Thinking Ahead When Choosing Your University

Thinking Ahead when Choosing Your University Since the daybreak of the brand new period of tuition charges, I even have found myself more and more wheeled out by my college to speak at open days. Employability has been a buzzword in larger schooling for the previous couple of years, so it is perhaps not stunning that in makes an attempt to steer potential students to apply for his or her courses, admissions tutors and advertising officers have been bringing in placement staff like myself to be available to offer detailed solutions to questions about sandwich placements. It is a pretty simple sales pitch to be sincere. Even if the younger individuals attending open days usually are not totally clued up about searching for value for his or her £9k/yr, their dad and mom or older siblings who're there with them invariably are. Questions about placements, graduate outcomes and profession help quickly really feel just like the Spanish Inquisition, however not like a used car salesman attempting to flog a clapped-out motor, I know th at I am selling quality goods. For students who're at present applying to university, or thinking about doing so, listed below are some facts that I hope will sway you in direction of a course that features a sandwich yr choice. Work Experience is Key It goes without saying that I am an advocate of placements and internships. I understand the worth of work expertise, the way it helps to develop students into young professionals and aids them in securing graduate degree employment upon leaving college. However, as I pay my bills through promoting placements, I even have on occasions been accused of over-selling the case for my very own personal achieve. Nothing could be farther from the reality, of course, however confronted with this line of questioning I discuss with this little paragraph from theHigh Fliers Graduate Market reportpublished in January 2012. More than half of recruiters warn that graduates who have had no previous workexperience at all are unlikely to be successful during the selection process andhave little or no probability of receiving a job supply for their organisations’ graduateprogrammes. Little or no probability of securing a place on a graduate programme with no earlier work experience. Pretty convincing stuff if you ask me. Open up the Door to Graduate Opportunities While the earlier quote from High Fliers offers good reason for undertaking work experience, how about some proof to show that a placement will help to secure a place on a graduate programme? Well, step forward Ernst & Young, one of the ‘Big Four’ from the skilled services trade. A staggering84%of their 2011 summer intern intake went on to simply accept graduate jobs with the firm. It goes with out saying that if a company like this is recruiting students that have already worked for it on a large scale, inevitably it signifies that there shall be fewer graduate alternatives out there for college students who haven't already obtained their foot in the door. Repeat this throughout industry and the value of labor experience becomes clear. Unleash Your Earning Potential A common clarification I hear from college students on my programs for not wanting to take a placement yr is because it'll value them cash. Now there is some truth on this. If you might be on a sandwich course at college, there is usually a placement 12 months tuition payment to be paid, and so at open days prospective students could want to ask questions on how much that is, or if there are bursaries available to cowl the cost. However, what additionally must be thought of is the monetary profit that a sandwich placement brings. I’m not simply talking long run earning potential. I’m talking in regards to the placement yr itself. Most 12 month placements shall be paid. I gained’t pretend that that is always the case as a result of certain industries is not going to pay and regrettably minimal wage laws does not apply to sandwich placements. However, within the fields of Business, Finance, IT, Engineering and Science, placements often are paid. Take a typical placement salary of £15k, knock off some deductions for tax and national insurance coverage, travel, accommodation and even then with taking the location yr tuition payment into consideration, you’ll be in the black. More to the purpose, your earning does not cease there. In publishing the small print from the 2011 Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey,Brunel Universitycalculated that their graduates who had undertaken a placement yr, on common earned almost £5k more than those that had not. Even when you begrudge of paying a tuition payment to your university for doing a placement, the argument that a placement costs you money can easily be challenged with five thousand good causes. Enough with the Placement Talk! What Else Should I Look for? Fair sufficient, I’ve made my case about placements and can transfer on. Other issues to ask about at open days from a career perspective are the provision of half-time jobs, employability awards, access to profession steering, skills workshops, employer presentations and graduate locations. These probably aren’t on the forefront of your mind when making a UCAS application, but are worth excited about and asking questions when the chance presents itself. Your ‘dream course’ might offer you everything you want from a tutorial perspective, however there is value in testing what the college offers by way of help providers. Once you get to university a spread of opportunities ought to turn into out there tothe strategic fresherbut even at the early levels of making use of, it doesn’t hurt to seek out out precisely what your chosen university can do that can assist you achieve your aspirations. Look Beyond the Lip Gloss If I can provide one ultimate bit of recommendation when it comes to making use of to college, it would be to look beyond the information you can find in a prospectus, or from a university’s official web site. Marketing materials will always present a college in the very best gentle, somewhat than warts and all. There isn't any false advertising involved, but don’t take every little thing you read actually. In explicit, don’t be swayed by broad statements regarding the companies where college students work their placement year. For example, when you read one thing alongside the traces of “our students undertake placements with employers similar to Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and HSBC”, don’t presume that every one college students will do so. That sentence would be factual if one pupil has labored at each company sooner or later in time; it's not a assure that should you get a place on that course you will magically secure a placement with a giant name company. Good luc k to you with your university applications. Maybe I’ll see you at an open day sooner or later. Image Credit: The Complete University Guide How A Masters Program Chiropractic Degree Can Open Up Career... A lot of individuals have been increasingly excited about chiropractors as a result of they don’t prescribe... 5 Ways to Spruce Up Your Nursing Resume Nursing is an in-demand profession everywhere in the world. 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