Higher Education 

If you are considering going to university and you know what subject area you are looking for you can find which universities offer particular courses from the official Universities and Colleges Admissions Service website at www.ucas.com. By following the Course Search links you will arrive at a complete list of institutions offering the subject of your choice. It is then possible to access the websites of each of the institutions which are of interest to you. A prospectus can be viewed on-line and there will usually be the option to request a hard copy. Many prospectuses are also available in the careers room together with a range of publications which provide comparative data on courses and institutions.

It is important to find out as much as possible about the courses and institutions which are of interest to you before drawing up a final shortlist, so it is wise to start this process well before you need to apply. There are a number of resources in the careers room which will help you gather information and it is recommended that you also try to arrange a visit to those universities that interest you most. Details of open days can usually be found on their websites or at www.opendays.com .

Choosing a Course

If you are unsure about which course to take then you could try answering a multiple-choice questionnaire. The following could be a useful starting point:

www.ukcoursefinder.com. This free questionnaire is designed to pinpoint your interests. You can choose a location, study style, type of institution and let UkCourseFinder search for possible options. There is also information on how to make your choice, where different subjects may lead and help and advice on completing your UCAS form.

On the UCAS website www.ucas.com you can find the Stamford Test which is another free service which will ask you to answer "yes", "no", or "possibly" to a series of questions. It then gives a pointer to subjects that may be worth looking into.

If you wish to undertake a more detailed questionnaire you can also access the Cambridge Occupational Analysts Centigrade Online through www.ucas.com or www.coa.co.uk, however there is a charge for this. The online questionnaire asks 150 interest related questions, checks your academic progress and finds out your preferences to other aspects of higher education. The personalised report can then purchased from COA and obtained by post or e mail.

Internet Links