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Getting a feel for the place…

Looking at universities and different courses can be so overwhelming as there literally is just so much choice out there! While looking at UCAS, and University League tables and reviews can all be extremely helpful, it’s open days which really help you to make a decision about whether a particular university is the place for you!
If you’re reading this post then you’re ahead of the game and in a really good place to explore all your options. I found that going to open days really helped me make my decision about which university was the right fit and you’ll be amazed of how much of a feel you get for different places just by looking around.
My first big decision was between city and campus, and from visiting Edge Hill, I knew almost instantly that campus was for me. I found the atmosphere to be really homely, welcoming and everyone was so friendly. Not only that but it really is a beautiful campus, just watch this video and you’ll see what I mean!
Our Beautiful Campus

Not only are open days a good chance to see how settled you feel walking round the campus, it’s also a really good opportunity to visit your department and talk to lecturers and current students, to better understand whether the course is the right fit for you and what other students honestly think! I did this and I literally talked the ear of who is now my lecturer and asked him a million and one questions about the course and it really made me feel 100% sure that this was the right course for me!

I also found that talking to the current students helped me feel really welcomed and at home in Edge Hill too, and they gave me their honest opinions and how their experience had been so far, which was really insightful and helped me make my decision.

Our next open day is on Saturday 14th November, and I would highly recommend coming  if you’re thinking about studying one of the many courses we have to offer. Not only is it a really lovely insightful day, but the cakes are absolutely amazing too! Hope to see you there!

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Applicant Visit Day?

Hey guys!

Attending an applicant visit day?

I wish I had the option to attend one when I was trying to pick my University. I mean, yeah I went to all the open days (three times for EHU to make sure I wanted to come here), but I didn’t experience a day around campus.

Recently I helped out on one of the social science applicant visit days and it was fantastic. Edge Hill went above and beyond to accommodate any needs for students arriving. Student helpers assisted in guiding students around the campus along with providing campus tours. In the social science department (where I helped out), a taster lecture was presented by Kirsty- a member of the social science team. The session lasted an hour and a half, of which the students asked questions and interacted with the talk perfectly. The students got to meet the head of the department who held a talk in one of the lecture halls and activities where arranged in the HUB for students entertainment. EHU’s catering staff provided a spread of delicious food and treats for everyone, which everyone seemed to appreciate.

These days allow you to ask any questions about your course, accommodation and University experience that you haven’t already received an answer to. Staff are happy to discuss topics, along with anything you want to know about the University. Student helpers are also willing to provide an honest answer to their experience of EHU.

We hope you’ll give our applicant visitor days a chance, because we know you’ll enjoy it!

Until next time…:)

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Having Doubts…

Something that sticks in my mind about the university application process is all the doubts that were constantly running through my mind. I was worrying about everything; ranging from whether or not I was ready to move out to whether I would make any friends. A lot of those doubts played on my mind right up until I moved into halls and started uni, which I think is absolutely fine because going to uni is a massive step and can be kind of daunting. However, on the day I started at Edge Hill there were two things that I definitely didn’t have doubts about: whether or not I’d chosen the right university and whether or not I’d like my course. I was absolutely positive I would love Edge Hill and its English Literature programme, and I would say that is mostly down to the fact that I attended both an open day and an applicant visit day.

Visiting universities is a really important part of the application process because it helps you to get a feel for the place that you’re going to be spending the next three or so years of your life. There are some universities that I visited that I thought looked perfect down on paper but when I went to visit they just didn’t feel right. When I first visited Edge Hill for an open day I immediately took a liking to it,  but I had a few doubts because there was another university I liked too and Edge Hill was just so far away from home. So when I received an invitation to attend an applicant visit day I leapt at the chance to go back and make a final decision. Applicant visit days allow you to visit the campus, and also have a taster session of your course. This is definitely extremely useful if you’re not 100% sure about your choice of subject. For me, this only made me more excited to get started on my degree. And by the end of the day, I couldn’t have been more positive that Edge Hill was the place I belonged.

I’ve written two other blogs about my experiences at my applicant visit day: one that describes my day in general, and another that focuses specifically on the English Literature taster session.

If you have any doubts at all about your chosen university or course I cannot recommend attending an applicant visit day enough. It really helped me to make a final decision and I definitely don’t have any regrets.

Good luck!

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Media Applicant Visit Days

Applicant Visit days are another term along with UCAS and Student Finance that you’ll come into contact with pretty quickly along the University application process! Applicant Visit days, are basically open days run by the university of your choice which are specifically tailored for the course you have chosen. This gives you a chance to have another good look around the University, check out the accommodation and all the facilities, as well as having a look around your department, and having a chat with your future lecturers.
Here at Edge Hill, we’ve just had two of our applicant visit days, which I have worked on, so for those of you that are thinking about going to one or were wondering what they’re about, heres the low down…
When you apply to a specific university course, you will be given the opportunity to book onto one of our applicant visit days. The first half of the day usually consists of having a good look around our campus, either showing around friends and family or just having a more in-depth look for yourself! We really do have a beautiful campus so I’d definitely suggest having a good explore round! You’ll then have the opportunity to have a look around our different accommodation options or get all your questions answered by our different departments including the inclusion team and student finance.
The second half of the day is a bit more tailored to your specific course, it usually starts with a talk given by the head of your department. You’ll then go off for a workshop for your specific course! This gives you an opportunity to meet fellow students that might be on your course and give you a chance to meet and chat with your lecturers!
In the Advertising workshop we had a chat with our lecturer, who talked us thorough the course and gave us a chance to ask all the questions we’d been wondering, and we were then given a little mini task, which was to advertise Old British Apples! This was really fun as you can experience what a real class is like and get to know everyone in the room!
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I would definitely recommend going along to applicant visit days, they are great fun and really eye opening, and they give you a real insight into what it would be like to study at University!!

