University is a monumental milestone for all those who decide that further education is the right path for them, but with over 109 Universities in the UK alone, choosing the right one for you might fill you with trepidation.
Discovering Universities, before any open days, begins online and there are many websites available to assist students with this. Unistats is a fantastic website, and is excellent at comparing universities and informing you on what students thought about the course, but you shouldn’t make any decisions solely on the statistics that you see. You must remember that all students have differing opinions, and what one student feel works well might not necessarily work well for another person.
I started my search for a Primary Teaching course at a University fair at my college. I walked around each stall and asked the Universities local to me (University of Worcester, Birmingham City University, Newman University, and University of Gloucestershire) whether they offered a Primary Teaching course, and what the outline of the course was. I was adamant that I didn’t want to move away and would rather commute, hence why my choices were in close proximity to my family home.
I chose to study at the University of Worcester as I liked the course structure, and the perfect balance of time spent in University and time out on School Placements. The University of Worcester is one of the best in the country for Teacher Training, and I liked that all members of staff had experience within a Primary School. My interview and applicant day experiences were extremely positive, hence why I accepted the offer as my firm choice.
As informative and visually stimulating the University websites are, it is crucial that you book open days and talk to students and members of staff in person so you can get a real feel for the University and the course you are applying for. At the University of Worcester, I had a great Open Day experience as there is plenty that is going on throughout the day including: accommodation tours, city tours, talks, and lots of polite, helpful Student Ambassadors showing people around and answering any questions you might have.
Research is the key to choosing the right University for you. My advice would be to look at Universities with an open mind. There might be one that you hadn’t even considered before, but you really like the sound of it after looking online and you never know, you could end up studying there! You are able to apply to 5 Universities, and, with so much choice, you would be foolish not to!
I also regularly blog for educational publisher Critical Publishing. See their website www.criticalpublishing.com for further details!
Worcester Student Life 