UCAS, Careers, Apprenticeships And Gap Years
Having completed their end of year exams, the Lower Sixth are now starting to think about next year as they enjoy some sunshine in their free time. There is a lot of information coming through to the Lower Sixth about Universities, Apprenticeships and future careers so please do not hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any questions at all.
UCAS and Careers
This can be an overwhelming and confusing time for Sixth Form students (and their parents) when faced with the huge choice of university courses and apprenticeships available. The Careers and Sixth Form teams are available to help and advise students on all aspects of these decisions but we are also here for parents too. Below is some information that may help but please do get in touch if you any specific queries that are not answered.
Feel free to contact our Head of Careers at jacquiquinney@princethorpe.co.uk.
University applications
All applications to university are made through UCAS.com which produces a very comprehensive Parents Guide.
Students will receive comprehensive guidance this half term on all aspects of the UCAS application.
Deadlines
Applications to Oxford, Cambridge, Medicine, Dentistry or Vetinary Science/Medicine need to be checked and approved by the school so the application should be submitted by the student on or before Monday 9 October 2023 in time for the deadline on 16 October 2023.
All other applications are encouraged to be completed by the end of November to ensure that the process doesn’t interfere with exam preparation.
Predicted grades
Predicted grades are a very important part of the application and play a significant role in a university’s decision whether to make a student an offer. We take a very positive view of the student’s likely performance when deciding predicted grades and, at the same time, try to ensure that these are a realistic prediction of the student’s attainment at the end of the course.
Predicted grades will be available for students to view via Unifrog the week beginning 26 June 2023 and will be based on a combination of the May exams, classwork and teacher judgment. There is a further opportunity for students to sit assessments in September with the final predicted grades being issued on 15 September 2023. We suggest that any enquiries regarding predicted grades should be made to me directly at bencollie@princethorpe.co.uk, rather than the subject teachers.
Apprenticeships
Students interested in applying for apprenticeships can find lots of information both on Unifrog and also UCAS.com. Applications are made directly to the employer and many larger schemes open for applications from November onwards. However, many smaller employers will continue to recruit throughout the year. Due to the competitive nature of many degree apprenticeship schemes, students may want to consider applying to university too, as a back-up.
Gap Years
Many students decide to take a gap year, either to gain new experiences or simply to gather their thoughts before deciding on their next step. Whilst many will apply to university whilst still at school and simply defer the place, many others might want to apply during their gap year or, indeed, might decide to reapply after a change of mind! We are more than happy to support these students and they just need to get in touch after the summer exam results are released, to organise support.
Jacqui Quinney
Head of Careers
