Uni Essentials

Previously we looked at what you’re going to need in the kitchen department, but there’s more to uni cuisine than things to use for opening and cutting.  For a real cordon bleu gourmet dining experience, you’re going to need a few more bits of equipment to hand, like those listed below.

Preparation things: 

Potato masher.

Vegetable peeler.

Cheese grater – those flat ones may save space, but if you can get something more sturdy, you won’t regret it.

Measuring spoons, even though part of the fun of uni cuisine is the guesswork involved.

Cooking things: 

Kettle.  Definitely a kettle. It speeds up the process of boiling water (and a watched pot, they keep telling us, never boils.)   And it saves time when everybody else is using the communal kettle down the hallway.

Pots and a frying pan.  With lids.  Lids speed up cooking time, keep in the flavour and nutrients … and tends to leave a lot less to clean off the hob and walls afterwards.

A big pot’s great for chucking in as many potatoes as will fit, but you don’t want it to bil over.

Medium and small pots are great for pretty well everything else.

A colander, for draining water away from noodles and veg (but keep some of the potato and veg water if you’re going all out and making gravy, because a lot of nutrients are still in that water, and you might as well make the most of it).

A wok.  Just the most useful, versatile and generally fabulous cooking vessel in the known universe.  You’ll probably need to season it with oil and one or two of your favourite spices before using it for the first time.

Slow cooker.  If you’ve got the room, after a hard winter day’s hungry studying there are few things as nice to come back to than a rich warming stew ready and waiting for you.  Quite a few things as nice.  Perhaps you could figure out a way of combining them all.

Stirring things: 

A big wooden/plastic spoon, plus a couple of other, smaller ones – and if you can get a slotted spoon to lift things you’re boiling out of that water, so much the better.

Spatula for flipping pancakes, bacon, ground beef, eggs and anything else you need to turn over in the frying pan.

Serving things:

Spaghetti tongs – if you really feel the need.  A couple of forks will do.  And yes, it’s true, when your spaghetti is ready, it’ll stick to the wall you throw it at.  Not the whole pot – just a strand or two will do.

That big plastic stirring spoon will do for doling out spaghetti sauce, too.

There’ll be more for your fresher kitchenware shopping list coming soon, and as always, if there’s anything you think we should add to what you’ve read here so far, then make a fresher’s day and add it to the list!

Find out more about moving to Uni!

15th January: the final deadline for your application to be sent off. After this date it is at the university’s discretion whether they consider your application or not, and if they are full, they won’t be looking. For courses with high numbers of applicants, the university will start the recruitment process as soon as applications come in around October, so it’s best to get it in early, however, you must not rush!

February: UCAS Extra opens for those students who have applied to 5 universities but have received no offers. You apply to one university at a time to see if an offer can be made.

March: applications for student finance open.

8th May: deadline to reply to your offers if they are all received by 31st March.

June 2013: Completion of BTEC Course (specific date TBC). This is when your grade is confirmed and the SRF is sent to Edexcel who will confirm your grade with your universities.

So, now i’ve done that, how do I apply for university?
The first thing you need to do is register on the UCAS website for 2013 entry. You should have done this in class, however if you missed the session do not panic! Your tutor will be happy to go through this with you.

Once you have registered, you need to fill in your personal information and qualifications. You do need to include your first year units for your level 3 health and social care course and the grades you attained. You should also include year 2 units and your predicted grade.

The help with applying page is full of advice and guidance.

What is this ‘choices’ section?

All students have a maximum of 5 courses that they can apply for. These are individual courses, not universities so if there’s 2 courses at the same university, you will use two of your choices. We reccomend you use all 5 choices to give you the best chance of gaining a place. When you receive your offers, you will be able to select which ones you prefer.

AHHHH I HAVE TO WRITE A PERSONAL STATEMENT, HELP!

The personal statement is the part of the application that usually takes the longest and causes the most stress. You will receive lots of help to complete this within college, but if you wish to get started, here are some top tips.

