With the looming UCAS deadline (15th January) many students are confused and wondering what is best to do…

If you’re still undecided on where to go or what to study, check out this short guide to picking the best university and course for you.

What courses are you passionate about?

If you find a course that you’re interested in then it will make your time at university fly by. If you love the course then those all-nighters in the library will not feel quite so bad and your grades will be represented by the extra work you put in.

Read the course details

It would be a bit of a pain if you turn up at university and one of your modules isn’t right for you. Make sure you check (and double check) the course details to find the course best suited to you and your future aspirations.

Employment routes

The job market is very competitive, searching for a university with a good reputation when it comes to getting graduates into work should certainly be a strong consideration. Some universities include work experience as part of their course and you can even get a year’s internship in industry which will help you stand out from the crowd when applying for your first graduate position.

Do you want to stay at home?

If you like your home comforts then you certainly would not be alone in not wanting to move to halls. Many students live at home and commute to university, so if you think you’re not ready to leave just yet - look at your options close to home. After your first year you might then feel ready to flee the nest, and you can choose exactly who you’re going to live with. We have a fantastic university centre on our doorstep, which delivers a range of high-quality degrees in partnership with Bath Spa and the University of the West of England in Bristol.

Do you want to leave home?

If you’re the opposite and can’t wait to leave then it is worth considering the distance. You might surprise yourself when you move away and want to visit home more regularly than you originally planned so it’s worth considering transport options. After all a four hour train journey is a bit far to get your washing done.

Money

Becoming a student is not cheap, you will receive a student loan but it is worth researching the cost of living in the area your top choice universities are based. Some areas of the country are very expensive and being able to afford to live has to be a top consideration as you will be there for at least three years.  

Go with your gut

Finally, it is definitely worth going with your gut. You are most likely getting told to go different places by different people and these might not be universities that you would normally consider. It is best to go with what you feel personally is best and suits you, and this should make settling in a lot easier.

Don’t stress too much about this deadline, there is always the opportunity to go through clearing if necessary once you have received your grades. If you need any guidance on your application then contact UCAS lead Hamish Gilpin on hamish.gilpin@weston.ac.uk, or call on 01934 422742. 

Academy learners Chloe Carchrie, Quinten Querl and Ethan Thomas finished 2017 by being selected and representing Weston College in higher honours within their chosen sports.

Netball player Chloe Carchrie was selected in super league franchise Severn Stars u19 squad for fixtures in the New Year. Chloe, who studies sports and exercise science, has been involved in the Stars' training programme since September and has now been rewarded by being selected to represent the stars in competitive fixtures. We are extremely proud of Chloe and would like to reinforce how much of an achievement this is especially with her still only being 16. We wish Chloe the best of luck and know that this is just the start of Chloe’s journey in to elite sport.

Rugby academy learners Quinten Querl and Ethan Thomas also received some good news at the back end of 2017. Academy flyer Quinten was selected into Bristol Rugby’s u18 squad for this year’s u18 premiership season. This is a great achievement for Quinten who has just returned from a season out with a broken leg, also a year young he was selected on the bench for the competitions opener against Bath and scored an outrageous 50 metre try with one of his first touches in a Bristol shirt.

Quinten said about his recent success: “Being at Weston College has really helped me improve and progress as a rugby player. This is through the fantastic coaching staff helping on and off the pitch.

"The programme has taught me many values that have not only helped me become a better athlete but a better person as well. It has also reopened doors for me that I thought had been closed after I was released from bath academy. However, with the help of the coaching staff here and buying into the programme provided has allowed me to be selected for Bristol academy and even play in the U18's academy league, something I thought could not happen.”

Last but not least, Academy fly half Ethan Thomas has been selected in the Irish exiles u18 squad to play against the Independent Schools Lambs’ team on the 14th of January. Ethan has worked extremely hard at all aspects of his game since arriving at college and we are extremely proud and excited for him to have this opportunity. This is the first step on the ladder for potential selection and opportunities to represent Ireland on a higher stage and we are extremely confident that Ethan can impress and take his chance.

