So, it's come to the end.

We've talked right through from applying to going out in freshers week, and I hope I have been informative!
Writing this blog has really helped me too; it has helped me understand everything about university in more depth and has made me a lot more confident about the whole idea! If you have any questions please feel free to ask me. You can find me on Twitter @JourneyToUni and on my Facebook page, or leave a comment on this page :)

Thank you for following my blog.

Amy Rule.

So when does all the fun begin?

Having replied to offers, accepted the one you wish to attend, packed your bags and left for university, I bet you're pretty excited.

The main thing on everybody's lips when starting university is.... Freshers week! Don't just assume it's a whole week of drinking (which would be extremely bad for you!), it's a chance to meet new people. It is set to be the most fun week of your life, experiencing new things and creating new memories you can telling your friends for years to come. The purpose of freshers week is to make yourself familiar with fellow students and  the campus, to settle into your accommodation and to get used to university life as whole. Usually, various events will be organised to make this week even more memorable, for example, pub quizzes, fancy dress parties, meet and greets etc. However, freshers week isn't just a barrel of laughs, you will also have to register and welcome talks. Without this, you might find yourself not registered on courses or a bit lost when it comes to trying to find out where you're supposed to be and when! At the end of the (maybe slightly laborious) process, you are rewarded with the golden ticket to your student life - your student union card! This card can help you receive discounts in various stores, get you into many different nightclubs and also gains you access to the student union. The student union is a place where students from around the campus can socialise and hang out, and usually boasts a onsite shop and noticeboard with up to the minute events flyers! There will also usually be a freshers fair, which has many different stands advertising various things (societies etc, see below for some more info). This week can be extremely fun, but don't be fooled, the hard work starts soon!

One of the best ways to make friends similar to yourself is to join a society or club. After being to various open days, I have seen that there is such a huge variety of them that you can join! There are the more mainstream groups such as drama, football etc, and then the more alternative and unusual like parachuting or toy model making. You can honestly meet all sorts of different people through these societies, and can also give you the opportunity to add skills onto your CV!

The way you work in university will be a lot different than that you are used to, or so I am told. Self motivation is of utmost importance in university, as tutors won't badger you to hand work in, they will simply fail you. Also, work may sometimes be set without the intention of it being marked. That might sound stupid, but it is important to complete this work to maintain an understanding and to help you develop on the course. A lot of courses will have some tuition time where a group of you can get together and receive help, so make sure you make a note of anything you have been struggling with.

Preparing for university - accommodation checklist.

Moving out and going to university is an exciting time, and with so much going on in your mind at once it would be easy to get confused. From thinking about all the clothes you want to take, to all the necesities for your kitchen, here is a cleverly devised checklist of all the important items you don't want to forget!

Paperwork

• Your passport, drivers license and national insurance number
• TV License if not provided
• A CV and any references you have gained
• Your bank details
• Your doctors and dentist details along with your NHS number
• A diary or calender could also be useful to make sure you don't forget any important events!
• Grab a map of the local area and a guide to what's going on

Kitchen

If you're sharing a flat with a few others, it would be a good idea to discus what kitchen items you could each bring. It wouldn't be very useful if all 5 of you brought a toastie maker yet no one brought any pans to cook any food. Maybe just bring the essential items with you on your first day and then discuss which appliances each could bring in the following few days. Also, maybe you could all put some money together and buy anything else needed between you. The majority of the time, appliances will already be provided in the flats but this will be something you need to find out prior to moving in.

• Corkskrew and bottle opener
• Mugs and glasses
• Cutlery
• Plates and bowls
• Frying pans and saucepans
• Tin opener
• Scissors
• Chopping board
• Basic cupboard ingredients - coffee, tea, sugar, salt, pepper etc
• Cooking utensils - wooden spoon, spatula, masher
• Plastic boxes suitable for freezing - place any left over food (spag bol for example) in and freeze for another days meal!
• Plastic bowl that is suitable for microwaving - perfect for heating soups and beans!
• Sandwich bags
• Tea towels
• Tin foil and cling film
• Oven gloves
• Tray to carry food on if eating in bedroom
• Washing up liquid, dishcloth and scrubbing brush (for when the washing up actually DOES get done)