Your personal statement cannot be more than 4,000 characters (including spaces) or more than 47 lines (including blank lines). When you enter your personal statement into UCAS, it will do a word/line count for you.
TOP TIP: Write your statement in word first, and save it regularly, then copy and paste into UCAS. The UCAS website times out, and will delete all of your hard work if you haven’t saved it.

The purpose of your personal statement is to tell the university WHY you want to do the course and why you have the right knowledge, qualities etc for the course/vocational area you are applying for. It’s your only chance to sell yourself before an interview, so it needs to be good.

The key areas you should cover in your personal statement.

• Why you’re applying for the course you have chosen. Tell the university why the subject interests you, and include evidence that you understand the demands of the course and what is required to be successful on the course.
• Why you are suitable for the course you have chosen. What skills and experience do you have that make you a good candidate? You may include how your current studies link to the chosen university course, activities that demonstrate your interests in the course and why you want to study at university or HE level.
• Your skills and achievements – what relevant skills do you have and evidence to support these? What relevant qualifications do you have?
• Work experience – what work experience have you undertaken and how has it prepared you for your chosen university course? Remember, even if your work experience isn’t directly relevant (e.g. working with the elderly when chosing to do midwifery or paediatric nursing), you will have learned a number of skills that apply to both areas so think about your transferable skills!
• Hobbies and interests – do not just list these but highlight how they may be relevant to your chosen course. e.g. if you’re applying for nursing and you play football, show your ability to work as a team, think on your feet etc. Like to read? Highlight that you understand university study involves a lot of reading and you look forward to getting your teeth into some academic texts. Like music and concerts? Explain how you’d like to volunteer at music festivals as a first aider and your course will prepare you for this. Volunteer at a youth group? Explain how that means you have good organisational skills, you are responsible, you can work with large numbers of people etc etc. The best applications are those that can link extra-curricular activities to the chosen course! If you have an unusual or interesting hobby or interest, do include this! It’ll help you stand out.
  Top tip:
  Use these key areas to cover as a loose structure.

Dos and Don’ts.

• DO double and triple check your spelling and grammar. If it’s not right, it could be the difference between an interview and no interview.
• Do write a plan before you start and be prepared to re-write your statement at least two or three times.
• Do make notes at open days as they will drop numerous hints about what they are looking for. There will also be clues on the university’s course profile or in the prospectus. Use these to inform your personal statement. If you want a bit more info, e-mail the admissions team, give them a ring or visit an open day and ask as many questions as you can.
• DO use simple language, don’t over-complicate your sentences. Get to the point. No rambling!  Admissions teams have to read hundreds of applications.
• DO NOT use cliches.
• DO NOT mention OBEM as your main inspiration to become a midwife. Universities hear it every day. You can mention you watch such programmes, and what you have learned from them, but don’t make it a big point in your personal statement.
• DO make your application personal to you. If you’ve had a specific experience that is relevant, talk about it. One of my previous students had shadowed a midwife in Iran and got to witness a delivery while there, so she included this in her personal statement. You may have experience caring for a family member, you can use this in your application as long as you highlight how it’s relevant.
• DON’T be afraid to sing your own praises, provided it’s the truth! It’s your one chance to really sell yourself and make yourself stand out against potentially thousands of other candidates.
• DO ensure you are clear about why you want to do the course before you start. The UCAS personal statement worksheet will help you come up with some good ideas.
• DO NOT plagiarise or copy from the internet. All UCAS applications are put through a plagiarism checker, so you will be caught!
• DO attend our personal statement and application workshops that will be taking place over the first term of college.

Personal statement links:

Key points to consider

What to include

Dos and Don’ts

Before you can apply you need to decide what you want to study. Many of you will be thinking of applying for Nursing and Midwifery, but remember there’s THOUSANDS of courses out there so make sure you do your research. Just because a course has the same name, it doesn’t mean that they will cover the same things. As a Health and Social Care student you are not just limited to Nursing or Midwifery. If you’ve enjoyed Sociology, Psychology or Public Health, why not look at social sciences, psychology, health studies, public health, epidemiology or environmental health. If you aren’t sure about your career options but have a broad interest in health and social care, some universities offer health and social care degrees that have a broader focus.

