for them ☺

Step 2 – Decide on the Geography, i.e Where to Study in the UK

So you have decided on the course (or maybe your parents have, we know how they are…)! Now think of the location. Do you have any strict preferences?

I offer you to consider the below questions to help you start thinking about the location:

-Are you willing to study in Wales, Northern Island or Scotland? Or are you strictly focusing on England?
-How depended are you on a climate? The more northern you go, the colder, wetter and grayer it gets!
-Whether being in a city or in a small town will impact your experience?
-Are you even willing to study anywhere else but London?!

Answering the below should help you narrow down or expand your search. At the end of the day, you might not even care about the location and want to focus on the course and prestige of university only.

Step 3 – Evaluate the Level of Your Grades in Terms of Entry Requirements

I think this is the hardest part. In general, we are rarely objective about ourselves and our abilities, and let’s be frank – it is hard to predict how the final exams will turn out – so this step is always going to be a bit of a gamble.

You need to know what your final grades will be like so you can choose the university with similar entrance requirements. This is to make sure you go for the best you can and also to avoid applying to unis where you might have little chance due to the harsh entry requirements.

So, try to put negative thoughts away and bottle any wishful thinking, and decide how well you are going to do in your exams. Teachers, school, parents are a great help in that, but not always. Not all schools have enough experience (mine did not) and no one really knows you better than yourself! Everyone is subjective, teachers have their opinions and parents have their predictions.

Here are some simple observations from my experience:

-if everyone is saying this exam and subject is tough, it is probably true!
-if you are already on a certain level with all the coursework and previous assessments done on the subject, it would be hard to significantly improve your overall grade
-exam technique is key and hard work will pay off 
-you know what you can do, and you know what you can’t

A final point on this step: the research has found that only around 16% of university applicants grades are correctly predicted. On average, only 8.5% of grades are under-predicted, and 75% of applicants’ grades are over-predicted! To find out more you can read this study done by UCL Institute of Education.

I do hope you are in the 8.5% of students whose grades are underpredicted, but the statistics are against you! Something to think about when making your university choices ☺

Step 4 – Now You Can Choose the University 

That’s where the hardest research begins. You would need to spend some time on UCAS and university websites. Try to make notes on your findings, because you might become overloaded with information very quickly.

Start your search here. You can follow my tutorial on UCAS Search Tool – just follow this link.

It is not as scary as it sounds, and at the end of the day it is a very pleasant task – you are choosing where you will spend a few important years of your life.

Best of luck from Mind The Grad! ☺

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