The UCAS process - a parent's diary - Home

Our final steps along the UCAS trail

2009-09-14T14:51:00Z

A-level Results day finally dawned and with a certain amount of trepidation my daughter, Abby, like millions of other sixth-formers opened the brown envelope. She need not have worried. She did well. In fact she couldn’t have done any better so her place at Manchester was secured. Before she’d even had her confirmation she was told which accommodation she had been allocated; sadly, neither of her first two choices within the student village. Instead she’d been placed in a city-centre Hall and she was very disappointed. It really put a dampener on her celebrations. We set about listing the pros and cons and finally the pros won out. It was the nearness to the shops that swung it plus the thought of Chinatown and all its restaurants being right on her doorstep. Funnily enough the proximity to the library and Piccadilly Station didn’t seem to feature. Something tells me that long nights swatting in the John Rylands and weekend trips home aren’t high on her list of priorities. Ever since then our postman has laboured under the weight of correspondence being delivered to our door. Freshers programmes, Registration instructions, Faculty blurb and reading lists have dropped through the letterbox confirming that Manchester are very definitely expecting her. One piece of news which was not so welcome was that Abby will be sitting Maths and literacy assessments during Fresher’s week which seems a bit cruel. Now the reality of life away from home is starting to fill our thoughts. We’ve been out buying duvet covers, towels, cushions (all colour co-ordinated of course), pots and pans, warm clothing ……the list goes on and on but will we be able to fit it all in the car let alone her tiny room in halls? At least it’s kept me busy and distracted from the thought that life will change for us all next week. My second and last baby will have flown the nest and I will be left tidying up the debris that’s been left behind. Friends who have already experienced the ‘empty-nest’ tell me that I’ll soon get used to the quietness and tidiness of it all and that I’ll be surprised how quickly 10 weeks fly by. I just hope they’re right. At the moment I feel quite bereft at the thought that life is about to change. What keeps me from moping too much is that I know she’ll have the time of her life. All the steps we’ve needed to take on the UCAS trail will finally have been worthwhile. I hope anyone who has been following our UCAS trail have found it an interesting trip and for all of you who are about to start out on the UCAS journey I wish you all the best.

The UCAS trail - we're almost there

2009-05-01T15:05:00Z

For those of you who have been following our progress along the UCAS trail, thank you for your continued interest and let me give you a quick update on how far we’ve got.

In my last posting we’d reached the stage where Abby had attended lots of interviews and had started to receive offers. I’m proud to report that all her chosen universities did offer her a place – very gratifying. Of her two preferred options; Bath’s offer was higher than Manchester’s so this left her with a dilemma. She liked Bath a lot but loved Manchester. Because of the higher grades needed, there was no point in having Bath as her insurance choice so it had to go.

As soon as Manchester was confirmed as her firm choice they invited her up to visit the student accommodation. This was my first chance to see what all the fuss was about. What a busy day we had. A continual procession of buses ferried students and parents around the various locations, from city-centre high-rise blocks to leafy suburban student villages. Luckily, Abby had lost none of her enthusiasm for the place on revisiting. Compared to the beautiful city of Bath and the compact university campus, Manchester is large, gritty and grimy. There couldn’t be a greater contrast but I can see what Abby likes about the place; it’s vibrant, multi-cultural and so different from the environment she’s grown up in. Great shops too! I just hope she doesn’t find the reality of living and studying there too overwhelming…but those concerns are all in the future, now we’ve just got to worry about her nailing those exams and securing her place. In the meantime, we’ve applied for student finance without too much trouble and she’s made her choices for accommodation. Much to my relief, she’s opted for the out-of-town student village.

We’ve travelled a long way down the UCAS trail but now we’re entering a quiet period. We’ve done everything we can to help. It just leaves Abby with the small matter of knuckling down to her A2s. It’s all up to her now.

UCAS application - on to the next stage

2009-02-12T09:45:00Z

Well, Abby finally submitted her application and it was just a matter of days before acknowledgments started to arrive. At least now we were reassured that her application had been received. Because Pharmacy is a popular and over-subscribed course most Universities interview their candidates so it was no surprise when invitations for interview also started to arrive. First up was Manchester. Not knowing what to expect, Abby had prepared for a spoken interview but was rather taken aback when asked to sit a written test. She didn’t even have a pen. The interview was rigorous and quite technical but, because Abby has practical experience of working in a Pharmacy, she was able to hold her own and obviously came across well. Her efforts were rewarded with a good offer. One in the bag!

Next up was Cardiff, closely followed by Bath. Both interviews were much more relaxed and I think Abby secretly quite enjoyed them. Well, she came out smiling from both rather than in tears. It also provided further opportunities to look around the departments and meet the staff.

