Cafe Uni

When you apply for university, they may offer you a conditional offer to be a student there.

As previously mentioned on this blog, this means that they are offering you a place to be a student at their university, on the course you applied for, provided that you fulfil certain conditions.

These will be related to your grades so, for example, they might ask that you get three B grades at A level. It is then up to you to accept this conditional offer.

But what happens if you accept it, and then your grades aren’t as good as were expected and you don’t meet the conditions of the offer? Can you still do your chosen course at the university?

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If you have decided that you want to go to university, then there are a few more steps before you can actually become a student there.

Of course, you need to decide where you want to go and what you want to study but, once you have decided that, then it is time to apply.

In the UK, you apply though UCAS, which means that all applications go to the same place. UCAS will then forward them on to the Admissions Officer at your chosen university, who will decide, through a variety of reasons, if you will be offered a place at their university on your chosen course.

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Going to university can be expensive, especially now that course fees are rising.

So, how do you find the money to finance university? There are lots of things that you have to pay for, that you won’t even realise yet, but the main things are your course fees and your accommodation.

Luckily, you will usually be entitled to a student loan. This is a loan from the Student Finance Company and means that they will loan you money that will cover your course fees and accommodation, which is at a low interest rate.

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Now that you are on Christmas holidays, you have a bit of a break before going back to university.

However, when you get back, you might have exams to do for your university course. This could be something you are really worried about, but it is important to get a good work-life balance so that you do not get too stressed out.

It can be easy to get all worked up about your exams and you may find yourself in a panic. Maybe you feel that, because you are away from the campus and are at home, that you can not focus or concentrate on studying.

But try not to worry about your location, and instead try and concentrate on making the most of your time.

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Going away to university isn’t something that everyone wants to do. But this doesn’t mean you can’t be a student, just because you don’t want to go to university.

There is also the option of doing an online degree. In the UK, this would be through the Open University, but there are these kind of options in most countries.

There are usually all the degree programmes that attending universities offer, as well as some other courses that you might be interested in. You don’t have to do a full degree, as there are also options such as A levels, NVQs and other courses.

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When you start a university course, you will usually have to books. As a student, spending lots of money on books can difficult, so it’s good to know cheaper places to buy them from.

The best thing to do first is to look online. There are lots of online bookstores that will sell your course books for much less than the university bookstores will sell them for.

Look on the internet on sites such as eBay and Gumtree, where you can see where other students are selling the books that you might need – you should be able to save money.

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Recent news has shown that students around England are protesting about the upcoming rise in course fees.

The coalition Government has decided to raise students’ tuition fees to £9,000  by 2012. No fees will cost more than £9,000, but some will be £6,000, depending on the course and the student.

At the moment, the state pays a substantial amount of these fees, but from 2012, the cost will be passed to the students.

David Willetts, the Universities Minister in the UK said that this will allow for a “greater choice for students with a stronger focus on high quality teaching”.

However, people are worried that less people will be able to afford to go to university and, even if they do go, their university experience will be very different, with a curtailed social life and inability to experience university life to the full.

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So, you’ve put in the hard work, finished your course and graduated. The long slog is over and now it’s time to start looking for a job.

But what happens if you then decide that you don’t actually want to work in the field that you studied in?
Don’t panic – all is not lost. Your degree doesn’t have to have gone to waste, as there are lots of ways you can work this to your advantage.

Firstly, it is useful if you decide what field it is that you DO want to work in. You don’t have to know the exact job, but the right direction would be a good step. I studied for a law degree and, after graduating, knew I didn’t want to be a lawyer.

I had to decide whether I wanted to still stay in the legal industry doing a different job, or whether I wanted to move away from law entirely – and this is what I finally decided, before I took the step towards journalism. Read the rest of this entry »

Starting university is an exciting time, when you are meeting new people and beginning a new course.

It may be a subject you haven’t studied before, or it could me something you know a lot about. But however much you already know about your course, a lot of students find that they run in to problems when beginning their university course.

It may not be that the course is too ‘hard’ for you, it could be as straightforward as simply having to get your head around a new subject. So if you are struggling with your new university course, don’t struggle in silence; there are lots of options for where to turn to for help. Read the rest of this entry »

Studying for exams can be one of the most daunting times of the university year for students.

You have to do from socialising and enjoying yourself (and maybe even a relaxed lecture timetable) to having to knuckle down and do everything you can to pass your exams and graduate (if it’s your final year at university).

Do not fear though, there are some ways that you can prepare for exams so it doesn’t end up being a last-minute panic. By putting some simple practices in place, it will be much easier to pass those dreaded exams! And don’t forget, if you are in touch with any alumni, it can be useful to ask them for tips – they’ve done it before and graduated, so should be able to help you too. Read the rest of this entry »