Ethan added: “My decision to come to Weston College has been a major influence in the opportunities I am now getting. I feel I have improved a lot as a player since joining the programme and would like to thank the staff and players for giving me the confidence and the chances to try and progress up the elite pathway.”

We wish all our students good luck over the next few weeks and would also like to congratulate our learners on their achievements to date. 

For anyone over the age of 19 and looking to return to education, financing your course can seem like a huge hurdle. However, there are a variety of options when it comes to helping you pay for your course – some people may even find that they are eligible to take a course for free.

We’ve broken down how to pay for your course, along with which icons and symbols to look out for on the course pages.

Full fees and supported fees

On the left of our course pages there is a box labelled ‘financial information’ which is where you will see the course fees and any relevant icons and symbols. The fee listed here, whether supported or full, is the absolute maximum fee anyone will pay for that course.

‘Full’ fees are exactly what they sound like – the full fee for the course. If something is listed as a ‘supported’ fee, this means that funding is available to the College to discount the course’s ‘full’ fee. Therefore, if a course says it has a ‘supported’ fee, this means that the full fee has been discounted for all people taking the course and you will only have to pay the final supported fee.

Although not all of our courses have a supported fee, the amount you see is the maximum you will have to pay.

Free* courses

Some courses have the above symbol in their financial information, which means some people qualify for free tuition and won’t have to pay anything for that particular course.

In order to get courses with this symbol for free, you will need to meet certain conditions. Although these conditions may differ depending on the course, if you click on the symbol a screen will pop-up that will tell you which specific conditions you have to meet.

When you click the symbol, it might say this:

“The qualification you have chosen to study is part of the Legal Entitlements list and you are aged 19-23 at the start of your course and you do not already have a qualification at Level 3 or higher.”

This condition means that if you don’t already have a Level 3 qualification (such as AS/A Levels, NVQ Level 3, BTEC Extended Diploma, Advanced Apprenticeship etc.) and are aged 19-23 when you start the course, you will not have to pay any fees. However, if you do have a Level 3 qualification or are aged 24+, you will have to pay the full or supported fee displayed.

When you click the symbol, it might say something a bit different, such as:

“This course is Free* if you are:

Receiving Universal Credit, earn less than 16 times the national minimum wage a week or less than £330 a month and are determined by JCP as being in one of the following groups:  All Work Related Requirement Group, Work Preparation Group, Work Focused Interview Group

Unemployed and receiving JSA/ESA or wider benefits.

Or

Aged 19-23 at the start of your course and you do not already have any qualifications at Level 2 or higher and you intend to study at this level in the future.”

When you this message, it is clearly stating the conditions that must be met in order to complete the course for free.  In the first part, you must meet all of the listed conditions in order to qualify for free tuition.

However, if you don’t meet the conditions listed in the first part, you may still qualify for free tuition in the next condition which again clearly lists all the conditions you must meet to be eligible.

Remember, you must meet everything listed in the first condition, or everythinglisted in the second condition. Otherwise, you must pay the full or supported fee listed.

24+

If you see this symbol and you do not qualify for free tuition/there is no Free* symbol, then you might be able to apply for an advanced learner loan to finance the course.

Advanced Learner Loans are available to anyone aged 19 or over (this used to be 24, however was reduced to 19), and is not means tested or based on your income or current financial situation. Also, your current qualifications will not stop you from taking out a loan regardless of the level.

These loans can be used to pay for qualifications at Level 3 or above.

For more information on Advanced Learner Loans, see our information page here.

ELC

Enhanced Learning Credits (ELC) are available to serving members of the British Armed Forces, or those who have recently left. To be eligible, you must meet certain criteria according to the ELC scheme, and there are two tiers of funding available depending on length of service.

For more information about the ELC scheme, visit www.enhancedlearningcredits.com.