Picking the Right University: Top Tips
This can be a very scary time, not only for you, the potential student, but also for your parents. It doesn't matter if you're the first one of their kids to toddle off to uni, or the last, they want to make sure you're happy, and choosing a university which is right for you is a massive part of that. You need to take into account everything, from the course content to accommodation, you need to have a basis for every decision you make. I hope this post will help you out during this very scary and busy time of year. I've been there, done that and got the T-Shirt...TWICE, so I think I know what I'm talking about :)
By the way, I have included some photos from my own University Campus to brighten the post up a bit, so I hope you enjoy those :)
CHOOSE THE RIGHT COURSE FOR YOU
You need to do a degree in something you really love. Don't do it because your parents want you to, do it because you want to, because its something you have a real passion for and want to take into further education.
Once you have decided on this, study the course content properly online, it can vary from uni to uni, not massively, but there could be something in there which really doesn't float your boat, so please take out a good amount of time to do this, and do so carefully. Once you've done this, narrow down the universities you're interesting in attending, try and get it down to 7 at the very most.
HOW FAR ARE YOU WILLING TO TRAVEL?
This, again, is a massive factor in picking a university to attend. It doesn't matter whether you're very family orientated or not, think about the location practically. How far away is it? How long will it take you to get from A-B by train? How long will it take by car? How will you get all your things there when you move in/out? How often will you be able to see your family? These are all questions you should ask yourself, especially if you're on a budget. How much will travel cost? This is something you would need to sit and talk about with your family. Take their feelings into account as well. How close do they want you? How do they feel about you moving far away?
As much as this decision is all yours, take on board what your family says as well, because they love you and would want to see you as often as possible I'd imagine. Don't let your family decide for you, just keep the practical factors in mind as well.
ATTEND THE OPEN DAYS
I can't tell you how important this one is. If you should take anything from this post, it should be this. Do NOT apply to a university you haven't seen. The course could be great, but you may hate the campus, the accommodation, the area etc. You need to go and visit the place. I visited every single one of the universities I applied to, both in 2012 and again when I applied in 2014. There were ones that looked great on paper, but when I got there I hated it. I knew exactly which ones I didn't want to go to. You need to do the same, you need to physically go and see everything. Look around the University Campus Centre, walk around the building you'd be spending most of your time in, take a walk around the city, and get booked onto the accommodation tours. Usually they run every hour, the same with the campus tours, all of which should be 100% free. After all of that, think to yourself, can I really see myself studying and living here? I know from experience, that when you've found the one, you'll know. You'll get a feeling that you didn't get with the others, and that's how you'll know its the one for you.
Please, if you have the time and the means to do so, attend the open days, I can't stress this enough guys.
I really hope you found these tips useful, there aren't many of them, but these are the three most important things to consider when looking for the perfect university. I wish you luck in your search and applications my friends, whether you're reading this on the day it was published, or in a years time, these tips will remain relevant for a very long time. Take what you can from this, and I will see you on Wednesday with a brand new blog post for you all :)
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