Bathroom

• Bath mat to step out on to after a shower
• Bath and hand towels (maybe a flannel too)
• A basket to keep all your shower things in (handy if not in an en suite bedroom!)
• Toilet roll
• Toothbrush, toothpaste and mouthwash
• Shower accessories - soaps, bodywash, shampoo, conditioner
• Hair gels, hairspray
• Deodorant
• Nail scissors/clippers
• Hairbrush
• Razors and shaving gel/foam

Electrical Items

• Alarm clock
• Mini fridge (for if you can't be bothered to walk to the kitchen!)
• Calculator
• Laptop and charger
• Phone charger
• Memory stick - essential for carrying important work!
• Printer
• Network cable
• Bedside lamp
• TV and DVD/VCR player
• Camera - document your time at university so you can relive the memories later on
• Headphones
• Extension lead
• Batteries

Studying Essentials

• Desk lamp
• Notice board/white board - to make a note of important events
• Dictionary and thesaurus
• A pad of lined paper
• Plain A4 paper for printing
• Folders to keep your work in
• Stationary - Pens, pencils, rubbers, highlighters, tippex, ruler, stapler, hole punch
• Sellotape
• White Tac - this won't stain the walls like Blu Tac would
• Post it notes

Housekeeping

• Laundry bag (Keep's your clothes off the floor and makes it easy to take it to the laundry room....if your parent's don't do your washing!)
• Clothes horse to dry your clothes in your room
• Dustpan and brush
• Cleaning products for your flat and your clothes
• Dusters
• Hoover (if you really wanted)

Bedroom

• Sheets
• Duvet and duvet covers
• Pillows and pillow cases
• Matress cover
• Hot water bottle
• Sleeping bag (if your mates stay over)

Miscellaneous

• Alcohol
• Extra storage
• Suitcase
• Spare lightbulb
• Torch
• Any loose change
• Fan
• Clock

Don't forget all your clothing any anything you want to add to your room! (posters etc).

All about student accommodation (moving away from home, yay!)

If you're applying to a university that is a fair distance from your home and you would be unable to commute, you will need student accommodation. This is the renting of a flat where you will live while studying at university. Usually these flats will be in blocks filled with other students. Student accommodation is only available to students, and proof of this will be needed prior to booking, so don't worry, no random strangers will be able to move in! From what I have heard (and from working in a student accommodation company for the past three summers), living in student accommodation provides you with freedom, the ability to grow and for a lot of people, life long friends! 

There are two different kinds of student accommodation - there is that provided by the university, and private accommodation. If you live in accommodation provided by the university, you will most likely live on campus or very close by. You will also be living with other students who definitely go to your university, which helps when you are a first year! It is also sometimes cheaper than private accommodation. When it comes to private accommodation, you can choose who you want to live with. For example, if you and a friend were going to the same town but to different universities, you could request private accommodation and to live with each other. Also, the location is flexible meaning you could be closer to the town centre (i.e. all the clubs!)

Here are some tips when it comes to student accommodation:

• Check out the location! If you have to commute to and from your flat to university, work out how much it would cost you. You could also see if there are any supermarkets around which will help when working out how much money you would need to budget on food.
• If living in halls, your bills will most likely be covered in your rent.
• Sometimes in halls, you will be provided with internet. Make sure to ask!
• If you know someone else applying to the same accommodation, avoid the flatmates from hell situation and ask to be put with them. You could also provide preferences (non smoking, gender specific etc). 
• You should always ask about insurance!

There are usually different room types when it comes to accommodation, that range in size and obviously the bigger the room, the more expensive it is. When booking student accommodation, you will most likely have to sign a contract that means you are committed to paying the rent for the year. Usually, the rent will be paid termly in time with your maintenance loan, but not always so be sure to check with the accommodation company. Once you have signed the contract, you are legally binded to the room to pay the rent, so be sure to read it thoroughly before signing. Plus, make sure you understand how much you will be expected to be on each payment date so you can budget your money! 

