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Open days, open days, open days.
This week is all about, guess what, open days!
We lead with an updated version of Things to see, do and ask at a University Open Day. I’ve organised open days at five different universities so trust me, I know all about how they work from the inside. This article gives you the inside story, so you know exactly what to look out for!
We also look at virtual events, and check out 10 things I learned from attending each of their Oxford and Cambridge open days!
We finish with a quick reminder about my new Personal Statement course on Udemy. You know… just in case you’d forgotten!
How to write your UCAS Personal Statement
This week, I’ve launched a brand new course on Udemy, all about how to write your Personal Statement, complete with all the changes for 2026.
And it’s called, quite simply:
How to write your UCAS Personal Statement: Six steps to writing a compelling and powerful UCAS Personal Statement for your application to UK universities
Career decisions, a request for help, and some fantastic super-curricular resources.
This week is aimed squarely at teachers, advisers and other supporters, with a quick analysis of two really interesting reports on career decision making.
Once again, I’ll be asking for your support in getting my guidance on Personal Statements and Admissions Tests out to your students.
And we’ll finish with some great super-curricular resources from Cambridge and Imperial.
Ten things you should know about the new UCAS Personal Statement, Contextual Offers, and a university with a unique history.
This week, ten things you should know about the new UCAS Personal Statement, that you won’t find by asking ChatGPT.
A really helpful resource all about contextual admissions.
And the only university opened between the wars.
Holding on, the career connection, new guides from UCAS, and the great northern powerhouse.
This week, we get some accidental advice from my two elder (and wiser) sisters.
We look back at the connection between universities and careers.
We hear about some super-useful new Personal Statement guides from UCAS.
And we hear about a university in the north that I have a bit of a soft spot for.
ZNotes’ inspirational founder, driver vs. passenger, taster courses at East Anglia, and Somerset’s lesser known university.
This week, something completely different! In what I hope can become a regular thing, I interview someone who is making waves in the world of education.
Zubair Junjunia founded ZNotes a little under 10 years ago to help international students the world over to revise for their A-levels. Now ZNotes is the largest community of high school students in the world. His story is as inspiring as it is informative.
We also dig out an article from last year which will help you decide whether you are a driver or a passenger in your university application journey.
We hear about some useful new Personal Statement guides launched by UCAS just last week.
And we take a trip to Bath to find Somerset’s lesser known university.
Choosing the right-fit course for you, what’s important to graduate recruiters, and your “dream university”.
We begin today with a back-to-basics article about finding a course and university that are the right fit for you.
It's a useful checklist, wherever you are on your decision-making journey.
We hear why you shouldn’t think about academic studies as the only ‘compulsory’ activities at university.
And we look at the idea of a “dream university”.
Highly competitive courses, ambitious vs safe choices, cooling off, and learning to fly, one step at a time.
This week we take a look at applying to highly competitive courses. How do you know if a course really is as highly competitive as they say, and what do you need to do differently if you are applying to one?
We take a look back at an article from last year all about how ambitious to be with your five initial UCAS choices.
We learn a little known tip about changing your mind in UCAS.
And we hear from Nietzsche all about learning how to fly.
Personal Statements, Open Days, getting to know your lecturers, and finding problems to solve
This week we look at the truth behind all those headlines in the press telling us that the UCAS Personal Statement had been scrapped.
We take a look back at a piece from last year all about Open Days.
We pick up a top tip from a careers adviser who knows.
And we hear a thought from Google’s former Chief Educational Evangelist about what we should really be asking ourselves (or our children) about future careers.
Something very special to help you with your UCAS Personal Statement
Hi everyone, and welcome to a slightly different edition of #betterunichoices.
Over the last month or so I’ve been working hard on a whole suite of new materials, so instead of the usual format, this week I’d like to tell you all about my new online course, Podcast and written guide; all designed to help you to write your UCAS Personal Statement.