Your final UCAS choices, preparing for university, and making life-size decisions.
😊 Welcome
This week we look at how to make your final UCAS choices, narrowing from five, to two universities.
We look at two excellent resources to help you prepare for your big move to university.
And we look at a simple model for making life-size decisions: just be happy, smart and useful!
✍️ Five to two: Making your final UCAS decisions
As I write, many of you will be receiving offers from your chosen universities. It’s a nervous time, and while some of you will be getting offers promptly within days of applying, others may need to wait weeks, or even months for a decision.
So when you get all these decisions from universities, what happens next?
Well, the response is now up to you.
The universities will all be hoping you’ll choose them. They’ll be sending you emails, inviting you to visit days, perhaps even sending you a brochure or two in the post. But the reality is that the power now rests with you. You get to choose which offers to accept!
So, how does it all work, and what should you be thinking about as you accept your offers?
The summary is this. You get to accept two offers. One is your Firm choice, and if you get the grades for this choice, your place is guaranteed. The other is your Insurance choice, so if you miss out on your Firm choice, but get the grades for this choice, you’ll be off there instead.
Simple? Well yes, but of course there are a few more things to think about.
💡 Did You Know?
It's not all that long until those of you in your final year at school will getting ready to head off to university.
Most of you are going to have to start taking on all sorts of tasks that, let's face it, your parents have been doing for you for the last 18 years without you even noticing!
I've come across a couple of fantastic resources that can help you prepare.
1. Check out 'From High School to Uni'
Created by Philippa Dobree-Carey, it's a website, a book and a blog.
There's lots of free info on the website and in the regular emails, you can subscribe for lifetime access to loads of other goodies, or you can buy the book!
OR
2. Get hold of a copy of the highly recommended 'Starting University: The Essential Student Guide', by Melissa Scallan
Both take a highly practical approach to helping you get yourself prepared for life at university!
📢 Quote of the week
"There are three things to consider when making life-size decisions: What makes you happy; What’s smart — meaning long-term good for you; What’s useful to others. We have a tendency to forget one of these."
Derek Sivers
Entrepreneur and Author
This is a variation on the ideas I covered in my article all about Ikigai, but you can apply this to pretty much all of life's big decisions.
And perhaps it’s a bit easier to remember.
So next time you are faced with a big decision, just remember...
Whatever you do, be happy, smart and useful!
You can read more about it here: Happy, Smart and Useful
Thanks for reading!
Jonathan
🎯 In case you missed it
UCAS Applicant Days: What are they and how do you get the most out of them?
University rankings and league tables: just how useful are they?
📅 Next week
Coming up next week: UCAS Extra and Clearing - A failsafe for the unexpected