Here are some websites you could look at that provide private accommodation (the university website will provide details on their own accommodation):

MCR Students

Accommodation for students

Student Pad

Student Castle

Unite

Here is a useful website with some similar hints and tips too! Bright Knowledge - Student Accommodation


Check out this video for some information for a manager at MCR Students, a student accommodation company based in Manchester. Although Maryanne Bell will be talking about Manchester Student Village specifically, it can give you an idea about student accommodation as they are usually quite similar.

University - do you move away or stay at home?

For some people, moving away is a necessity. For example, if you're going to a university miles and miles away, it may be near impossible to commute from home. However, for some people it may be a possibility. Check out this list I've devised below to give you some benefits of each decision.

If you wish to live at home:

• You won't have to take any loans out to pay rent, meaning you won't have to pay anything back in the future!
• If you're lucky enough, you may not have to do all of your cooking, cleaning and washing yourself.
• You won't have to move all of your things to and from university if you wanted to come for holidays.
• You will still be near all of your family and friends.
• There is the chance of keeping a job if you have one.
• You will be starting university from an environment you feel confident in.

If you wanted to move away:

• You will feel like part of university and campus more.
• Living on your own gives you the opportunity to grow and come more responsible.
• You will be able to make lifelong friends and meet different kinds of people.
• Living away from home will teach you how to cope with adult life.
• You will have your own space.
• It can be exciting and you'll be close to all the parties and nightlife.

Have a look at a students and parent's opinion on going to university!

What preparations have you done for when you leave college?

Lizzie: I have looked at a couple of apprenticeships and volunteer work abroad. I’ve also looked at some work placements along with some courses at Huddersfield, Manchester Metropolitan, Salford and Westminster University.

Joe: Well I’ve got hold of a few uni’s for information and looked at a couple of applications. I found out that I need to do another year at college and complete a foundation degree before I can apply for the course I want to do at university.

Josh: I’ve started writing my personal statement after looking at a few universities and different student accommodation.

Is university the ultimate route you want to take, or is this just one of many options?

Lizzie: I would really like to go to university but it’s a lot of money so I need to be sure about the career I want to do in the future.

Joe: Definitely want to go to university because a degree is necessary in the industry I want to enter.

Josh: Just want to go to uni because I need a degree to get into the gaming industry.

Is there anything putting  you off going to university?

Lizzie:  I like the fact you can pay back your loans in small instalments, and the fact that there is no guarantee of a job doesn’t really bother me.

Joe: There’s nothing really putting me off because I really want to go to university!

Josh: The accommodation fee is a bit worrying, the fact that I may not have enough to cover it.

 Have you begun a UCAS application? If so, how are you finding it?

Lizzie: Yes I have and it’s quite difficult! The personal statement is the hardest part. Apart from that it’s alright, although it is a lengthy application.

Joe: I haven’t started a UCAS application; I’m planning on doing it next year after finishing my foundation degree at college.

Josh: It’s a long process and requires a lot of effort but I have started it and its necessary!

 

What would you recommend to people in their first of college who are thinking about higher education?

Lizzie: Have an idea of what you want to do early on and make sure you look at loads of different universities to see which would be most suitable for yourself.

Joe: Really look at every degree at every university to ensure you know exactly what you want to do or else it can get very confusing!

Josh: Do all your work in college so that you get good predicted grades which help you get offers from universities.
 

Do you think people who have a degree have an advantage over those who don’t?

Lizzie: Yeah, most workplaces look at degrees so I think having one would help.

Joe: Yes because people with degrees have 3 or 4 years more experience than someone who doesn’t go to uni. This means they have a better chance of getting an interview which gives them a better chance of getting a job.

Josh: In some cases yes, in others no. For example, if you wanted to be an engineer within the gaming industry, you would need the knowledge gained from a degree.
 

Where do you see yourself  in five years’ time?

Lizzie: Hopefully I’ll be in a full time job with a good wage after completing a degree at uni.

Joe: I want to be living in London trying to get into a full time job within the industry I want to be in.

Josh: Finishing uni and looking for a job in an independent gaming company or creating my own.


Here is a short video where a parent was interviewed about their opinions on their child going to university. You may not have thought about it but your parent's will have a strong opinion about you going to university, and it might help to ask them how they feel!

