UK University Application Lesson Plans

Lesson 1: What’s the most important factor in choosing a UK degree?

Objectives: To encourage students to think about why a UK degree is right for them.

Instructions: In small groups, ask students to rank what they believe to the be the most important factors in choosing a UK university

For this exercise, it’s important to stress that there’s no single right/wrong answer.

The factors are as follows

The type of job it can offer me.
The chance to study at a prestigious university
UK degrees are globally recognized.
Studying a subject I’m good at.
It’s my school/family’s preferred destination for me.
A busy social life/chance to make new friends.

Points for discussion

What are the most important reasons to study for a degree?
What should we prioritize when researching universities?
Is our future career always the most important factor in choosing a degree?

Exercise: What should I look for in a UK degree?

In small groups, rank the following reasons for studying for a degree in order of importance from top to bottom, with 1 being the Most Important and 6 being the Least important.

The type of job it can offer me. 123456
The chance to study at a prestigious university.123456
UK degrees are globally recognized.123456
Studying a subject I’m good at. 123456
It’s my school/family’s preferred destination for me.123456
A busy social life/chance to make new friends. 123456

Lesson 2: University Rankings & League Tables

Objective: To encourage students to critically assess the usefulness of league tables in their university research.

Exercise A

Instructions:

In small groups, ask students to write down as many UK universities they can think of.
In the same groups, ask students to order their list of universities by how highly ranked they think they are in UK league tables, in descending order.
Now research a ranking system online – did you get the order correct?

Exercise B

Instructions: In the same groups as Exercise 1, ask students to answer the following questions.

What ranking system did you use to research the top UK universities?
How does this particular league table rate a UK university? What factors affect a university’s place in the league table? (For example, research rating, student satisfaction, dropout rate?)
Can you think of some reasons why this league table might not be the most reliable way of choosing a university in the UK?

Lesson 3: Introduction to The Russell Group

Objectives:

To familiarize students with UK university terminology
To give students an overview of potential Russell Group destinations

Instructions:

Write the names of ten Russell Group universities and ten non-Russell Group universities on the white board.
Without using any other resources, ask each group to sort the universities into two categories: Russell Group and non-Russell Group.
Ask students to report back: how many of the universities do they think are in the Russell Group?
In the same groups, ask students to research which UK universities are in the Russell Group.
Report back: what is a Russell Group university? Why are Russell group universities so highly rated? Are Russell Group universities always at the top of university rankings?

Points for Discussion

How important is a Russell Group education if you’re studying in the UK?
What are the chances of acceptance into a Russell Group university?
Are Russell Group universities the right choice for all degree subjects? Why? Why not?

Lesson 4: Exploring the different types of university.

Objective: To encourage students to discover more about the different types of UK university (e.g. collegiate, red brick, new universities)

Instructions: Split students into four groups. Assign each group one of the following university types.

Collegiate university
Red Brick university
Plate glass/campus university
New/former polytechnic university

In their four groups, ask students to research, and complete the following tasks.

List some of the universities in your assigned group
Explain what each university category means, and where each category gets its name from (e.g. why are campus universities also called ‘plate glass’ universities?)
Write a short description of typical campus life at a university in your assigned category. Are there any pros and cons to studying at one type of university over another?

Points for discussion

What do different types of campus have to offer (e.g. nightlife, extra-curricular activities, proximity to a major city/town)
What makes a ‘good’ university? What is more important for university life, the quality of the degree, or the all-round university experience?

Lesson 5: What are the different UK degree paths?

Objective: To give students an understanding of the different types of UK university degree and to increase their confidence when researching them.

Instructions: Split students into four groups. Assign each group one of the following four UK degree families

Training degrees
Arts, Humanities and Social Science Degrees.
Scientific degrees.
Vocational Degrees.

Exercise A: Understanding UK degree Families

In their four groups, ask students to discuss, and make notes on the following:

What are some of the possible UK university degrees that fall within their family?
Are there any particular jobs which their chosen family of degree is likely to lead to?

Points for discussion

Does studying for a particular degree make you more likely to enter a certain career path?
Does one particular degree path guarantee a higher salary/better job prospects?
Revisit some of the themes of Lesson 4: how important are salary/outcome considerations versus passion for a subject?

Exercise B: Understanding course content and structure

In the same groups, ask students to choose one subject from their category. Ask each group to make notes on the following:

Note: encourage students to use websites such as UCAS to look at how the same course differs at multiple UK universities.

What is the average length of this degree?
What type of classes could an undergraduate expect from this degree, e.g. lectures, seminars, one-one-tutorials?
What is the average teaching time, e.g. will students required to attend a lot of lectures, or is there a lot of independent study time?
How is the degree assessed (e.g. coursework vs exams?)
Does this degree offer any opportunities for studying abroad, or taking a year in industry?
Are there any other specialist qualifications you would need to gain entry to this course?

Points for discussion

In this section of the lesson, encourage students to reflect on the following:

Are all UK degrees designed to prepare you for the world of work?
What are some good resources for researching a university? (Discuss the UCAS website and different university websites).
How important are factors such as teaching time, and workload when deciding on a university degree?

Lesson 6: Understanding entry requirements

Objective: To encourage students to think about individual course requirements, and to critically assess factors such as chance of acceptance.

Exercise A: Busting some myths about entry requirements

Instructions:

Step 1: In groups of four or five, encourage students to discuss if they agree or disagree with the following statements

If you get high grades, you are guaranteed acceptance into a UK university.
If I don’t get the required grades, I can’t get into my chosen university.
Courses at highly ranked universities are always hard to get into.

Step 2: Ask students to report back. In this next part of the lesson, ask students to discuss the following:

Are UK universities only interested in grades? What other factors might affect your chance of acceptance?
What might affect how many offers a university makes to potential students?
Are university courses always hard to get into if they are highly ranked?

Tip: revisit themes/ideas from lessons 1 & 2. Why aren’t league table or rankings the most reliable guide to how easy/hard a degree might be?

Exercise B: Understanding different university entry requirements

Note: For this exercise, students will need access to the UCAS website.

Instructions: Assign each group one of the following degree subjects:

English Literature.
Law.
Physics.
Business Management
Geography

Each group should choose three universities offering their assigned degree course. For each university, ask students to answer the following questions on the course entry requirements.

What subjects do applicants need to have studied?
University course entry requirements (including different qualifications e.g. A-level, IB, BTec)
Additional entry requirements (e.g. extra exams, interviews)

Points for Discussion

Why is it important to research individual course requirements?
How do multiple universities’ entry requirements differ for the same course? • What are the different types of qualification that UK universities accept?
What preparation might be necessary for extra exams, interviews?

Lesson 7: Planning a Personal Statement

Objectives: To familiarize students with the UCAS personal statement, and to begin the process of encouraging them to write a response.

Exercise A: Busting some myths about entry requirements

Instructions: In small groups, ask students to find out everything they can the UCAS Personal Statement. Ask each group to consider the answer to the following questions.

What do universities look for in a Personal Statement?
Are there any key deadlines/word count limits for the Personal Statement
Why is the Personal Statement such an important component of the UK university application? • What does a successful Personal Statement need to include?

Points for Discussion

Class discussion for this lesson should focus on the following:

What makes a great Personal Statement? Discuss factors UK universities look for such a formative passion for a subject, displaying the necessary skills to excel in their chosen course, extracurricular activities.
Why is it important to be genuine in a Personal Statement?
For further information on Personal Statement writing, check out the following resources: How to write a personal statement
Personal statement FAQs