Occupational Health is a very interesting field with good, varied employment opportunities both within the NHS and in the private sector (working both within the health care industry and with large employers). Mental health is a huge issues in our society and there’s a growing number of courses designed for those who wish to study mental health in more detail, including mental health nursing, mental health studies and support work courses.

You may wish to move out of the health and social care field into teaching or education – again these options are open to you, providing you have some work experience in these fields. Ensure you explore all of the options. UCAS Course Search is the place to look for all the options!

REMEMBER: Paediatric nursing and Midwifery are both courses that attract huge numbers of applicants. We cannot guarantee that you will get in this year, no matter how fabulous you are. Do look at alternative options, you never know, you may find something else you love just as much! The main thing is, do your best, and if you don’t succeed this year you can always try again next year!

What should I look for in a university course?

There’s a few things you should look at.

• Where? You should ideally pick the university with the best reputation and ranking available however, this will depend on entry requirements (see below). For university rankings, look at the Times University Guide which is a league table for universities. You should search by courses rather than overall as some universities are better for some courses than others. You also need to think about how far you are willing to travel, including how far afield the university organises placements (e.g .for Nursing at UWE you could be going to Swindon or into Somerset). If you want to stay at home, your options will be slightly more limited, but remember it’s not just universities that offer HE courses, many FE colleges in the area offer higher education opportunities.
• What are the entry requirements? This is very important as there’s little point applying for a course that requires a minimum of DDD if you are currently working at MMM or PMM level, especially if the course attracts a high number of applicants. You may also be required to have a C in GCSE English, Maths or Science. Check the entry requirements thoroughly before you apply to ensure you will be able to meet them, as some universities will reject you outright if you do not have the relevant GCSEs or other qualifications. However, all is not lost if you do not meet the requirements, it may be that you need to apply for a Foundation Degree before you can complete a full honours degree. The tariff table for BTEC Level 3 courses is shown below.
  

  BTEC qualifications (QCF) (Suite of qualifications known as Nationals)

  Grade					Tariff points
  Extended Diploma	Diploma	90 credit Diploma	Subsidiary Diploma	Certificate
  D*D*D*					420
  D*D*D					400
  D*DD					380
  DDD					360
  DDM					320
  DMM	D*D*				280
  	D*D				260
  MMM	DD				240
  		D*D*			210
  MMP	DM	D*D			200
  		DD			180
  MPP	MM	DM			160
  			D*		140
  PPP	MP	MM	D		120
  		MP			100
  	PP		M		80
  				D*	70
  		PP		D	60
  			P	M	40
  				P	20

• What is involved in the course? So you’ve decided where you’d like to apply, and you think you can meet the entry requirements. Now you need to check whether the course is right for you. Think about the assessment methods used (exams, coursework, group presentations, research projects, dissertations) and whether they fit your preferred method of study. Also look at modules offered (do the specialist modules fit with your interests, are they modules you will find interesting)? Is there work placement opportunities? Tutorial support?

These are just some key factors you should think about when selecting a course. However, I cannot stress enough the importance of attending the open days! An open day is the best way to get a feel for the course, and for the university. You will be studying for a minimum of two/three years if not more, so you need to like the place! Talk to current students and staff members, have a look at the student accomodation and also the surrounding area (you won’t spend all of your time at uni)! It’s the best time to ask lots of questions and have them answered by those who are best qualified to answer them! OpenDays.com is the best website for finding out when university open days are being held.

STEP 2: APPLY.

(H Level) and (O Level) 2012

Thursday, 23rd August, 2012 (2.30pm – 5.30pm)

College site link here …

For students who achieve sufficient CAO entry points and satisfy all other entrance requirements, but who do not achieve the requisite grade in Mathematics in the Leaving Certificate. Successful candidates will be allowed entry into Faculty of Science and Engineering undergraduate degree programmes.