 

 

Offers and replies.

Congratulations on finishing your UCAS application! That's the hardest part out of the way, so now it's time to sit back, relax, and watch all your offers roll in! Once you receive an offer or something changes on your application, you will be notified by email (make sure you confirm this on UCAS!) If you haven't provided an email address, UCAS will notify you by letter so don't worry. Before accepting any offers, you need to consider a few points first:

• If there's one thing I would STRONGLY recommend, it would be to visit each of your universities on open days. I attended open days for each of my choices and found them extremely useful. Going to open days gives you a feel for the place you may be studying, and the majority of the time there are opportunities to visit the university accommodation. Something else I found useful was the fact you get the chance to talk to course tutors and current students. Ask them anything and everything you can think of, it really helps to get as much information as possible. Sometimes a prospectus or the university website can mislead you, as obviously they want you to believe that they are the best university for you so its important to visit the university and form your own opinions. Also, open days often feature "life fairs" which include information about things from student finance to student nightlife (sometimes they give out cool freebies so check them out!)
• You need to be 100% sure before making any decisions, as once made they can't be taken back - this includes the insurance offer which I'll explain later!
• You don't have to wait for all your offers to get back to you before replying, you can cancel any you definitely don't want to attend, but this cannot be reversed so ensure you know exactly what you want to do!

There are three options when it comes to replying to your offers, you have to make a firm acceptance, an insurance choice and and the rest will be declined.

Firm acceptance

A firm acceptance will be your preferred choice out of all those you have made, and you can only pick one of these.

If you choose to accept an unconditional offer, you are agreeing that you will definitely attend the course and must therefore decline any other offers. If you want to accept a conditional offer, then that means you are agreeing to attend the university if you meet all the entry requirements. With accepting a conditional offer, you can accept another as an insurance choice. 

Insurance choice

The insurance choice can be conditional or unconditional, and is basically a back up; if you don't meet the requirements for your firm choice, but do for your insurance, then you are committed to your insurance choice. If your insurance choice has higher requirements than your firm choice, and you don't meet those for your firm, it doesn't mean you will automatically be accepted. Also, you don't have to make an insurance choice if you don't want to!

Decline

Once you have confirmed your replies, you can decline the ones that you definitely do not wish to attend. 


Here are the dates by which you need to make your decisions by:

The date of your last        The date you need to reply
 offer:                                by:

31 March 2013	8 May 2013
9 May 2013	6 June 2013
7 June 2013	27 June 2013
18 July 2013	25 July 2013

So I've complied information here about replies and offers from a few sources, but there is one that you should most definitely have a look at! This one! Also while you're on UCAS' website, have a look at the pages on what to do if you receive no offers or if there are any changes you need to make. 

I hope this has been useful, and don't forget to have a look at my following posts :) Thank you!

Finishing off your UCAS application.

Hopefully by this stage you've filled out your UCAS application. It's pretty self explanatory really, you just fill out all of the necessary details, and now that you've finished your personal statement and have attached it you are pretty much ready to go! It's worth going over your application a couple of times to make sure you have all the correct details in. When I was doing mine, it took me quite a while to input my GCSE's and qualifications I have already gained from college. That might make me sound pretty stupid, but trust me, when you're trying to get something spot on it can be quite stressful and mess you around a bit! Make sure that you are putting the right qualification type in, and that you are inputting the correct date for your GCSE's. The qualification date for your GCSE's will be that on your results certificate, not the date you did the exam (there was much debate about this among me and my friends). I also found it useful to have someone else look over my application too, like a parent or tutor just to double check I hadn't missed anything out. When you think you have finished everything, let your tutor know and they will attach their reference for you (they should have already wrote this for you when you told them you were creating a UCAS application).

So, when it comes to sending off your application, unfortunately you do have to pay. If you are applying for just one course (which isn't recommended just in case you aren't accepted and will therefore have nothing to fall back on), it will cost you £12. If you apply for 2, 3, 4 or 5 courses, it will cost you £23. Paying is straight forward really, you read and accept the terms and conditions (if you do agree with them) and then proceed to pay by card.

