Myth busting higher education

Information gathered from

UCAS; Student Finance England; The Council of Mortgage Lenders

Aims/Objectives

  • To dispel some of the popular misconceptions and fears surrounding higher education study: its finance and its implications.
  • To offer the chance to talk about higher education and its benefits more generally.

Method/lesson plan/instructions:

Minutes / Facilitator Activity & Resources needed / Participant Activity
5 / You could begin by asking for a definition of higher education: all types of study at level four or above. GCSEs grades 4-9 being level two; A-levels being level three. / Hands-up; shout out; working in groups and feeding back.
10 - 15 / Depending on numbers, divide into groups of four or five. Task the group to match the myths (purple cards) with the facts (white cards).You could encourage competition to see who can do it the fastest.
Alternatively you could ‘trick’ your audience by asking which of the purple cards is true (none is!) / Working in groups the participants match the myths with the facts.
Participant chooses one card which can lead to further discussions about higher education.
10 / Further discussions and signposting can take place with any of the myths and facts. / Participants break down any misconceptions they had about higher education. A safe space should be created where they feel comfortable asking a range of questions about higher education.

Signposting to other organisations

  • -An alternative resource to UCAS that has the advantage of allowing students to generate study ideas in a fun way using mind maps before they research particular courses of interest on UCAS itself.
  • -If you need examples of personal statements to help your students with theirs then this is a great resource covering the range of typical university courses.
  • -with students under great financial pressure this resource provides information about scholarships, grants and bursaries offered by universities and a range of other organisations.
  • -provides comprehensive information about universities and courses including statistics in one manageable resource.

-Royal Society of Medicine portal offers excellent resources for researching medical schools and preparing for the application & selection process.

-careers site aimed at graduates and current university students, but also very useful for those considering higher education. Particularly useful for those interested in the possible career paths related to their HE choices. The ‘careers advice’ section, and in particular ‘What can I do with my degree?’ are particularly useful for pre-HE students.

-comprehensive information on the financial support available for those studying HE courses.

-compares official course data from universities and colleges.

-search for HE courses; also information on making choices and the application process.

-directory of university and college open days.

-search for scholarships and funding by institution or subject.

-useful for gaining students’ views on universities, courses and other aspects of university life. Some ‘official’ threads with useful advice.

-useful resources on both university and school leaver routes. Also includes helpful personal statement writing resources.

-career and lifeskills advice for Year 9 upwards. Includes practical tips for the transition to independent living as well as advice on choices and applications.

-information and advice for student considering studying abroad.

-detailed questionnaire programme which can be a helpful starting point for students uncertain about subject choice for university. Costs £20 for the online version