Further information from the Special Mathematics Examination Administrator,
Faculty of Science & Engineering, University of Limerick
Tel 061 –202421/ 202642

Email: Siobhan.harris@ul.ie / amy.obrien(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)ul.ie“>amy.obrien@ul.ie

Application forms can be downloaded here
Past Papers can be found at:http://scieng.ul.ie/students/prospective_students/special-mathematics-entrance-examination/

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS
MONDAY 20th August, 2012 at 5pm

On top of this, over three quarters of all universities will charge £9,000 for some courses. They attempted to come across as reassuringly expensive, and have instead been show to be disconcertingly elitist.

Vince Cable’s assurances that tuition fees would only rise above £6,000 in exceptional circumstances appear to be just as inconsequential as the Lib Dems’ election pledge to scrap tuition fees altogether.

” That was the report given to the Government. We have rejected those recommendations and proposed instead that we proceed as the statutory instrument describes. That involves the introduction of a fee cap of £6,000, rising to £9,000 in exceptional circumstances.”  - Vince Cable, 2010

The justification of the tuition fee rise was to aid the deficit reduction plan, yet due to the fact that the government cover the cost of all tuition fees it is in fact costing the nation more. The first repayments will start in 2015, when the first of the £9,000, 3 year courses finish. It is estimated that the government will have to pay over £1bn extra to cover the hike in tuition fees.

This is no mistake. To offset such a cost, the teaching budget has been cut by 80%, and this leaves a cut to university places extremely likely. Over the past 2 years David Cameron has distanced himself from any suggestion of making universities more elitist due to extremely negative press over the issue, however he has now manufactured a situation where the only obvious option is to do just that.

There have already been 15,000 full time undergraduate places cut for 2012 admission, with more expected to follow in 2013. Competition for places will increase, and with tuition fees already discouraging almost 50,000 applicants this year, a total of nearly 65,000 people have already missed out on a chance of university education.

Many students will choose to spend their first year in Halls of Residence, accommodation on or near campus which is owned and run by the individual universities. This is the choice for those students wanting to be in the heart of the social scene with endless invites and a steady stream of new friends wanting to party all night. The down side is you may be stuck for a whole year with people you have nothing in common with and whose kitchen and bathroom hygiene skills are nonexistent. On average you will be expected to pay for the accommodation for 40 to 45 weeks of the year. The accommodation can vary enormously from literally a room and a sink to a lovely luxurious double ensuite room, but of course the prices rise with the quality. Many major towns and cities now have private sector student blocks offering accommodation to suit student needs such as Opal and Unite. These are usually very centrally based and great for shopping and night life.  There is a new alternative choice, Unihomeswap, where you stay in a family home near the university for free, you have your own room but share facilities with the family. It is based on a reciprocal swap so there is a student staying in your room back at home during term time, (average 36 weeks a year). This is the choice for students wanting to study in their 1^st year as well as joining in on some of the party scene; it is hard to escape where ever you live thanks to social media. Unihomeswap can also help ease the transition into independent living and for some enables the choice of finding a culturally similar home environment.

In 2^nd and 3^rd year students tend to leave campus and enter the private sector. If you have spent your first year going wild it is time to face your studies and work hard, remember you have at least £27,000 in tuition fees and then your accommodation and living costs to pay back. The cheaper but less secure option is hunting through the local papers and gumtree – be careful and never hand over money until you have signed an agreement. A popular con is asking for a refundable £50 just to secure a viewing, don’t do it. Safer options are to use schemes like Studentpad which is a university managed system where landlords have agreed with the university to meet certain criteria or Unipol; charity based, created by universities for universities and owns most of its properties. The popular choice is the shared house for 3 to 7 students, whichever of those routes you take you will be paying rent and signing a tenancy agreement.

Urban myth –‘the more students in a house the cheaper it will be for each student’. Landlords do not subscribe to this and charge the same rate per student per room no matter how many students live in the property.