Once your application has been paid for and sent off, it goes to your referee. This is the person at your college who is responsible for checking over all applications. It is reassuring that there is yet again another person to check the application  as they will send it back to you with a comment on what needs changing if there are any mistakes. As soon as the application is approved, the referee will then go on to send it off to UCAS. If you aren't at college or doing a foundation degree at uni, and are applying independently, your application will go straight to UCAS and you will be notified.

Now you play the waiting game. It's a tense time for all university applicants as you sit there gnawing your nails waiting for a reply. Luckily, I got two offers the day mine got sent off! Although, I was an eager beaver and sent it off way before the deadline. Don't worry if it takes a few weeks before you get any replies, just think about the amount of people applying to each course, it's going to take the staff a while to get through all of them, so don't panic.

Choosing a course at University.

Going to university or college can be a life changing decision, in an exceptional way, or one of them 'worst decisions of your life' kind of ways... so make sure you do as much research as possible and that you choose the right course for the right reasons. It's best to choose a course that interests you; doing something that bores you will eventually make you lose interest which could in turn harm your quality of work. Also, if you do something you enjoy, you'll even look forward to completing your work! When picking a course, you need to ensure that you look at the entry requirements. Sometimes it may be that you need to secure yourself certain grades, or you need to submit an example piece of work. Make sure you don't apply for a course that requires something you don't have!

First of all, you need to think about which universities you would like to study at, and to do this you need to consider the following:

• Do you want to move to another part of the country, world, or stay at home. Each university will offer something different so you need to think where you would like to be.
• If you choose to move to somewhere you don't know very well or have never been, be sure to research the location so you're aware of what it can offer you.
• For extra advice, speak to family, friends, students, the university itself, or you could even ask me!

What is the best university? Of course there is no answer to this. Each university will offer something different; it depends what you want to study basically. 

Most courses usually consist of a mix of practical and theory work so that there is something for everybody. It would be unfair to only include examinations on people who are talented at practical work, for example.  Start by thinking about these: what subject interests you the most? Do i need a specific qualification for what I want to do in the future? What am I particularly talented at? Is there a specific job I want for the future?

If you can't answer the above, just keep them in mind.  You don't want to go in blind and get overwhelmed by the number of courses available! Unistats is a great website to check out, it helps you to gather more information about courses and different universities. 

From experience, I would pick out a range of courses that interest you, and then list the pros and cons of each. If you weigh up each of your options of each course, it will help you to see the ones that stick out for you! Do the same for the universities. The course may sound great but does the university have the right facilities for you? Does it have enough student support to help you through the course? Speak to current students of the course you are interested in if you can! You can do this by going to open days!

Open days are extremely important to attend. If you are interested in a certain university, be sure to check out when it's open days are and have a good look around. Open days usually offer subject talks, tours of the campus and facilities and gives you the chance to talk to students and staff. Personally, going to a university open day completely changed my mind on a certain university; it really shows you how important they are. Whilst you're at the open day, have a look at the location too. This can also be a huge factor.

Distance learning.

Not all people physically want to go to university, but some people do want to work for a degree. That's where a clever little thing known as "The Open University" comes in. Studying a degree with the open university gives you flexibility, as you can study anywhere you like! Whether it be at home, in the library or a local study center, it allows you to study where you know you work the best. You receive "supported open learning" means that you get:

• support from a tutor or online forum to help with module material, activities and assignments
• student advisers and study facilities in their own region, and
• contact with other students at tutorials, day schools or through online conferencing,online social networks, informal study groups, and events. - The Open University <- check it out!

If you are considering distance learning, you need to weigh up all of your options. For example, you would be committed to learning in your own home, where you make work better. On the other hand, you miss out on working within groups and getting to know different people. It just depends what you know works best for you - YOU are the only person that can decide what you want to do with your future.

Here's some other interesting links to look at:

The Open University Scotland
National Extension College
Open College Of The Arts
Association of British Correspondence Colleges
Interactive Design Institute

Foundation degrees.

Sometimes, you need to study a foundation degree as it is one of the entry requirements you need to study for a higher degree. You can study a foundation degree in a certain area if you wish to study something in higher education that you haven't done previously. 

