How to find the best course for you

Choosing what to study and which university to go to are important issues for any prospective student.

You can often be overwhelmed by the choice available to you, and if you are considering becoming an international student in the UK, then you may feel even more confused by the options put before you. The key is not to rush - just by taking your time and looking at all the options before you, you will be able to find the most suitable course and location for you.

The three main considerations:

Overall, there are three main options you must consider – these are what type of course you would like to do (i.e. degree, GNVQ etc), what you would like to study, and then where – a town, a city, and what social facilities does the area have. If you can give each of these the thought and research they deserve you will find that you have a wonderful educational experience in the UK.

1. Where to start

Luckily, the World Wide Web can help make life much easier for the prospective international student – and even those already based in the UK. Websites run by organisations such as UCAS (University and Colleges Admissions Service), Education UK and Hot Courses offer thorough course search facilities to help you find all the institutions that run courses in your chosen area of interest. Plus if you are already in the UK you can pop into your local careers office to get one to one advice about finding the most suitable course.

Taking the time out to thoroughly research your options is the best thing you can do when looking into studying. This way you will end up at an institution and on a course that suits you perfectly and allows you to achieve the goals you have set yourself. “(One of the best ways to go about finding the most suitable course is) good research. A good starting point is the UCAS website which has a course search facility,” a spokesperson from UCAS told the IET. “You can search for courses by subject, university or college, or region. Applicants also need to research the university or college that they'd like to study at. Many have links from the UCAS website.”

2. What type of qualification?

The first place to start is to choose what type of qualification you would like to study for. There are GNVQs, undergraduate degrees, postgraduate degrees, and doctorates to name but a few.

Once you have a list of courses and universities you are interested in, you may want to look into the quality of the course by looking at the ranking tables. Both The Guardian’s and The Times’ websites offer access to these kinds of tables; they can be useful as general guides, but do not place too much importance on them when making your final decision.

You will also need to look up the course’s entry requirements, as you may need specific qualifications or grades in order to take on the course. This information you can find on websites like UCAS, or on the university’s own website. In addition, all UK institutions require international students to have a sufficient level of English in order to follow your course.

3. Unique to you

Most people already have a rough idea of what courses they’d like to do, and where they would like to be based, but one thing to consider is that although many courses will allow you to come out with the same type of degree, each course will offer a different range of modules, projects, work experience etc. Perhaps you prefer a more coursework based qualification, or a more ‘hands on’ course, so look around until you find one that interests you.

Social success

Although different people give this different levels of importance, the social aspects of where you go to university should also be given some kind of consideration. You are likely to spend three or more years at your chosen institution, and the social scene will probably be relevant to you. Perhaps you want to go for a metropolitan, party city experience whilst at university, or maybe you’d prefer to go for a rural, education-first experience. Things to consider include what recreation and sports facilities does the town or city have, and even what’s the transport and accommodation like in the area? Cost can also be an issue – the south of the UK has much higher living costs than the north, so once you’ve found some courses you like, have a think about where they are based, and which places have the most appeal to you.

So once you’ve answered your three questions, you should end up with one or two choices for your final educational destination now all you need to do is fill in the application form!

Written by Assistant Editor Keri Allan