Important - When renting  you will be asked to sign ‘an assured shorthold tenancy’ this is a legal and binding agreement where you will be jointly and severally responsible for any breaches of the contract, including damage to the property, rent arrears and prosecution for noise and rubbish pollution. What many students do not realise is that the law states you cannot have more than four people on a shorthold tenancy.  This means that for example in a house with 7 occupants if up to 3 decide not to pay, the four remaining students will be liable for paying all the rent between them. When taking on these tenancies, each student will have to produce a guarantor .This is usually the parent but the landlord has the legal right to demand money from the first four students and often does not bother to spend time chasing the absent students and their guarantors. Theses shared houses are known as HMO’s – houses in multiple occupancy and you will be far safer to stick to houses of four.

If you want to settle down to your studies in 2^nd and 3^rd year then using Unihomeswap could be the choice for you, saving a whole years accommodation costs. Make sure you make full use of the ‘How to’ section and spend time communicating with potential swappers to find the right one. Take advantage of this option while it is still free, registration will be charged at £25 per year from October 1^st 2012.

Table B- Average accommodation costs for Halls, and a room in a shared house (HMO) over a 3 year period using figures from Table A.

“On the all important issue – the number of applications to university – in the recent UCAS figures… the proportion of English school leavers applying to university is in fact the second highest on record.“

Not only this, but:

“The percentage of 18yr olds from disadvantaged areas applying to university – according to the figures we’ve seen overnight – is higher than at any time under the Labour government.“

London Liberal Youth activists have welcomed the fact that the new fees system is not only more progressive in principle, but that this is validated by today’s figures and the increase in applications from disadvantaged areas.

London Chair Sean Davey commented:

“We believe no-one should be put off applying to university because of financial concerns. These figures are great news, but it is still essential that we get the message out that no one going to university will have to pay a penny up front.“

For a useful guide to the facts on fees, checkout MoneySavingExpert.com

——————–

Facts & Figures:

More than 250,000 18 year-olds (all domiciles) have already applied this year to go to university. The fall in the number of 18 year-olds applying to university – from 2011 to 2012 – is broadly in line with a decrease in the general population at that age. The decrease is less than 1%.

The percentage of 18 year-olds from disadvantaged areas applying to university is higher than under any Labour Government. There has been a larger decrease in applications from 18 year-olds in the most advantaged areas than from those in the most disadvantaged areas.

From the UCAS report on applications this year:

 ”Application rates for the most advantaged fifth of areas have fallen by 2-3 percentage points compared to falls of 0.1-0.2 percentage points in the most disadvantaged areas.”

University applications for the September 2012 intake are down 8.9 per cent on the previous year

There were just over 50,000 fewer applications compared to the previous year, according to new UCAS statistics. This contrasts with the number of 18-year-old school leavers, which is down 3.7 per cent compared to 2011.

The drop-off rate in England was 10 per cent, in Northern Ireland 4.5 per cent and in Wales 3 per cent, while numbers in Scotland slumped by only 2 per cent. Surely, the biggest factor in the difference between England and Scotland is the higher tuition fees south of the border.

Despite the grim reading, Universities Minister David Willetts remained optimistic. “This will still be a competitive year like any other as people continue to understand that university remains a good long-term investment for their future.”

However, Pam Tatlow, chief executive of university think-tank Million+, disagreed. “This is a highly unsettled outlook,” she said on the BBC News Channel.

Many universities have received significantly fewer degree applications this year. The University for the Creative Arts, for instance, which offers undergraduate courses for £8,500 a year, has lost 29 per cent of applicants compared to last year.

By contrast, Scotland’s University of the Highlands and Islands, where English students pay £7,500 a year and nothing in their fourth year, has seen a dramatic boost, with 53 per cent more students choosing it.

The Government, not universities, should be worried about the latest university application figures, said Ms Tatlow. “Ministers tried to create a market and the students don’t seem to be very interested in the market.”

Sally Hunt, leader of the University and College Union (UCU), said: “These figures once again highlight the folly of hiking up tuition fees to £9,000.

“This Government can talk all it likes about improving social mobility but how will erecting punitive financial barriers help our best and brightest get on?”

There was also a significant fall in the number of mature students applying for undergraduate courses in September. The number of applicants aged 21 dropped by 11 per cent. Mature students make up one third of the total university places.

The final deadline for applications was 30 June.