Foundation degrees are made and delivered in partnership with employers to give people the knowledge and skills you need for business in the specific sector you want to work in. Here's a bit more info on foundation degrees:

• They usually last around 2 years unless you do a part time course. The length would then depend on which course you take.
• There are no set requirements needed to study a foundation degree, it is usually up to the institution . Also, sometimes, industry experience may get you onto the course without other qualifications.
• A foundation degree can set you up for a career straight after you finish the course, but it is a more popular option to continue with further education. 

Here's a couple of statistics for you! In 2010 UCAS received , 82,066 applicants for 2795 foundation degree courses. This is a 23.5% increase from 2009! 

It is so important to check out all the types of courses available at university, so don't rule any out before reading all about them!

What about apprenticeships?

University isn't for everyone, neither is college. That's where apprenticeships can be perfect for you!
An apprenticeship is basically a real job where you still get trained and can earn while you earn. You can even pick up recognised qualifications while you work! They take between 1 and 4 years to complete, and you can find them in all sorts of industries like engineering, finance and retail among others. You even still get holidays! So basically it's a win-win situation. Don't forget than sometimes you can have a guaranteed job at the end of your apprenticeship, which is more security than completing a degree and having nothing! Be sure to check with your employer. If exams and theory based work isn't for you, or university isn't something that interests you, check out websites like this one. Make sure you check out the video at the bottom of this post to see my interview with a current apprentice! 

According to the BBC website, the government invested £1.2 billion pounds into the apprentice programme, and 457,200 people have begun training as an apprentice. This just proves that over the past few years, university is becoming less of a conventional route to take.

Due to the rise in apprenticeship applications, it's more important than ever to ensure that your application is perfect - it's just as important as an application to university. You should sell yourself, and ensure that you make yourself stand out from the crowd. Some companies like being able to train someone up in their company so that the individual gathers all the skills they want you to have. Not all companies do apprenticeships,but not all advertise that they do. There's no harm in emailing various places telling them you are interested in applying for an apprenticeship with them, and if they have any information or advice.

Some people would just prefer to get straight into work after completing school or college, which is great if they know what they need to do to get to where they want to be, and it involves climbing the career ladder at work. However, don't just get a 9-5 job if it's not what you reeeeeeeally want to do! You don't want to be stuck in a cycle of working 5 days a week and getting nowhere. 

Preparing for university - budgeting.

As soon as you find out you have secured a place at university and want to accept it, it's time to plan ahead! Going to university can be a life changing experience, and as daunting as that may seem, for the majority of people it is the best time of their lives. As long as you plan and arrange everything you need to do, you'll be fine, and this particular post is going to help you along the way. As well as everything you need to take with you (check out my next post for that!) you will need to sort things out like money, travel, accommodation etc.

You need to ensure that you have applied for your student finance with plenty of time left, just to ensure that your money is in your bank for when you need it. It would also be useful to open a student bank account with a branch nearby to where you are living. Be sure to check out a range of student accounts as they all offer different benefits. You may also need to travel home from university at holidays such as Christmas and Easter, and if this involves a train, plane or coach, be sure to book in advance and you will save a good amount of money! 

Each month you should budget your money. Note down your income (how much money you receive from your student loan per month, and any money from a part time job, benefits or savings). You can then note how much you plan to spend on rent, food, anything you may need for university, clothes, petrol etc. Deduct this amount from your income and you will see how much you have left for recreational use. If you discover you plan on spending more than you have, you need to work out what to cut down on.

Here are some money saving tips on food, socialising and study expenses:

• When cooking food, make more than you can eat and freeze it. This will keep in the the freezer and can be used for more meals later on.
• Buy own brands from supermarkets and sign up for loyalty schemes.
• Make a list of food you need and stick to it.
• Look out for bargains on fresh food at the end of each day - they can't sell fresh bread for example a day after it was baked.
• Look out for student discounts if out with friends in places like the cinema for example.
• Find out when your favourite clubs have student nights for cheaper entry and cheaper drinks!
• Only take a certain amount of money out so you aren't tempted to spend more than you can afford to.
• When purchasing study material, find out what is essential so you don't waste money on materials you don't need.
• Ask older students on the same course what books they needed.
• Look on Ebay or buy them second hand so that they will be cheaper.
• Borrow from the library if you don't need the whole book.

