Ten amazing resources, UCAS Discover Events, a wise quote from a friend, and… a brand new website!
😊 Welcome
Over the past 18 months I’ve been writing a whole bunch of stuff for students, parents and advisers all about making better university choices and better applications; something new pretty much every week, plus videos, downloads, Podcasts and even an online course.
But it’s never been easily accessible in one place, simply because my website was set up when it was all just about this newsletter. Until now!
I’ve just launched a brand new #BetterUniChoices website, where all this content is now easily accessible and structured so that you can find exactly what you are looking for, through a simple menu and search tool.
I’ve also gone fully mobile-first, since that’s how most of you are reading!
Check it out at www.betterunichoices.com
And as usual:
Please share it with your friends and colleagues.
Let me know what you think! Just email jonathan@betterunichoices.com and let me know how I can make it better.
Now, on to this week’s newsletter.
We start with ten super-useful resources for making better university choices. Ten recommendations for organisations and websites who are doing something a bit different; something that sets them apart from the usual.
We hear about the autumn UCAS Discovery Events.
And we finish with some wise words that a friend put in a comment on one of my Linkedin posts. Curious? Then read to the end!
✍️ Ten amazing resources for making better university decisions
There are loads of league tables out there, and plenty of commercially driven so-called university advice sites out there.
But quite frankly, so many of them have lazy journalism, trotting out the same bland advice, or worse still, are filled with so many university promotions or “recommended unis”, that you can’t tell what’s impartial advice and what is paid-for advertising.
And don’t even get me started on all those ‘search’ websites that prize your details out of you when you register, only to batter you with emails and texts over the following days and weeks, recommending entirely irrelevant stuff!
It’s tempting to name and shame the worst of these, but instead I thought I’d highlight some of the best, most genuinely useful resources.
Plenty of these are commercial, but they sit on the right side of authenticity, doing something different in the sector, and offering something more than the usual, dull, bland advice and supposed ‘Top University’ recommendations.
💡 Did You Know?
For the first time, UCAS are holding several UCAS Discovery Events in England in the autumn. After a busy event at the University of Northampton last week, the event moves on to:
The University of the West of England: 18th October
York St. John University: 5th November
These events are ideal for any of you who are still considering your university options and are hoping to apply this year.
📢 Quote of the week
"You’ll be led to a string of successes or failures regardless of your university choice. It’s how you respond to them that matters."
Kyle Campbell
Marketing consultant
A curious quote, you might think, given that this newsletter is all about making better choices of university. Surely that choice matters?
Well yes, of course it matters; a good decision will open up options for you, and help you progress forwards in your life and in your career.
But while subject and course choices are pretty important, the specific university you choose will matter a whole lot less than you might think, while your response to the opportunities and challenges ahead will matter a whole lot more.
Thanks for reading!
Jonathan
