Choose the best path for future career success
The changing jobs landscape means it is even more vital to spend time and money wisely on a degree that will make a difference to your employment prospects.
THE FACT that “Freshers” will be less fun, most of your lectures will be online and the whole university experience will be socially distanced has not dampened enthusiasm to study for a degree. In fact, university application numbers have risen this year.
Although deferring a year until universities are hopefully back to normal is an option, it comes with risks: you will be competing with a whole new intake in 2021, universities may value next year’s results more than this year’s, particularly as there have been no exams to assess grades — and what will you do in the meantime?
Gap years are a great way to gain experience or see the world — but that’s virtually impossible right now.
Also, 2020 is a great time to get into a great course: universities in England are allowed to accept five per cent more students from the UK this year to make up for a fall in overseas applicants.
So you might have more choice. But how are you going to make the right one?
GET ON THE RIGHT COURSE
In a post-pandemic world, which skills will be in most demand — and which will be increasingly redundant? It is a question you need to ask.
After all, the whole point of a degree — for most students — is to boost career prospects.
As a result, degrees with lower levels of employability are likely to lose out to those which lead to more secure jobs.
That is why one of the stand-out trends for 2020 is the 10 per cent increase in the numbers applying to study “subjects allied to medicine”.
This partly reflects the spotlight on careers such as paramedics and nurses following the Covid crisis, and also the fact that a £5,000-a-year tax-free bursary is now on offer. That means this is money you don’t have to pay back, unlike with student loans.
So forget the university or city — or where your friends are going. Focus on the course. Remember, you will be studying this subject for at least three years, so it has to be something you are interested in, good at and are passionate about.
Picking a degree because your parents think it is a good idea could leave you struggling. Worse, if you end up dropping out, you will have all that debt and no degree.
If you are not sure — for example, accounting and finance or business and management — keep your Clearing choices open.
In terms of subjects, those with the best prospects — in terms of employment, not pay — are:
● Medicine and dentistry
● Nursing
● Veterinary science
● Education and teaching
● Subjects allied to medicine Information technology, engineering, business administration and finance graduates also have above average job prospects.
Visit hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/ graduates/salaries to see how the graduate pay of those who studied different degrees varies.
THE DEGREE OF DIFFERENCE
Once you have decided on your degree subject, use the comparison tools to compare the university with others offering similar courses.
Go to thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings for comprehensive statistics, officeforstudents.org.uk, which collates official data, and discoveruni.gov.uk. Pay particular attention to:
● Employability (HESA stats can be found at hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/graduates/activities/work).
● Student satisfaction (National Student Survey data covers a range of metrics including teaching, support and learning resources).
● Quality of teaching — compare the TEF ranking with Gold, the highest award.
It is important to interpret the data to suit your career goals and to compare results by degree subject as well as university.
For example, St. George’s University of London ranks only 59th in the overall university rankings but comes first for graduate prospects. Other universities perform well for some degree subjects, but poorly for others.
So check out the results by degree subject at thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings
WHAT GRADES DO YOU NEED?
There is no point in researching the best degree for your chosen subject if you haven’t got a hope of securing a place because you simply do not have the required grades.
Although universities are being more flexible this year — so you may still secure a place with an AAB instead of an AAA, for example — avoid aiming too high, as you may then miss out on a more attainable place.
When using the Clearing tools on Ucas, remember to check out the entry requirements.
ACCOMMODATION IS KEY
While securing a place in student “halls” should not normally be one of the highest priorities for any prospective student, the coronavirus situation has changed that.
Being in halls for 2020 will be one of the few ways to have some sort of student experience.
If you are being advised to find private accommodation, you might find yourself very isolated.
Campus universities have the edge in the current climate, as they will offer an instant community.
TAKE A VIRTUAL TOUR
Before finally making up your mind, go online and take a virtual tour — particularly if you haven’t already visited the university.
Although student life will be very different, this should give you an idea as to whether this university is really one for you.