What is student finance and how much could I get?

What is student finance?

Student finance gives you the funding to go to university through the form of loans and grants, if you cannot afford it yourself. 

What is the main student finance package?

There is a tuition loan - which pays for your course fees, a maintenance loan - this pays for your living costs, and a maintenance grant (you don't have to pay this back but not everyone qualifies to receive it.) 

What loans and grants you can receive depends on whether you are a full time student or a part time student. 

Full time students can apply for:

• A tuition loan
• A maintenance loan
• A maintenance grant
• Any extra help from universities and colleges if you are on a low income

Part time students can apply for:

• A tuition loan
• Any extra help from universities and colleges if you are on a low income

The tuition loan never actually enters your bank account, it is paid to your university or college directly and you will have to pay it back in the future. The amount your receive depends on the total amount of your course fees. For example, the course I wish to do costs £8000, so the loan I will receive is £8000.The most expensive courses are £9000, and this is the highest amount of loan you can receive. 

With the maintenance loan, you must be under 60 and a full time student in the UK to be eligible to receive it. Not everybody receives the same amount of maintenance loan, your family income will be taken into account. This loan gets paid into your bank account at the start of the term and again, you will have to pay this back.

• If you choose to live at home you can receive up to £4,375.
• If you choose to live at home, outside of London, you can receive up to £5,500.
• If you choose to live away from home in London, you can receive up to £7,675.
• If you spend a year out of your UK course to study abroad you can receive up to £6,535.

There is also a maintenance grant available. You must be a full time UK student and provide your household income to be eligible for the grant. You don't have to pay this grant back, but if you do receive a grant it will lessen the amount of the loan you receive. If your household income is around:

• £25,000 or less you can receive £3,354
• £30,000 you can receive around £2,416
• £35,000 you can receive around £1,478
• £40,000 you can receive around £540
• £42,611 you can receive around £50
• If your household income is over £42,611 you will not be eligible to receive a grant

There are also special support available for certain individuals. Visit the student finance calculator to find out how much you personally can receive in total.

All the information provided was correct as of January 2013.

Receiving your results!

So hopefully you'll have been working hard to get the results you need to get into your chosen course, and are now nearly ready to receive them!

When preparing for your results, make sure you know your login details for UCAS's track website! This is where it will be shown to you if you have been accepted onto your course or not - it's pretty crucial! When the results are published, make sure you're not busy so you can check them and make any phone calls to universities/colleges that may desperately need to be made. Also, one of the main points, check your contact details are up to date so that the universities and colleges can get in contact with you. That might sound fairly obvious, but it's worth just checking over it to be on the safe side.

The majority of the time, your results will get sent straight to UCAS without you having to do so yourself. Click this link to see whether your results will be sent straight away or whether your qualifications will needed to be sent independently: http://www.ucas.ac.uk/students/results/examresults

UCAS have compiled together a page of what to do when your results have been received, and they can probably explain it better than me! Chceck out What happens next?

What actually is Higher Education?

It's all a bit daunting right? You're coming up the end of your time at college, or want to gain more qualifications and you're thinking of higher education. It can all seem a bit too much, so let's start with talking about what higher education (let's call it HE) actually is. 

Higher education is basically a way of furthering your career prospects. It offers a diverse range of qualifications and courses in the form of first degrees, higher national diplomas and foundation degrees. The majority of the time these courses take place in universities, but you can find them in other place if you wish, for example, a specialist institution.  There are thousands of options available, and you can choose whichever course/diploma you like based on what you enjoy studying or wish to do as a career in the future.  

You might be thinking: Why should I choose higher education? Well, here are some points you should consider!

• Depending on which course you choose, there may be a vocational programme included that is directed to particular work areas. They could also offer something called a "sandwich" year. No, this has nothing to do with the food, but it does gain you some invaluable experience that just might give you the edge over another job applicant!
• For some careers like medicine or teaching, a degree is essential.
• University and college brings together all different kinds of people from various backgrounds. This will help your confidence, gain you new friends and will benefit your understanding of different cultures.
• A higher national qualification can increase your financial potential.

