Judd University Guidance UK

Results Day, Admission Tests & Year 12 Summer Break - https://mailchi.mp/6441d5a99f37/december-2019-advice-sheet-15910449

Results Day, Admission Tests & Year 12 Summer Break The academic term is coming to an end so officially ‘school is out’ for Year 13. Year 12s in the UK may still have a couple more weeks to go, but these final weeks will offer diverse experiences for students as schools alter timetables to include summer exams, careers/UCAS events, sports days, s...

University ADMISSION TEST DATES changes - have you noted the changes for 2022?

BMAT, TMUA and OXFORD and CAMBRIDGE specific tests will have a registration deadline of 30 September 2022.

The test date has been moved forward for BMAT, TMUA and the Cambridge tests to 18/19 October. see https://support.admissionstesting.org/hc/en-gb/articles/4411329628818-Admissions-Testing-sessions-in-2022

Admissions Testing sessions in 2022 Please see below the current information about the upcoming admissions testing sessions in 2022. Due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19 some information and dates may change. We recommend that you s...

It has been a tough year for those applying through UCAS for the 2022 cycle. The Guardian article below sums it up well. For some high achieving students this is the first academic knock back they have encountered. With support, this experience can build resilience going forward and help prepare them for life beyond school. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/jun/11/first-post-covid-school-leavers-face-fight-for-fewer-university-places?fbclid=IwAR2g2kdentuaz8ntgiEIKH2aILNho4mc_VaI4NhFiQkpMAQRMF-H_YQz36o

First post-Covid school leavers face fight for fewer university places Parents and teachers say some students predicted to gain A* grades are being rejected after a surge in applications

Offer Holder Days, Open Days and University Accommodation - https://mailchi.mp/2272be9e1bd8/december-2019-advice-sheet-15351128

Offer Holder Days, Open Days and University Accommodation Like may university offers this year, apologies for the delay in hearing from me this month. We have now entered the exam season for our Year 13s (not forgetting some Year 12s completing international AS qualifications) so good luck to all of you and may the work you have put into your studies pay o...

Busting Graduate Job Myths - this recent publication from UUK explores 4 myths related to graduate employment. If short on time then jump to the final chapter, 'Looking to the future' https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/sites/default/files/field/downloads/2022-04/busting-graduate-job-myths_0.pdf

www.universitiesuk.ac.uk

Firm and Insurance Choices and Super-Curricular Activities - https://mailchi.mp/cb014274f016/december-2019-advice-sheet-15339028

Firm and Insurance Choices and Super-Curricular Activities The legacy of the pandemic continues to impact university application this year with many of my clients still waiting for universities to make offers. The problem appears to be particularly focussed on the more competitive universities which have seen their application numbers rise significantly thi...

University face to face events and league tables explored - https://mailchi.mp/0f742d9b8824/december-2019-advice-sheet-15325764

University face to face events and league tables explored Additional Support for Summer Exams – For students studying in England the government has released advice on curriculum content for the summer exams which the exam boards have acted upon. I am sure that individual schools and colleges will adopt different strategies so focus on the advice from you...

Year 12s interested in studying medicine are going to find it so competitive in 2022-2023 application cycle. For the last two years universities have had to admit 10,500 ish students when normally they admit 9,500 ish due to A level grading issues. to rebalance the flow of medical students the target number for medical school students will be 7,571. see https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/funding-for-providers/health-education-funding/medical-and-dental-target-intakes/

Medical and dental target intakes - Office for Students Medical and dental target intakes

Further confirmation about how competitive it will be for places at highly popular universities.

Edinburgh university, "As a result of the exceptional achievements of applicants in 2021, we expect the competition for places for September 2022 entry to be very high. In popular subject areas, it may be necessary for us to select and make offers to those with grades above the top of the published standard entry requirement range."

However there are still some courses at Edinburgh still accepting applications post 26th January.

This month's advice has just been sent out. February Advice for Year 13 & Year 12 students - https://mailchi.mp/4f5d4ea06e4d/december-2019-advice-sheet-15262495

February Advice for Year 13 & Year 12 students Understanding UK Offers – With the 26th January deadline just gone, Year 13 students, who applied on time, will slowly begin hearing from their universities. Unfortunately, every university has its own process for handling applications and therefore they will all reply to you at different times wi...

