Sorry this post is late, I was busy yesterday for Mother's Day!
Last Tuesday (6th March) I attended the Sussex UCAS higher education exhibition at the Brighton Centre in Brighton. UCAS is the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service who operate the application for British universities. By attending a UCAS exhibition, you have the opportunity to have a look at universities you may be interested in attending quite far in advance (the exhibit is for year 12s). It's not just for universities though, for example the army were at my one and so were National Apprentice Service. In today's post, I'm going to give you an overview of my experience of, and leading up to my UCAS convention along with some tips to help you have the best experience at your UCAS convention and to access as much information as possible. This will hopefully be beneficial for anyone who hasn't had their UCAS convention yet this year (luckily Sussex is one of the first ones!) and for anyone looking to attend a UCAS convention next year! So let's get started...
You firstly need to book your ticket to attend the UCAS convention. This can be done via their website (https://www.ucas.com/ucas/events/find/type/exhibition). However it is worth finding out if your school is planning on attending, like mine, as you will be able to book your ticket with your school, who will provide details of this to you. UCAS exhibitions happen all over the country, so find the one closest to you. Your ticket will be sent to the email address you provided UCAS with on your ticket booking, and you need to print your ticket and bring it with you on the day.
My ticket
Once you have booked your ticket, UCAS will begin contacting you with further information about the day, including the line up. This not only includes the exhibitors attending, but also the seminars that will be taking place throughout the day. It is a good idea to make a plan of the exhibitors you want to see at your convention along with the stand number they are at, so that you have a clear plan of action for the 2 hour (or 1 and a half hour) session. Don't forget to schedule in your seminars you plan to attend (I personally didn't attend any seminars).
UCAS will also provide you with some handy resources, for example a checklist of what they recommend you should bring with you and a document of some key questions you could ask the exhibitors. Make sure you read these documents, as they are there to help you make the most of your time at the convention. Maybe pick out the questions you would like to ask and make a document of these, and bring everything they recommend, as you will probably need it during your day.
This some of the free merch I picked up (sorry this photo is awful!)
On the day of your exhibition, try to arrive on time. You don't want to waste any of your session or miss any seminars. The exhibitors will be able to scan your ticket and gain your email address from this, so they can send you information about open days and more and these approach. Get any university etc. you are interested in to scan your ticket to ensure you don't miss out on any information regarding open days or events, and don't be afraid to ask questions, as the exhibitors will be happy to help you. Don't drop your ticket like I did (I managed to find it again though)! If you need information about applying through UCAS, it is a good idea to speak to UCAS themselves, as they will have a stand at your convention. This is a good opportunity to find out about applying through UCAS, whether this be for uni or for an apprenticeship. Pick up prospectuses of universities you're interested in attending and information about any apprenticeships that interest you. You will need to bring a sturdy bag to carry these in (it will get heavy eventually though!). Don't stick with your friends if you have different interests, as this will waste your time and you won't find out all you need to. Another thing I did before my convention was print out the floorpan from the UCAS website (linked above). You will be given a map when you arrive at your convention, but it's A3 and a fold-up, so is quite big and fiddly. By printing off an A4 version before you go, you'll make your life ten times easier in my opinion!
This is the map that I printed
After your convention, you may want to review all of your prospectuses and fold over the pages of the courses that interest you if the exhibitors haven't already folded them over for you. This saves you having to read the whole thing. Make sure you read all of the information pages about the campus, funding, accommodation and any extras about the university, as this could be a good way to eliminate any universities that don't suit you. It's a good idea to be prepared by October, as this is when most applications open for universities and UCAS (I think!).
A couple of the many prospectuses I picked up
That's all the tips and tricks for your UCAS convention! Hopefully you're well prepared, whether yours takes place next week or next year! Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next Sunday with a Disney themed post that I may have mentioned in my last post! Bye for now!
Ellen x
No comments:
Post a Comment