Read on through my following blogs to get help in whichever direction you wish to take!

Writing your personal statement.

Here comes the most frustrating part. You get 4000 characters to show your university choices why they should accept you onto their course, but, you can only write one personal statement. So, if you're applying for 5 different courses at 5 different universities, it becomes very difficult (trust me, I applied for 3 different courses) - I'll go into more detail about this later. A lot of university tutors find personal statements crucial when taking course applicants, whereas on the other hand, some might not. You won't know what kind of tutor will be reading your personal statement, so to stay on the safe side make sure that it is as good as it possibly can be. Also, if you narrowly miss gaining the entry requirements then sometimes a tutor will look over your personal statement again, and if they believe you possess the skills and passion for the course, they may still accept you. I'd recommend starting your personal statement quite early on, just because it can take a long time to perfect and you want to make sure you send your applications off way before the deadline.

When getting started on your personal statement, it's best to begin by writing a list of everything you want to include in the statement. If you just began writing the statement, you may miss points out and it could be in an unstructured order. When creating the list, don't worry about structure or expression, this will come later when putting it all together. (You could also create a mind-map if you'd prefer, anything as long as you're getting your points down) Think about:

•  Your reasons for choosing the course - Reasons related to your current studies (you could enjoy a particular subject and/or excel in it so you wish to study it at university), any career plans you have that relate to the subject, work experience related to the area you wish to study. 
• Any personal achievements, experience, activities and interests - Responsibilities you have had at school or in the community, any voluntary work you have done, sports or special achievements, hobbies and any part time work, any awards you have acquired (Duke of Edinburgh for example).
• You can also talk about any skills you have gained that relate to your course - For example, I have studied media for the past five years and wrote about my skills in Adobe programs, editing and journalism etc). 
• You will include a conclusion at the end - You could talk about what you want to do after you leave university in slightly more detail, you could talk about any personal attributes that make you perfect for the course (not too much as they will have read hundreds of personal statements before and it can be a bit of a cliche!) 

After creating your list, read through each point you have made and decide which ones you would most like to include. You don't have enough characters to talk about everything and anything, which I found out the hard way! Your reasons for choosing the course will only be small paragraph, roughly about 30% of your whole statement. If you find yourself with too many points, take out those that can be repetitive and those that are quite general. You want your statement to be specific to you.

Once you have gathered the most important points together, it's time to write a draft. Don't worry, people can write 4 or 5 drafts before finishing, but getting a rough copy is great as you have something to work from  - writing it all down the first time is the most difficult part. Make sure that you list similar points together. For example, if you are writing about your achievements at college, group them together in the same paragraph. That may sound pretty obvious but you'll be surprised at how easy it is to throw in various attributes in each paragraph. When I wrote my first draft, I didn't worry about how long or short it was, I just structured it in paragraphs and wrote down everything I wanted. Then I read and re-read and read over it again, taking out the parts I thought weren't needed. 

Right so after completing your first draft, it's time to hand it to your college tutor or someone similar to have a look over it. They've seen plenty in their time, so don't be embarrassed (I know I was) to have crosses and corrections all over it. Being a tutor themselves, they know exactly what needs to be in there and what doesn't. So if you think your story about coming 3rd in a show jumping competition when you were 7 makes you seem dedicated should be in there, and they don't, it's probably best to take it out. 

Now you're statements been checked over (by more than one person I'd recommend, just because a fresh pair of eyes make spot something you and your tutor haven't), check it again yourself! It is crucial that there are no spelling mistakes, misuses of grammar etc, as the course tutor will just stop reading your statement and you won't be offered a place. Don't forget - this statement is the first thing the tutor will see that will give them an insight into you as a person, so be sure to impress! Once you're completing satisfied  attach it to your UCAS application which will tell you how many characters you have used (you can also use character count on Microsoft Word). Save the section, and you are nearly ready to send your application off!

Be sure to check these links for any further help on your personal statement :) 

Opening your personal statement from The Student Room
Help from studential.com
UCAS' help on writing your personal statement.