Vesela Gladicheva

Photo by timtom.ch via Flickr under a CC licence.

Overall demand is down 8.9%, and in England itself — where tuition fees are higher than in the rest of the U.K. and are scheduled to triple  — demand is down a full 10%. This has led Sally Hunt, general secretary of the British University and College Union, to complain: “These figures once again highlight the folly of hiking up tuition fees to £9,000 and making England one of the most expensive countries in the world in which to access higher education.” But I have a question for Ms. Hunt: Where, in all this, is the proof of folly?

Ms. Hunt’s organization describes itself as the “largest trade union and professional association for academics, lecturers, trainers, researchers and academic-related staff working in further and higher education throughout the U.K.” I understand that she therefore has an interest in British post secondary institutions staying afloat and continuing to sign the pay cheques of those she represents. There is, however, no danger of her brethren being axed as a result of the drop in university applications: even with the dip, there are still far more applicants (618,000) than there are available spots (492,030), meaning that attendance levels at British institutions of higher learning will not change one bit. Nor is there evidence that the kinds of students attending “uni,” as the Brits call it, will change much either.

“[T]here has not been a disproportionate effect on more disadvantaged groups,” says Mary Curnock Cook, the chief executive of the British Universities and College Admissions Service (UCAS), which analyzed this year’s admissions data. Poor students, minority students — their applications have dropped no more dramatically than those of wealthy students. (In fact, there was actually a sharper drop in applications from those from wealthier backgrounds, compared to those from poor backgrounds.) And the signs you’d expect to find if students were feeling dramatically and dreadfully pinched by the increases are simply not there: The same number of applicants as before wish to study away from home (which adds considerably to the costs of university), and there has been no change in the types of courses being chosen by applicants from any economic background (one might expect a gravitation toward fields with higher employment and salaries if paying off higher student loans were a considerable worry).

Further, some of the drop in applications can probably be attributed to changes in population (this was expected). And the most prestigious and competitive universities are seeing little change in demand, if any at all. (Applications to Cambridge were 2% higher this year than last, and Oxford saw a decline of less than 1%.)

Was allowing tuition fees to rise so significantly truly a folly, then? Has the U.K. harmed itself with this austerity measure?

The answer seems to be, quite clearly, no. There will be just as many graduates with university degrees as there were before, and there will be just as many “disadvantaged” students in that group of graduates. The only thing that has changed is that a greater number of students are self-selecting out of the admissions process because they don’t view a university education as worth the higher price. I cannot see that this is anything but a reasonable — and desirable — market correction.

Had these particular students been intent on pursuing a post secondary degree before the tuition hike? I think the answer is fairly self-evident: probably not. They are likely the students who were on the edge — mildly interested in attending university, but not wedded to the idea or certain it was their best choice.

I’m sure the world will not end for them when they opt out of spending money, time and mental energy applying to schools and decide to pursue paying work that calls them — or any other experience they happen to value more than £9,000 — instead. Indeed, there’s a good chance it will get slightly better.

National Post

Two opposing beams of protons are sent hurtling towards each other at 99.9999991 percent the speed of light.

The collision causes the protons to ‘smash’ open and subatomic particles to emerge. It is in such a process that the Higgs Boson particle is believed to have been discovered.

Scientists at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (Cern) are nearly certain that they have found the subatomic particle that confirms our understanding of how the universe works. The Higgs Boson particle, dubbed the ‘God particle’ by some, explains why all matter has mass. It was discovered using the Large Hadron Collider, the circular underground machine that smashes sub-atomic particles together at enormous energy levels. Known as the “atom smasher”, the LHC’s massive magnets accelerate two opposing beams of protons to 99.9999991 per cent of the speed of light and crash them together to discover ever smaller particles that break out.

Many in the scientific community are hailing this scientific breakthrough as one of the greatest discoveries in science, rivalling the discovery of the structure of DNA in 1953 and the Apollo moon landings in the 1960s and 1970s.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/eureka-cern-announces-discovery-of-higgs-boson-god-particle-7907677.html?origin=internalSearch

…………..
For more info on GP tuition or English tuition by the blogger, a First Class Honours graduate from the National University of Singapore, please click “About the Tutor/Testimonials” and “Track Record” in the menu bar on top of this page or call Steven Ooi at 98392152. I also provide personal statement writing/ editing services for university and scholarship applications.

