Category: University Events

I hope you’re keeping well and enjoying your classes and the gradually brightening spring weather.

I’m writing to confirm the arrangements for our trip to Brighton and Sussex Universities next Tuesday 28^th March. If you are on my list for this trip, I have also sent you these details by email.

• Meet at the end of Pullens Lane opposite Brookes University
• Leave Oxford: 07:45
• Arrive Brighton University: 10:00
• Welcome Talk and Tour of Brighton University: 10:00-11:30
• Taster Lecture at Brighton University Business School: 11:30-12:15
• Take coach to Sussex University: 12:30
• Arrive Sussex University for lunch: 12:45
• Welcome Talk and Tour of Sussex University: 13:30-15:10
• Taster Lecture and lab tour at Sussex University School of Life Sciences: 15:15-16:00
• Leave Sussex University: 16:15
• Arrive back in Oxford: 18:30

Although you may be applying for a different subject at these universities, the taster lectures have been chosen to represent the two largest subject groups among applicants to these universities and will cover topics of general interest to everyone. They will nevertheless give you a good idea of what the university lecture experience is like, whatever your subject, and the facilities available at university. I hope that you are sufficiently intellectually curious to engage and appreciate the lectures regardless of topic. I for one, a linguist and educationalist, am looking forward to broadening my knowledge in both subject areas.

Please note the slightly earlier departure time of 07:45. As usual, if you are late, we will simply leave without you and you will miss out on this exciting experience and insight into the university experience that awaits you next year.

Please also note that, although the trip itself is free, the cost of lunch is not included: you will be able to buy lunch on the Sussex University campus, where student ambassadors will direct you.

I look forward to seeing you and these two university campuses next Tuesday. If the weather holds, the South Downs National Park, which we will pass through and where the campuses are located, should be especially beautiful.

I hope you’re keeping well and enjoying the Spring Term. Today is the 1^st March, so Spring should be properly springing.

I’m writing to let you know about 2 exciting events that we have coming up later this month to prepare you for university and get to know more about the university experience in the UK.

Wednesday 22^nd March: Career Development with UWE, Bristol

We will have a presentation in school on Wednesday afternoon by Windy Hon from our partner university, University of the West of England in Bristol. In this presentation you will learn about how you can use your time at university to develop your skills and experience to prepare you to be successful professionally after graduation. What will give you the edge on the jobs market and the best preparation for your career will often be the activities that go beyond your core academic programme. Find out more about how extra-curricular activities, work placements and official positions in students societies can help you develop your career before it even begins.

Tuesday 28^th March: Brighton and Sussex Campus Visit

We will be visiting both of our partner universities in Brighton (the University of Brighton and the University of Sussex) in a combined day trip. These are both close partners of ours and popular destinations for our students in previous years and this year. They’re situated on the edge of the beautiful South Downs National Park and close to the seaside and lively city of Brighton. This will be a great opportunity to get a feel for these institutions, their similarities and differences, and more generally to get some further insight into campus life at UK universities.

Students who have applied to one or both of these universities are strongly advised and expected to attend. If you have not applied to them but might be interested in applying direct or through Extra/Clearing, you are also welcome to attend. I will be in touch in the coming days to confirm who will take part in this trip.

If you have any questions about these events or anything else about your course and university application, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

I am very pleased to announce that next Tuesday 31^st January you will be attending an Experience Business event run by our partners at Hult International Business School.

This event will give you a fantastic insight into studying business and related subjects at university, and a special masterclass by a professor at the school entitled “Entrepreneurship and Innovation –Future Proofing through Innovation.” I know that many of you are interested in the topic of entrepreneurship and how businesses can adapted to the rapidly changing environment. This is also a great opportunity for a taster of the style and level of university teaching.

This event is a compulsory part of your learning on the Business pathway and attendance will be taken.

Please meet me to get on the coaches at the end of Pullens Lane (opposite Brookes) at 07:45 (to leave at 08:00 sharp) on Tuesday 31^st January.

I hope you are keeping well and looking forward to showing off what you can do at the end of term.

As I mentioned before, we are looking forwards next week to the biggest university event of the year: next Wednesday 16^th November, we will be holding the annual Higher Education Fair in the Lecture Room from 12:00-14:00.

We will have representatives from some of our closest partner universities, representing a wide range of university styles, locations and entrance requirements. This is your opportunity to speak to different university representatives one-to-one, to find out more about entrance requirements and university life, and to ask any individual questions you have.

The universities who have confirmed that they will be there are:

Birmingham	Bradford	Brighton	Hult	Keele
Lancaster	Leeds	Oxford Brookes	Royal Holloway	Surrey
Sussex	UWE Bristol	Westminster	York	–

Now that you are coming to the end of your Application Workshop module and to submitting the portfolio for this (Deadline 14:00 on Thursday 17^th November), this is the perfect opportunity to follow up on what you have already found out about the universities and courses, and to get some extra insight which can inform your final portfolio as well as your application decisions.

This event will take the place of your Academic Cultures class next week and attendance will be taken. Please make sure that you ‘check in’ with me during the event so that I can mark you on the register. You do not need to arrive right at the beginning or stay for the full 2 hours, but you must attend and spend some time making the most of this valuable opportunity.

Not only is this an opportunity for you to learn more about these universities, it is an opportunity for you to make a good impression on them. Please treat this event as you would an interview for the universities or for a job. To help you, here are some top tips for impressing universities:

1. Do your research. Look at the university websites in advance (links above) so that you can ask good questions and don’t waste time with information already easily available to you.
2. Dress smartly. There’s no need for a suit but try to look professional and presentable.
3. Allow plenty of time. Don’t try to rush round in 5 minutes: make sure that you can have a proper conversation with at least most of the universities.
4. Ask questions. The more you show an interest and some background knowledge of your subject and your university options, the more you will appear as an enthusiastic and diligent candidate.
5. Speak to a range of universities. Even if you hadn’t planned to apply there. This will give you more information about the range of options available to you, including some unexpected gems, as well as better contextual knowledge to assess the universities higher up your list of interest.
6. Take every university seriously. They all have some great things to offer and any of these institutions could play a valuable role in your application, so look at them in the best light and they can see you in your best light.

Let me know if you have any questions ahead of this event. I look forward to seeing you there.

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, we will be visiting the University of Birmingham next Wednesday 9^th November for their annual Explore event: a kind of special open day designed to give students a real insight into studying at this excellent university.

The Explore event has been a highlight of the year for many years, in which a number of schools are invited to attend a day of demo lectures, subject fairs and campus tours at one of our most popular partner universities. The University of Birmingham is also a member of the Russell Group, and has a beautiful campus on the edge of the second largest city in the UK. In the last few years, Birmingham has regularly been one of the top 2 destinations for our students, especially in Science and Technology, for which it has an especially strong international reputation, although it also has an excellent reputation across the board (e.g. it has one of the top Linguistics departments in the country).

We will need to leave Oxford by coach at 08:45 on Wednesday. Please be ready at the end of Pullens Lane (opposite Oxford Brookes) at this time. If you are late, we will leave without you. We expect to return to Oxford around 17:10.

Remember that Open Days are an opportunity both to learn and to present your best self to the university. This means that you should:

• Dress smartly and professionally.
• Pay attention in presentations and lectures.
  • This means not looking at your phone or chatting.
• Bring pen and paper to make notes.
• Come prepared to ask good questions.

Please remember that this visit is only available for students on the Science or Social Science Pathways. Classes will continue as normal in school for other students, but you will receive attendance on this trip, as well as learning about a great university and getting some special insight into your subject.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me.

I look forward to seeing you there.