Members

How do I choose?

With over 300 higher education colleges and universities and over 50,000 courses on offer, there are lots to choose from. Here are our handy tips to help you choose a university.

Think about what course you would like to do. Once you have some ideas, visit the UCAS website, which has details every course and university in the UK (www.ucas.ac.uk). Keep your options open.

Collect prospectuses

These will give you lots of info on courses and universities.

Campus v city university?

A campus university will normally be outside of a city and self contained (everything in one place). A city university will be in the centre of town in amongst the shops, bars and restaurants etc. Which you would prefer?

Do you want to be close to home?

Consider whether you would like to stay at home or move away.

Open days/preview days

As soon as you have a list of the universities that offer your course and are in areas you would like to live, look on their websites for their open days. Book a visit and go and look round. Remember you could spend up to four years of your life there, so it's important you like it.

Whilst you are at an open day ask questions like:

• Are you guaranteed somewhere to live if you are moving away from home in your first year?
• What is the social and leisure life like?
• Are there facilities nearby?

How did you pick your university?

"I came for a week's summer school residential, where I got to experience university life and undertook various activities socially and academically. During the selection process, I realised that the University did the course I wanted to do. Seeing as I had already been to the University before and having loved it, I decided to pick Portsmouth."
Vinesh Pomal 19, student at the University of Portsmouth.