Abby now has three firm offers and is awaiting the last two. The next stage will be to wittle down her choices to just two. This will be hard. All Abby’s offers have been competitive and because Pharmacy courses are regulated by the British Pharmaceutical Society the content is similiar for all. Abby will need to decide where she feels the most comfortable. We, as parents, have helped her with the practical aspects of the application and given her advice when sought. Now we need to take a step back and let her be guided by her own instincts.

Knowing that Abby will now definately be starting her course somewhere in September we are starting to think about the practicalities i.e. paying for the course. The Finance Officer at Bath told us that the system for working out student loans was changing this year. We already have one student in the family with a sizable loan but it seems that the way Abby’s will be worked out will be different. I’ve tried looking on the StudentFinanceWales website but I’m still confused. Will the maintenance loan now be means-tested? If so, will this just apply to new students or existing one’s as well? Is anyone else puzzled or can anyone shed some light on this for us?

Whatever the process, we know we’ll be putting the plans for the holiday of a lifetime on hold for a few more years.

The next step along the UCAS trail

2008-10-13T10:43:00Z

All our open day visits are over, the shortlist has been decided and so we’re onto the next stage; the UCAS application. Abby’s made a start but is struggling to compose her personal statement. I’m sure she’s not alone in finding it difficult to overcome her natural modesty to promote her talents and make her statement stand out amongst the hundreds of others. Academics that we have chatted to at open days have given lots of good advice on what they will be looking for so Abby knows what she needs to include but putting it down in writing is proving hard work. I hope she gets it sorted soon as I’m beginning to fret about deadlines.

I’d like to point other parents who are in the same situation to us to a website which is proving to be useful, aside from our own ParentSpace, of course, and that’s thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk. Not only does this have helpful information for students but also a section offering advice for parents – well worth a look.

Parent Blog awards a gold star to Nottingham

2008-08-04T10:29:00Z

This is a shining example of how an open-day should work. Here’s what we found when we travelled up to Nottingham for a look around…....

Well-prepared? I should say so. All three of us were going this time as the Nottingham open-day fell on a Saturday. We needed to register our intention to attend via their website and the following day a pack containing a welcome letter and a booklet of events arrived in the post. This pre-arrival material was really excellent, allowing us to draw up a set of different timetables & priorities dependent on arrival and departure times. Just as well really, as the traffic into Nottingham was nose to tail, due to the sheer weight of cars all going to the Open Day. Luckily for us all there was plenty of well-organised parking available.

This was the 3rd Open Day we have been to, and we are settling into a rhythm, which works for us….basically it’s register quick, visit the hub for the materials for the day, go to the next available Pharmacy lecture and lab tour if offered, do the Uni tour with the helpers, see some of the sights and accommodation, and possibly go to other talks on the university itself, or even eat something….It’s a route march if you’re not careful!

Today of course we arrived late, and the first impression was – it’s big and there are lots of people here. This was immediately followed by – it’s grand, beautifully green, and there are lots of well-drilled helpers on site pro-actively asking us whether we needed assistance. So we had a sizeable stroll to the info marquees and then the next Pharmacy show – both of which were well-informed and well managed by the Nottingham students and staff.

The Nottingham Pharmacy presentation included a taster of the university and the accommodation as well as the course. For a 30 minute show, it was a broad sweep but not too deep, so thankfully there was also a 20 minute tour as well to get acquainted. The course is obviously full-on, as we have come to appreciate, and this engenders a camaderie for the students, demonstrated by the motivating PharmSoc. The department tour was great, including their newly opened ‘local Pharmacy’. Abby’s view was it was way too tidy to be true, but it’s obviously a great benefit for the course, alongside the ‘patient counselling’ facilities and regular labs & lecture theatres.

After the show, we stopped for lunch at the barbeque tent, then off on a bus tour. The campus is really big and the only real way to see it all is by bus. The helper was really chatty about the accommodation and the ‘student’ areas for the 2nd year’s, and safety assurance and so on, so we learn a lot from her personal advice, freely given.

Then we walked to see round the Union building and the Sports facilities and the nearest self-catered accommodation… by which time we had done our fill and away we went. Overall impression is Nottingham Uni tried really hard to show itself well, the course is obviously prestigious and well-catered for, and so we have another contender.

As a postscript….. Abby received a follow-up e-mail asking for her impressions of the day with a chance to win Amazon vouchers for her trouble. Something tells me that Nottingham has got open-days off to a fine art and if they take this much trouble with their prospective students it bodes well for the induction of the freshers that will be arriving at their door in September – a very reassuring thought for us parents.

Parent blog heads north

2008-07-08T06:56:00Z

Reading University last time, next stop Manchester.

