Applying for University

Applying for university is easier said than done, and if your college was anything like mine you’re pretty much left to figure the damn thing out all by yourself. Applying for University was a stressful time for me because it was time for me to make big decisions about what i wanted in life and what I wanted for my future. This is a decision that has to be made by you because you’re the one that’s going to have to live with it. Thankfully for me my choice was simple I knew what I wanted right from the start and I knew that my eventual goal was to be a midwife. My advice would be to plan and look around, explore all your options and do your homework because the more you do at the start the less stressful and huge the decision is in the end. To apply for university you need to make yourself very familiar with the website http://www.ucas.co.uk/. This is the site you will use to look up courses in different areas it will help you to research grades, look at maps of universities read about each university and search by course and prospectus. Applying through UCAS is at times confusing but not impossible and with guidance from tutors it can be achieved. I owe many thanks to my tutor who helped me to figure the mass of questions that need to be answered.  

In order to apply through UCAS you need to register with UCAS and fill out the relevant information on the left hand side. When there is a tick next to each of these boxes you are then ready to submit your choices of universities and pay for your application. To apply for one university you have to pay around £11 but if you wish to apply for all five university choices (which I strongly recommend you do) it cost around £25, before you do this check everything and make sure that you are confident that the choices you have made are realistic for you and that they are definitely what you want. Be realistic when applying look at grades if you know you’re not going to be able to get them then doesn’t apply because it is a waste of your money. Also look at how the university teaches the course although all midwifery courses are now taught 50:50 which is 50% theory and 50% work based practice, this is set by the NMC (National Midwifery Council) as a minimum of practice. Another thing to take into consideration is do you still want to live at home or is the student life calling you. If so look at how far afield you want to move. For me I wanted the student experience and decided that a university an hour away from my family was enough to give me freedom to start my new life but also offered the support of family and friends if I needed them.  Make sure that you have enough time to make important decisions and keep track of important dates on the UCAS calendar so that you don’t miss deadlines. If you follow the UCAS guidance carefully, most of the application process is straight-forward here is a website that can help with filling in information: http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/universities/applying-to-university/filling-in-your-application/

Out of the application through UCAS the most important part is your personal statement. This is the small part of the applications that the universities look at most; it highlights who you are as a person and is not something that should be thought about the night before the deadline. Again spend time and efforts perfecting your personal statement, look at things that will help it stand out such as quotes or quirky yet professional lines that help to make your statement look different from all the others.  It’s important to include everything that is important to you and I will definitely make sure that I do a whole blog just on writing a personal statement because it can be the make or break decision as to whether you get the interview that you so desperately need. So my advice would be start looking at universities now... the more you know the easier it is to make your choice, don’t rush any decisions and make sure that each choice is thought out. I used a table with pro’s and con’s for each university and choose which ones stood out to me as the right choice for my needs. Good Luck :)

My First Ever Blog

First things First,This is me and I'm Amy and I will officially be a student midwife in 56 days time, yes I know that I am not yet a student midwife but The journey is more Important than Arriving or so they say anyway.  I believe it’s all important, I also like to think that the blog can help people aspiring to be a midwife to understand what to expect, look forward to and work towards. I will try to share every aspect possible involved with midwifery whether it’s what student finance to struggle through, applying for bursaries, looking at accommodation, books to use on the course and everything related around midwifery and student life.  
Firstly to let everyone in on what makes me tick and a bit about me. I'm 18 and finished college this year, I studied Health and social care at a level three level and succeeded in reaching my Grades. I needed these where MMM which is around 200 UCAS points. This can differ depending on where you choose to study; some may be higher than others. The highest I applied for was a DMM (Distinction, Merit, and Merit) at Teesside University.  The other four where all MMM which is most common but can dependent  on where you apply for university. You will also be asked to prove math’s and English skills some ask you to do a short test on your math’s and English when you go for your interview, although not all universities ask for that. You MUST have 5 GCSE’s at C or above in English, maths and science to qualify for an interview you will also need a personal statement that makes YOU stand out as an individual. Highlight your good qualities and show this with examples. Remember there are hundreds of other people exactly like you who want it just as much and you have to show that you will go the extra mile to get there. I have a few hobbies that help me to relax and fill the spare moments in my day, photography and pole dancing although quite unusual I still find it fun and a new exciting way to spend my time. I am also working fulltime before I go off to university to pay for some of my accommodation fees. I’ve had experience in the care industry whether it’s through work experience or work. I care for an elderly woman during the evening and work as a waitress and cleaner during the day. I feel that working with people helps me to make myself into a better person but also helps me to make other people to feel better about themselves. Well thats all for now but lots more coming soon very soon xx :)