Still waiting to hear back from some of your universities? Try not to panic since many universities are certainly taking longer to respond to applications. No news is not automatically bad news, with Covid staff absences, more gap year students applying this year and a later UCAS deadline - 6pm (GMT) on 26th January 2022 - it is taking time for universities to make decisions. Universities have until 19th May to reply!!! https://www.ucas.com/events/2022-entry-unicollege-decisions-due-applications-submitted-26-january-394821

2022 entry: Uni/college decisions due on applications submitted by 26 January Thu 19 May 2022 - 18:00 If you applied by 26 January (18:00 UK time) and you’re still awaiting a decision from one of your choices, unis/colleges have until today to decide whether they’re making you an offer.  Any choices outstanding after this will be made unsuccessful. 

One area which students and parents often do not consider when choosing university courses is student accommodation. It is worth noting that the style, availability and cost of accomodation vary significantly from region to region. Accommodation costs must be taken into account when budgeting for university. Outside London accommodation on average takes up 72% of a full England Maintenance Loan but it can be over 85% in London.

As we move towards December Oxbridge interviews draw closer. While it is natural to be nervous about attending an interview, good preparation can raise your confidence and help you demonstrate your suitability for an Oxbridge style undergraduate degree. Departments and Colleges often have helpful videos - but some of my favourite come from Jesus College and Matt Williams in particular who recorded a number of videos during this last year. see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s76pBi2uG60&t=634s

Example Oxford interview questions! of Oxford Academic talks through a number of example Oxford interview questions and how to tackle them

UCAS data has been released for the 15th October application deadline. Applications for medicine for 2022 were 29,710 compared to precovid 2019 applications, 22,430. There was a particularly large increase in those reapplying having not gained a place in 2021 - perhaps due to the higher number of students gaining top grades through centre assessed grades rather than exams. Whilst the numbers of EU citizens has fallen steeply, international applications for the small number of international places continues to increase, up over 25% since 2019. https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/ucas-undergraduate-releases/applicant-releases-2022-cycle/2022-cycle-applicant-figures-15-october-deadline

2022 cycle applicant figures – 15 October deadline Statistical release published on 28 October, providing core numbers for the 2022 15 October application deadline and graphical illustrations of key trends.

For those out there who may be still wrestling with understanding the rules over Home Fees status here is the latest UKCISA analysis. Since 1968 UKCISA has been supporting universities and families understand government regulations.https://www.ukcisa.org.uk/uploads/files/1/england_he_who_pays__home_fees_public_version4_8.10.21.pdf

www.ukcisa.org.uk

Well 6:00pm on 15th October is nearly upon us and what a busy couple of months it has been. This year I have supported students applying for: Computer Science, Experimental Psychology, History, HSPS, Law, Medicine, Music, Natural Sciences, PPE, PPL, Veterinary Medicine.

Now it is time to prepare for the next set of applications; fortunately the UCAS deadline for equal consideration is 6:00pm on 26th January, plenty of time.

The Government / Ofqual have published information explaining what will happen with exams this year including advice on predicted grades. "This approach will recognise the disruption experienced by students taking exams in 2022, over their course of study, and so provide a safety net for those who might otherwise just miss out on a higher grade. Results overall will be higher than in 2019, but not as high as in 2020."
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/ofquals-approach-to-grading-exams-and-assessments-in-summer-2022-and-autumn-2021?fbclid=IwAR1glFt6-6F6pcVmLeLOjvSi4IgHrF-MR3V-NoQiY6FQNnsLGenKfziPrLI

Ofqual’s approach to grading exams and assessments in summer 2022 and autumn 2021 Ofqual’s approach to grading for GCSE, AS and A levels to be fair to students: a transition year in 2022.

I have not posted in a while - September is always a busy month of work but I thought it was important that students and parents understand how tough the 2022 UCAS application cycle is going to be. Choose your 5 universities very carefully.

Mike Nicholson, Director of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Bath, was happy for me to share his observations, "the 2021 admissions cycle was the most competitive I have seen in my 30 year career. At Bath, 93% of those we admitted met or exceeded their offer grades. The remaining places went to near miss students with extensive mitigating factors. In a typical year, around 75% of our accepted students would have met or exceeded their offer. Until we see evidence to the contrary we are assuming a similar distribution of grades for 2022 entry, and with higher numbers in the school-leaver cohort in the UK increasing the application pool for all universities. We therefore anticipate making fewer offers than we made in 2021 to reduce the risk of over-recruiting. I anticipate other highly selective and competitive courses and universities will do the same."