In an earlier blog I commented that Abby couldn’t picture herself living and studying in a large city-centre establishment but that I was keen that she shouldn’t dismiss it without having a look first, especially as Manchester has a reputation as one of the leading Schools of Pharmacy in the country. They were hosting their open day on a Friday which meant a day off school for Abby and a day away from his computer screen for her dad so there was an added incentive to make the trek northbound.

From the following account from her dad you’ll gather that the visit was a bit of a revelation for Abby and further proof that open days can really give you the feel for a place that a prospectus just can’t match.

It’s Friday, and we’re off to the big city. Our first impressions: Manchester University is huge and compact. It is concentrated around Oxford Road just to the south of the City Centre, and today perhaps 5000 extra people were simultaneously descending on the same small space in the Whitworth building to register and get the introductory materials. Chaos reigned – registration itself seemed irrelevant and most of the materials were not easily found or digested. Not a good start – we were worn out already, while most of the helpers were still dozing.

Well, we got going with the student tour at the attractive Old Quadrangle. Eventually we were rounded up by a guide & taken round the main blocks. It’s surprisingly rather grand and green spaces and attractive. The student guide made a big thing about the City/Campus feel – so everything is close by, yet Manchester Uni is in the city as well. Battling back & forth across Oxford Road on the tour meant I reserved judgement for the moment, but the place has a vibe of both size & significance.

Tour over – next was the Pharmacy presentation itself for 1 hour, and only one scheduled for the day! After some waiting again we were shown to the lecture hall, where Dr David Allison gave an excellent presentation. Understated, it was focussed on the subject and its evolution and application, and particularly on the ways Manchester University approaches it. They are very focussed, very high-tech, very hands-on and a lot of practical interaction with the local hospitals etc. It’s obviously a lot of hard work and a lot of rewards. From this show, it looks an exceptional course – no wonder there are only 1 in 10 accepted and some 180 students enrol per year from the 2000 hopefuls. Anyone on this course is really privileged – I was knocked out. Even Abby seemed impressed.

The other helpful advice was on the kind of person they look for – committed, bright, caring, good communicator and a thirst for knowledge – it’s no walk in the park. The personal statement is obviously the differentiator to get the interview, and the interview day performance is the key to get the nod. For this course, the university selects the students, not the other way round. It’s obvious now that Manchester doesn’t need to try too hard to advertise itself on the Open Day – so naturally there was no tour of the facilities on offer in the department.

Well, after this revelation, we tumbled outside & took the free bus tour round the ‘campus’ accommodation. The halls are all 10-20 minute bus ride away, in leafy suburbs further down the Oxford Road. This was a great insight too, and the guide was very informative, throughout the 45 minute tour. The halls are quite expensive (expected for a big city) but really smart and again compact, and the area is buzzing and “studenty” and full of bars & curry-houses & parkland. The earlier guide was right – it is effectively an extended campus, linked by the artery and the buses that run up & down it.

After this we squeezed in a late lunch and a quick tour of the library (another huge, grand place) and then off home. This Open Day goes to show that nothing beats the actual visit in order to get a real taster of the university experience ahead. First impressions proved a much better guide than pre-conceptions. Abby was bowled over by Manchester and it’s top of the list……for now.

Next we will see what Nottingham has to offer. Then there’ll be a few weeks to reflect on our travels before we head to Bath and Aston next term.

Parent blog on the road

2008-07-01T15:06:00Z

On a lovely, sunny Friday, Abby and I started out on our first open-day visit along the M4 to Reading. We’d downloaded details of the open-day schedule and directions to the campus from Reading University’s website so had a vague idea of what we could expect.

The journey was surprisingly quick and easy and we had no problem finding our way to the campus where they’d ensured plenty of parking for all the visitors. The University of Reading is set in extensive parkland which created a really good first impression, helped by the lovely weather. Plenty of good signage and lots of student helpers in bright yellow T-shirts ensured that we couldn’t get lost and we soon realised that the centre of the campus is actually quite compact and easy to get around.

First stop was the University Library which I was keen to re-acquaint myself with, having worked there 30 years ago, and then on to the Pharmacy department, just 3 years old, housed within the Chemistry building. There was no presentation but the department had put together some displays and posters outlining the course and there were staff members on-hand to answer any questions – quite a low-key affair. A very keen Chemistry undergrad took us on a tour of the labs, trying all the while to convince Abby that she should swap to Chemistry instead. She wasn’t persuaded.

We checked the timetable and found that there were a couple of talks of interest to us about to begin. Firstly a powerpoint presentation from a member of the library staff. Sadly for me as a librarian this was fairly poorly attended. Then followed a talk about accommodation……many more people at this one. They’d organised for all the Halls of Residence to be open on the day so, after the talk, we asked a couple of student helpers to point us in the direction of one of the main Halls but they insisted on walking us all the way. They were really friendly girls, helpful, chatty and great ambassadors for their University.

