The Next Stage – Moving on from Sixth form to Uni

To make the progression from sixth form into a Uni here in the UK, one must go through (UCAS) the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. For me, this has been a nerve-wracking time having to make the decision of what and where to continue the next stage of my life.

I can speak of the buzz around The Head of sixth form’s office in weeks leading up to the deadline. With never ending queues to enter and the sound of negotiations regarding the swap of appointments as everyone claimed to be one appointment from completion. If the experience has taught me anything, it is to start early, start looking up schools, thinking about subjects to study the sooner you finish, the sooner you can sit back and eagerly wait to receive your offers.

My greatest challenges came from choosing a course and then finalising my 5 choices of university. Originally I had settled on law like many who refuse Medicine or Maths but after listening to all sorts of advice, my conclusion was unless you have a burning passion for the law don’t apply to do it as a BA. If there is an academic subject which you have an interest in now, I would recommend studying that, after which if you still want to study law the conversion course (GDL) will give the opportunity to work in the legal profession as a barrister or solicitor with the addition of another discipline making you a broader candidate.

When it comes to picking universities remember to consider how the university is ranked for your chosen discipline as the department’s performance is crucial as well as how the university is generally regarded, with that said how you will adapt to the environment is of the up most importance, visit the college where possible to see if you can imagine yourself studying there.

Finally, university will be a time of hard work but I am told it should also be some of the best years of my life, I am motivated now by the amazing experiences in front of me. I must say I am looking forward to the University experience.