Thou shalt wait...patiently

Thou shalt wait patiently...for UCAS to show changes in your application.

Oh the wait..the agonizing wait!
After a whole year and more of researching, planning, choosing, writing, editing and finally hitting the 'send' button, you realize it's no more in your hands. It's been SENT!

Now all you've got to do is wait. Well that's for us parents. The student concerned has to wait, yes, but has to study too. And study really hard without any distractions, if that's possible!

How does one do that when all you can think of is to log in to 'track' and check for any changes. Or may be check in the mail. Here came all my experience as a motivational speaker handy. I used my favourite quotes, pinned a particular poem near her study table (much to her annoyance, then!) and advised her to change her focus for the time being and zoom in to the 12th class exam which was closer at hand.

Easier said than done. If she got into her Universities of choice, Sheffield or Leeds, she'd be on cloud 9 and beyond. If she got into her next choice, Bournemouth, she'd be on cloud, well, 7 or 8. If she got into the others in her order of preference, she'd still be satisfied. But, WHAT IF...? What if she didn't make it to the any of them! There was a back up plan. she had applied to a couple of universities/colleges in India too. Some not so high ranking ones.

However, a 'life altering decision like studying in UK' and 'continuing with your life decision' of studying in India cannot be compared. So though there was a back up plan, it was as good as having no plan!

Yet she needed to concentrate on the exam at hand. Which I think she managed to do very effectively. We, as parents, went about our jobs routinely, keeping a stress free atmosphere at home. In fact we went a step ahead. We watched movies, celebrated birthdays that came during the exams, went for picnics, used up our 'free stay' hotel coupons, come to think of it, we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves throughout my daughter's 12th board exams!

Which by the way, lasted for a whole month and half for 5 subjects.

WHICH university-1-the daunting task!

Time to choose THE one! How do you decide which university. For students who are very high scorers it's easy. You score so well that the best universities choose you! However, it's not the same for the others. You need to strike a balance between what you want and what you'll get based on your predicted marks.

Once you've decided on your subject, as discussed in the previous post, google for the university rankings for your specific subject. Make a list of all the universities which offer your choice. Select 20 to 25 from different rank brackets. Most top ones, some above average and a couple of mediocre, as back up, below your expected grades. There is no limit to the number of universities you want to add at this moment. Finally start tabulating it all. Make a table with 8 columns as follows:

Columns:

1. Name of the Uni, as it's usually shortened to in the UK. Leave at least 5 to 6 lines after each name.
2. Cost per year. Not just cost of tuition but boarding, etc too. And if it offers scholarships. Though from my research there aren't many for Indian/International under-graduates. Most scholarships offered are for students who want to pursue post-graduation and higher degrees.
3. Ranking. Have 2/3 sub divisions for different rankings in this. For World-QS/World-Times/UK, etc. Though don't rely heavily on the rankings alone.
4. Subject. That this Uni offers, the exact name plus is it an honors degree and is it accredited. As in the case of Broadcast Journalism, the recognized accreditation is BJTC.
5. Entry requirement. Most of the unis state the exact requirement for Indian Board Examinations. Look for subject specific requirement which is usually different from the general university requirement. Email and ask, if in doubt. You will get a prompt reply.
6. Alumni. Famous alumni especially related to your subject may tip the scales in favour, especially  when it becomes difficult to decide between two.

7. Location. Where in UK is it. How would you reach from the international airport and how long does it take. However, again this can be the deciding factor only in case of two equally acclaimed unis. And in no way means that all universities close to London are better!

8. Others. Leave this column for any extra comments you would like to add. For example, if you've emailed them and are waiting for a reply or the date when their representatives are visiting your city or even something about their accommodation.

Visit chat rooms and keep googling using different words each time to dig out as much information as possible about each university that interests you. Here are the links to some I found very useful.

 Push - especially their university guides.

The student room - I picked up a lot of good information (plus a lot of gossip!) from here. Type in the exact name/subject you want information about in the search box at the top, right hand corner. Spend time sifting through all the chats to get what you want.

UCAS - The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, highly informative and dependable site.
Click on the red coloured links on the left hand.

The British Council - For information about various courses, universities and many important related topics of settling in and staying on, etc.

QS-Study in UK - (one amongst many such which give loads of Info) - click on the names of Universities given.

I also googled 'worst unis in UK' to strike a few universities off my list! Of course you will have to take everything you read with a pinch of salt. Use your wisdom and don't believe everything you come across, good or bad.

Additionally, visit all 'study abroad/UK' exhibitions to meet the representatives of various universities. Make a list of all possible questions beforehand to ask them. Make a note of the answers they give (to tabulate them later) to be added to your table. I remember the first one we visited was the British Council's 'Education UK Exhibition'. Amongst many we met the admissions officer of 'London City University' who told my daughter to spend at least a day with a journalist and know more about this profession. Which she dutifully did, later to be added in her personal statement.

Once your table is ready it will become easier for you to compare and contrast. Keep writing down tips that you come across in your readings from various sites. Add stars or strike off, write 'not good reviews', 'very good subject content' or 'highly rated for journalism', etc, as and when you're sure. Thus narrowing down to a few chosen ones. For the simple reason that you can't apply to as many as you want but to only 5, through UCAS.

Be careful!

1. The names of universities can be similar and thus confusing. Be sure which one you want. If there is Sheffield then there is Sheffield Hallam. Leeds University and Leeds Metropolitan University. Nottingham and Nottingham Trent university, etc. One may be good for certain subjects while the other may not match your requirements. Do a thorough check.

2. Always check the International students ratio. This will give you a good picture in terms of its international popularity.
3. If it's possible speak/email to any current Indian student at that university. 

4. Be sure of the value the programme will add to your education. Even if it is the 'name tag', it should be worth all the money spent. 

5. Be extremely careful of fake universities. A fake university will certainly not be there on any world league table of top 200, for example. And you will certainly pick up something about it in the chat room discussions. You can't be duped if you've done your homework well.

NEXT - WHICH university - the final 5