For GP model essays by the blogger, click here.

For those students who receive their last decision by 10 May they will be expected to reply by 7 June. Further information about replying to offers is available on the UCAS website http://www.ucas.com/students/offers/replyingtoyouroffers which guides students to when offers are received and when replies are due to be made.

Summer holidays

   Before you leave for the summer holidays  remember to keep  contact details up-to-date on Track as your university or college choices may contact you. Students should update their address, email and telephone details.

Make a note of yourTrack username, password and Personal ID to use over the summer holiday. These will be especially important in August when students can check their situation when they have their results.

Extra

Extra has been open and available to eligible students since 24 February 2012. Extra is available to applicants who have used all five choices on their original application and have been either unsuccessful at all choices or declined their offers.

Extra for students is explained on the UCAS website: http://www.ucas.com/students/afteryouapply/extra and in the adviser’s section: http://www.ucas.com/advisers/sixsteps/offers/extra.

Extra gives students the opportunity to look for available places using Course Search http://www.ucas.com/students/coursesearch and choose those that may be of interest to them. Initially students are advised to contact universities and colleges themselves to discuss their requirements and to ensure that spaces are still available.

The final date for students to refer their application to a university or college through Extra is 4 July 2012.

Remember to check the CAO website for the latest accurate information

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

 The online Change of Mind facility will open on 5th May, as indicated in the 2012 Handbook.

  It is essential that you check all the information .  You could lose a place if you ignore this notice.   This is a reminder but  the key information is on your Statement so read it carefully and follow the instructions given.  

You must inform CAO immediately if information is not listed or is incorrect.

•   check your name, address and date of birth .
•  check that your exam candidate number is correct
•  that your course codes are correctly listed for the courses you want.
• If you are taking exams this year or you have taken exams in the past these must be listed.
• if you have a 2nd and or 3rd  language exemption this should be listed ( if it isn’t you can still process this and need to come and see us)
• if you have taken HPAT, GAMSAT OR MSAP    you should log in to CAO to check these are on file.

Come and see us or email us if you need any help.

On the night, in two separate sessions, a number of Arts and Engineering graduates will give an overview of their careers since graduating. They will also talk about how the skills and knowledge they gained in their degree programmes has benefited them in their careers.

This is a great opportunity for parents and students to get a better understanding of the career options possible from different degree programmes and to meet with graduates working in different industries. I would be grateful if you would bring this to the attention of your students.

Summer Schools

NUI Galway is holding a series of Summer Schools this June for students interested in studying at the University. The Summer Schools are offered in the areas of Engineering, Science, Information Technology and Computing, and Nursing. They will take place on the following dates:

IT and Computing Summer Camp: 11^th -15^th June or 18^th – 22^nd June

Engineering Summer School: 28^th June or 29^th June

Science Experience Summer Event: 21^st – 22^nd June

This is an excellent opportunity for prospective students to get a real taste of University life and to enjoy a wide range of hands-on practical activities. I have enclosed copies of flyers for the Engineering and Science Summer Schools and would be very grateful if you would distribute these to interested students, as well as to the Honours Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics teachers who may be aware of students who would like to attend.

Find out more

www.nuigalway.ie/summer-schools for more information and to apply online.

http://www.cit.ie/course/CR510

This programme is now fully accredited at Undergraduate level by the Energy Institute, and will enable the graduates to start the progression towards Chartered Engineer.

The class intake in 2011-12 was increased substantially which resulted in a reduction of the entry points on previous years.

The annual exhibition of final year projects takes place Thursday 26^th April 2-9pm at CIT and is free to attend and open to all. Additional information on the course may be obtained at this event. http://www.cit.ie/currentnews?id=364

Click here for flyer …

Click here for flyer …

Click here for video …

www.tcd.ie/Accommodationandcatering