UCL student Joseph Hurley shares their advice making your undergraduate firm and insurance on UCAS.

Hey, welcome to the world of university applications! I’m Joe, and if you’re like me, then you’re probably in that awkward stage of choosing between uni offers.

You may have already started to think about what factors to consider when making choices for your firm and insurance university. As someone who has applied to universities via UCAS in the 2021-2022 cycle, I can say that choosing both your firm and insurance on UCAS is a difficult decision- so this blog will hopefully give you advice about the things I considered to choose my first and second-choice universities.

Unlike myself, since the pandemic has (more or less) blown over, visiting universities during open days has become possible for prospective students, and is easily one of the best ways to choose between offers. This can give you a sense of the vibe at a university or the city it’s located in, as well as giving you the opportunity to meet current students/staff. Whether you’re interested in learning more about your course content or concerned about accommodation, an open day will be able to iron out any doubts a prospective student may have. Even when I “went” to virtual open days for my chosen unis last year, I found it really helpful to learn about things like the style of teaching and the specific pros of going to one university over another.

The other most important factor to consider is the difference between the grade requirements of your firm and insurance university. I think this varies a lot depending on how confident you feel about the predicted grades you submitted in your application in comparison to the strictness of the offer you receive. As a general rule of thumb, I’d make sure that whichever university you choose as your insurance, you choose one that has requirements that are just one or two grades lower than your firm university’s requirements- unless you prefer a university with lower requirements. This should give you enough room for error on results day (in the unlikely case that exams don’t go as planned) if you miss the requirements for your firm offer.

I applied to universities including UCL, Exeter, Bath and Surrey to study Philosophy and Spanish during my A-Levels. I firmed UCL after visiting it in person because the busy atmosphere on campus and the architecture appealed a lot to me, then I chose Exeter as my insurance because its requirements were slightly lower (I needed grades AAA for UCL and AAB for Exeter). This isn’t to say I didn’t like Exeter though, it also appealed to me a lot as a social and student-friendly city where plenty of students were out enjoying the nightlife.

I hope this helps reduce any stress about choosing between universities! If you’re still in doubt, you can always ask your friends/family/teachers as well as doing your own research.

Best of luck!

UCL student Hasret Altun shares their top 10 study spots in London.

1. UCL Student Centre
The Student Centre has many floors which are great for different things! You can social study on most floors, and there are quiet study rooms that you can pre-book. Most of these rooms offer PC Desks or Study Pods. There are plenty of plugs and great wifi. This spot is open 24/7, so you can study whenever! Conveniently, the basement floor of this building has prayer and meditation facilities. There is also a cafeteria on level 3 with an awesome variety of food, a water refill station, and a microwave!

2. UCL Main Library
The UCL library is great if you want to study quietly with a spacious desk, plugs, and free wifi. The library is sectioned based on departments, which is inspirational. You can pre-book seats or find an empty seat which is usually available.

3. The British Library
This location offers free wifi and plugs. However, it can be difficult to find space, so going early is ideal. Nevertheless, if you register on the ground floor you can access the reading rooms which are emptier and for quiet studying. This also means that you can borrow items!

4. Your Local Library
This is a great option if you don’t want to travel far and want to support your community. Most public libraries offer free wifi and are perfect for quiet studying. You can check your local library on GOV.UK.

5. Dillons Coffee, Waterstones
If you prefer to be somewhere other than a library this cafe is great! There is plenty of seating, plugs, and discounted refreshments (with a Waterstones student card).

6. Paper and cup
This is a not-for-profit Cafe and bookstore, with inexpensive books and menu items. This low-key cafe tends to be quiet and has plenty of seating, so it is great for both social and quieter studying. The wifi is free and speedy!

7. Costa Coffee St Pancras
This spot is great if you like to study early morning or late at night. It is open 24 hours a day and has free wifi, plugs, and a satisfying menu. I would recommend this spot for group studying, but if you are going super early or late it is suitable for quieter studying!

8. Hyde Park
It can be calming to study in nature during the summer! Hyde Park is great for both social studying and quieter studying as it is usually not loud in certain areas. Nevertheless, there is no wifi, charging facilities, or seating. So be prepared!

9. Starbucks
Starbucks can be easily found anywhere, so it is a great option if you are on the go. Most Starbucks offer free wifi and have charging facilities. This spot is great for group projects and group studying in general.

10. The Terrace Knightsbridge
This floral cafe has many seating options. The soft lighting is great while studying and there is an amazing menu. However, this spot does not offer free wifi and can be loud, so it is an option for social studying

UCL student Gabija Barkute shares their top 5 tips to help prepare for a university interview.

University interviews can be very daunting, but a little bit of preparation goes a very long way; if not to improve the scope of your answers, to make you feel more confident and at ease about the process. How, then, do you best prepare for a university interview? No need to panic!

Here my 5 top tips to help guide you in the preparation process:

1. Don’t try to learn anything and everything: be strategic. Admissions tutors do not expect you to be an expert already; there would be little point in you applying for the course if this were the case! That said, you would not be making a great first impression if you had no recollection of a particular book you mentioned in your Personal Statement. For that reason, it would make sense to dedicate more time to researching the topics mentioned in your Personal Statement and less time to scoping out other important aspects of your subject (say, for a languages degree, getting a very general picture of Spanish Literature and its main movements/authors).
2. Spend time reviewing your Personal Statement again and underline everything that could lend to further questions, allowing you to anticipate possible questions and think about how you would approach answering them. It is worth asking somebody without any subject knowledge to do this as well, as their questions are likely to differ from yours!
3. Dedicate time to practising thinking critically. Critical thinking is at the heart of many humanities degrees, so admissions tutors often look out for students who can go beyond merely regurgitating information. When completing further reading, take the time to reflect on the arguments posed by the writer. Do you agree with all the ideas, or are there any gaps? Do these ideas contradict those of other writers?
4. Stay up-to-date with your subject in the news. Many university lecturers also undertake academic research alongside teaching, and their research helps to shape the course that a specific university offers. In this way, keeping up with your subject in the news will give you insight into the main issues and debates in your field and how current events affect these.
5. Try your best to stay calm. The fact you have gotten to the interview stage demonstrates that you are a strong candidate for the course. Remaining calm, confident, and collected will allow you to give more coherent responses and think about what is actually being asked.

I hope that you have found these tips useful; we all wish you the best of luck!