I anyone would prefer to see the latest data from UCAS on university applications directly, rather than the selected highlights in newspapers then - https://www.ucas.com/data-and-analysis/undergraduate-statistics-and-reports/statistical-releases-daily-clearing-analysis-2021

Statistical releases – daily Clearing analysis 2021 Statistical releases will be published here each weekday between 10 – 27 August 2021 and on day 28 (published on 16 September), providing core numbers for the current cycle, comparison data over ten cycles, and graphical illustrations of key trends.

A really useful article written by those close to current events. Sober reading for families and students applying this year and the next few.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/jul/31/a-level-results-top-universities-expected-to-stick-to-rigid-entry-grades

A-level results: top universities expected to stick rigidly to offer grades Tough competition for sixth-formers as universities try to avoid overcrowding – and next year may be no better

Well June has been a busy month, despite cancelled HE fairs, with a good mix of speaking engagements - 3 presentations/webinars for unifrog, school advising on international opportunities and yesterday presenting on preparing for oxbridge interviews at the Heads of Sixth Form Summer Conference with netsixthform.org.uk

netsixthform.org.uk

Just to keep you up to date with the developing situation for 2021 university admissions. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/may/15/uk-top-universities-fearful-of-extra-student-numbers-if-grades-stay-high?fbclid=IwAR39l3-fv0jOx_f4MhsymO-gF8kCFkqDBKJKOLZFWs-p5vvFhkoGsxs3kIQ

UK’s top universities fearful of extra student numbers if A-level grades are high With teacher-assessed grades this summer expected to result in more top marks, universities are worried about space in halls and staffing

Whilst it looks like university open days will continue to be online through to the end of the summer term the good news is that campus tours are beginning to run again in some universities. These are a great opportunity for Year 13 to visit a university they have an offer from. What they can see on a campus tour should increase after May 17th. Although some universities are prioritising Year 13, others will allow Year 12 as well. Here is one example aimed at Year 13 offer holders only.
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/undergraduate/visit/campus-tours.aspx

Campus tours Find out how to book a tour of our University campus.

UCAS/Discovery Days are a series of exciting online events designed to help you choose your next adventure. https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/what-and-where-study/introducing-ucasdiscovery

Introducing UCAS/Discovery Meet universities and colleges, apprenticeships, and more. Be inspired. Get advice. Take control of your future with Dr Alex. Find your path. Watch live and on-demand. Explore a world of possibilities…

April's Monthly Advice has just been sent out to all those on my mailing list. For a sneak peak see below. https://mailchi.mp/eaac85d75339/april-2021-advice-sheet

April 2021 Advice Sheet The current pandemic has certainly dragged out the 2021 UCAS application process with the inevitable delays causing frustration all round. Remember that universities have until 20th May to respond to student applications submitted by the equal consideration deadline (29th January). Many school progr...

UCAS has grown and grown over the last few years adding new resources and broadening its coverage. It now offers advice on careers and alternatives to going to university. UCAS is so much more than simply a university applications portal and a useful site for students to explore when thinking through what their next step beyond school should be. https://www.ucas.com/

Choose your future At the heart of connecting people to higher education

It was great to contribute to a conference yesterday and speak to over 50 schools from the UK and beyond, helping them understand the distinctives of an Oxbridge education and their enhanced application process.

For those who would like to read a summary of how A level, BTEC and GCSEs Grades in England will be assessed this year then here is a link to the UK government's parent and student summary page. https://dfemedia.blog.gov.uk/2021/02/25/what-you-need-to-know-about-grades-in-2021/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

What you need to know about grades in 2021 - Education in the media News updates from the Department for Education and the Government Equalities Office

February is often a pause in the cycle of UK university applications. Most Year 13s will have submitted their applications for a 2021 start and Year 12 will be introduced to the UCAS cycle in the coming weeks. I have spent February mainly focused internationally through my association with 'The university Guys'. If any Year 12 is exploring international university options then there is plenty of free advice and information here: https://www.theuniversityguys.com/knowledge/

Knowledge - The University Guys We’ll help you navigate the different processes, timelines and terminology when applying to universities abroad. Take a look at our free resources today.

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