This blog is designed to keep you up-to-date with Careers Education, Information and Guidance (CEIAG) available locally, nationally and through the school. I’ll be posting information about employment and training opportunities available locally as well as details of open days and useful websites. The world of education, employment and training opportunities is changing rapidly so keep checking in for the latest information.

Mr Cross


Tuesday 27 September 2016

Oxford comes out on top

The recently published Times Higher Education World University Rankings, ranked Oxford top, a first for a UK university, knocking the California Institute of Technology (top for the past five years), into second place. The table ranked universities on measures including teaching, research and international outlook, for example, numbers of overseas students and staff.

UK INSTITUTIONS IN TOP 200 (previous ranking)
1. Oxford (2)
4. Cambridge (4)
8. Imperial College (8)
15. University College London (14)
25=. London School of Economics and Political Science (23)
27. Edinburgh (24)
36=. King's College London (27)
55. Manchester (=56)
71. Bristol (69)
82=. Warwick (80)
88. Glasgow (=76)
96=. Durham (70)
109. Sheffield (97)
110=. St Andrews (86)
113=. Queen Mary, University of London (98)
121=. Southampton (=110)
126=. Exeter (93)
129. York (=131)
130. Birmingham (119)
133. Leeds (=133)
137=. Lancaster (130)
147. Nottingham (143)
149. Sussex (140)
158. Liverpool (157)
165=. East Anglia (=149)
172. Leicester (=167)
173=. Royal Holloway, University of London (129)
180=. Dundee (=185)
182=. Cardiff (=182) 188=. Aberdeen (=172)
190=. Newcastle (=196)
192=. Reading (=164)

Personal Statement tips for applying for Medicine

There is no one way to do a Personal Statement but here are things to consider. The information below is taken from the excellent medic portal website.

Reflect.
Reflection comes from thinking about what you’ve done and extrapolating learning points. You should follow a three step process when speaking about work experience to ensure you have reflected properly:

· Where were you and what did you do?
· What specific incident did you see? 
· What did this teach you?


Show that you understand what they are applying to.
Tutors don’t want to see statements that talk excessively about how amazing medicine is. There are times when medicine can’t help. People die, patients can be ungrateful and you might see suffering and not be able to stop it. You need to break bad news and hours are long and will take over evenings and weekends. You need to show that you understand all this, and still believe this is the right path for you! The best students manage to get across the fact that they appreciate the realities of medical school and recognise the challenges ahead.

Clarity in language and structure.
Always remember that your personal statement is one of a pile to an admissions tutor. They are busy and you are doing yourself a favour if you can show achievements clearly and concisely. Use short, sharp sentences, with straightforward language, and follow a logical progression, from motivation, to work experience, to volunteering, extracurricular activities and a neat conclusion. By making your credentials jump off the page, you avoid the risk of them being missed.

Honesty.
Don’t exaggerate the things you have done, especially in a medical context, this will be really obvious to admissions tutors, and don’t fabricate life-changing moments that meant you simply had to be a doctor. This can create a bit of suspicion, so if that is the case for you, make sure it is well backed up.

Tutors want people who are well-rounded human beings.
Medicine is a demanding degree but this does not mean that medical schools want you to give up all other interests. Rather, they want people with an outlet for stress, who are well-rounded with other interests, like sports, hobbies or regular activities. Try and state them in relation to key qualities like teamwork.

Good news for graduate employment

The latest leavers’ survey found that the proportion of graduates in work or further study is at a record high, with more going into professional jobs. Overall, 90% of graduates were in work or further study sixth months after graduation. 71% of those are in work roles which are classed as 'professional employment', a rise of 3 percentage points on the previous year. 

The survey also found that the gender gap in pay was increasing, with men in work having a mean salary of £24k compared to £21k for women, the gender gap in the previous year was £2,000. The highest unemployment rate was in Computer Science, 10%, although this has fallen from 14% in 2011/12. The highest employment rate was Dentistry and Medicine, both of whom had 1% unemployment. This is the penultimate leavers’ survey, as the intent is to use employment information from national data sets in the future, which will be far more accurate. The effect of Brexit on graduate prospects will not be known until next year.  [ source: CES newsletter ]

Most expensive cities for students

A study by the Royal Bank of Scotland has concluded that Edinburgh is the most expensive UK city for students. However, Edinburgh students are still the highest social spenders and spend above the weekly average on alcohol. The survey of 2,500 students took into account a range of factors, including how much students spend on going out, how much time they spend studying, accommodation costs and average term time income. The survey found the majority of a student's income came from student loans, on average £161.14 per week. That figure was four times higher than any other source, including part-time work. After loans, parental support was the largest income source. [ source: CES newsletter ]

List of the top 25 most cost-effective cities for students in the UK:

1 Portsmouth
10 Dundee
19 London
2 Liverpool
11 Manchester
20 Sheffield
3 Newcastle
12 Norwich
21 Plymouth
4 Belfast
13 Leicester
22 Oxford
5 Exeter
14 Brighton
23 Cambridge
6 York
15 Reading
24 Southampton
7 Cardiff
16 Glasgow
25 Edinburgh
8 Nottingham
17 Leeds

9 Birmingham
18 Bristol