Before we knew it, it was well into the afternoon, things were winding down and we were pretty shattered – so much to take in. Just time for a quick cup of coffee before heading back to the M4 for, what we hoped, was an uneventful journey home. No such luck, the motorway was a car park from Swindon to Cardiff thanks to the closure of the M5 and an accident in Newport. However, it gave us plenty of time to chat and reflect on the day as we crawled along for four hours.

Overall impressions were good. Reading had really tried hard, the open-day was well organised and the campus looked attractive and well kept. The Pharmacy course was a little underplayed but it didn’t put Abby off. She could picture herself living and studying there which was one of the main aims of the day and just goes to show the importance of visiting prospective choices.

Next stop for Dad and daughter was Manchester….quite a contrasting day with one or two surprises. Read all about it next time.

Exams and beyond

2008-05-29T08:37:00Z

AS level exams are well and truly upon us and all thoughts of University applications have taken a back seat. A dark cloud hangs over our house as study leave takes hold. Abby’s chemistry practical went so badly that she’s temporarily abandoned plans for a life in pharmacy and is pitching her ambitions towards a job on the check-out of our local supermarket instead.

However there’s been one bright moment amidst the gloom and despondency when Abby’s UCAS card arrived and she realised that it would qualify her for discount at Topshop.

At least one of the family has more confidence that Abby will get through her exams and so has been doing some forward planning. Abby’s dad has put his project management expertise to good use and has spent hours surfing the web to come up with a definitive list of Universities offering Pharmacy courses and, together with the Independent and Guardian league tables, then compiling a “top ten”. Next he’s listed all the open days and allocated which parent will attend which institution. Abby is only allowed 3 absences from school to attend open days so we were relieved to find that many take place on a weekend. Of course the down-side to this is that we may not get to see the University at full-swing. (The buzz of a mid-week visit to Warwick’s campus was what convinced Abby’s brother that this was the place for him. It did not disappoint).

We are really keen to visit all the potential choices. One important consideration is the size and layout of the universities. Abby seems convinced that she would feel more comfortable in a modern campus-style university which would exclude places like Manchester but I’m keen that she looks around the traditional institutions, too, before making up her short-list. The proximity to the city centre shopping malls might just change her mind!

It‘ll be interesting to see how different universities structure their open days. Our first, according to Tim’s schedule, will be Reading Uni. in late June closely followed by Manchester. I’ll let you know how we get on.

Let me introduce myself....

2008-03-05T14:40:00Z

My name is Jan Williams and I’m a librarian working in the Learning Resources Centre in Treforest. So why the blog? I’m also a parent about to embark, along with my husband Tim, on the process of guiding our daughter, Abby, through the maze of choosing and applying for a university place. The Schools Liaison department thought that it might be of interest and of help to parents and prospective students to read of our family’s experiences, especially if they are about to go through the process too. So I’ll be recording how we get on over the coming months in the form of a blog diary.

Let me start by giving you a bit of background information on my family….....

Abby’s currently in lower sixth form and will be applying in the autumn term for a university place to study Pharmacy, starting in October 2009. It still seems a long way off but she’s informed me that she’s already acquired a UCAS number and password so the process has already begun.

Tim and I are no strangers to the procedure. Both of us went through the university system back in the 70’s but as we were both first generation university students in our respective families it was all very much an unknown quantity for us and our parents. Besides which, in the days pre-internet, we didn’t have the advantages of online applications and tracking facilities nor did we have university websites and course prospectuses available at the click of a mouse button.

More recently we’ve managed to steer Abby’s older brother David through the UCAS system and the associated rounds of open days, personal statement writing, applications, acceptances and rejections. David’s now in his 2nd. year of a 4 year German Studies degree at Warwick Uni.

From my point of view it will be interesting to see how Abby’s experiences compare with David’s. For a start, the way they made their initial choices has differed. David chose his course because he was passionate about the German language and just wanted to continue studying it without a particular goal in sight. Abby, on the other hand, is fairly sure of what she wants as a career and what she must do to achieve it. She’s already geared her work experience around pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences and has landed a Saturday job in a local Chemist shop – all good for her personal statement. So, apart from a recent wobble when she thought that medicine might be more to her taste, she’s been pretty focussed on what she wants to study. She now needs to decide where she wants to study.

That’s where I’m hoping that my parental contribution will come in useful. Tim and I have already made a start by helping her check out which universities run her chosen course and when they will be holding their open days. When the time comes we’ll be roped in to providing the transport to get her there.

Over the next few weeks and months I’ll be recording any significant milestones, peaks, troughs, excitements, worries and disappointments that we encounter en route to securing, we hope, a university place for our budding pharmacist. I’m hoping you’ll find it interesting and helpful to follow our progress too.