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Applicant Visit Day!

It was around this time that I booked my place to come to an Applicant Visit Day here at Edge Hill. Even though that was nearly 3 years ago I still remember coming here with my mum for the very first time!

Once we arrived and got directed to the main car park, we were shown to the place we needed to sign in. The first ever memory I had, was coming off the car park to go through to the campus with great big green banners that said, “Welcome to Edge Hill”. So cute!

Anyway, the day consisted of two things. Firstly, having a meet and great taster session of what our potential course would be like. And secondly, having a tour of the campus – in particular campus accommodation. There was various breaks in between where you could socialise and mix with other visitors to get their view on the uni.

All the staff and student guides were so friendly, they answer all your questions and were all over the place, so if you ever took the wrong turn they were there to direct you back!

I would 100% recommend attending an Applicant Visit Day, regardless of what uni you apply too, because that’s how you get “the feel for it”. I knew on the Applicant Visit Day that this would become my second home… and it has! 🙂

 

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Christmas is coming but so are deadlines!

IMG_0077 copySo it seems to be that everyone is slowing down on the run up for Christmas, getting all their shopping done and going out for staff parties, but not me! This is one of my busiest times of the year! Being a student studying a coursework heavy degree, Christmas time is all about getting a million and one assignments in and making sure they are all to the very best they can be. I really shouldn’t complain though I do literally get a whole month of in January – bonus! But not only is it a busy time for me, I’m guessing it is for you too and trying to decide what uni is best for you in order to get that UCAS (is the word driving you crazy yet) in on time. So here are my top tips on how to decided which uni is right for you!

  1. The Course- If you love the uni and don’t like the course, probability is you’ll get really bored and want to drop out after a matter of weeks. Picking the right thing for you is so important because you have to put up with it for 3 years! And doing something you love just makes everything so much easier.
  2. Extra – What do all the universities offer you that others couldn’t? Will they offer you opportunities to enhance your CV and make you more employable?
  3. Area – Think about whether you want a campus uni or city, weigh up the pros and cons. For me this was so easy, I wanted a campus university, but not too far away from a major city, for shopping and nights out.
  4. Societies and Facilities- Does it have everything you want and give you opportunities to try something new? Check out everything that’s going on at the uni and make sure there’s stuff you’ll want to get involved in.
  5. Can you honestly see your self there? – That sounds like a bit of an odd one, but when I came to visit Edge Hill I instantly felt at home, and I could just see myself settling in straight away, go with your gut instinct, usually they never fail you!

I really hope this helps some of you guys and helps make the whole issue of picking uni’s that little bit less stressful!

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Let’s not get ahead of ourselves now Jen…

IMG_0310It’s just occurred to me that I didn’t introduce myself properly in my first blog entry… and I don’t know how to feel about that (cry).12

Well, my name is Jennifer McAlister- but I’ll let you call me Jenny. I was originally born in Scotland, however due to my mum’s job I have moved around various parts of England. Where is my home? Widnes! It’s one of those places that if you’re not from there, you don’t wanna go, but nevertheless it’s still home.

This is the part where I usually drag on about what hobbies and interests I have, but I promise to make it as brief as I can. I LOVE MUFC.♥ Actually, it’s more than love if I’m being honest. I eat, breathe and sleep football. From as far back as I can rememIMG_3250ber I’ve been football mad and completely United mad… but let’s move on. I love music, TV shows (Sorry but Grey’s Anatomy just isn’t the same without Christina… FACT: I can quote every episode of friends, go me) and socialising with my friends.

Why did I pick Edge Hill University? For me it was an obvious choice. EHU provided me with the course and facilities I needed. The staff on open days went above and beyond to make me feel welcome. The campus pretty much sells itself and even on dark and gloomy days, it still feels like home. I am currently in my second year undertaking a degree in Sociology (BA Hons) and I love it. I’m still undecided what profession I want to go into after Uni, but I’m staying optimistic that between now and graduating I will have a life plan. I know I want to go into the public sphere and help people, but into which area? Who knows. After uni I want to take a gap year, volunteering in Africa for 6 months and then travelling for two months around Europe or the USA. So, the way I look at it, I’ve got ages to find who I wanna be. Too deep?

Anyway, that’s me in a nutshell. I’m going to post weekly blogs, filling you in on what Edge Hill University is like. Feel free to comment on any of my posts and I will respond as fast as I can!

Until next time…:)

 

 

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Fresher year in a nutshell!

Year one of being a fresher can be a mix of emotions. On one hand you’re excited to move away; to make new friends, memories and to have your first real taste of freedom. However, on the other hand you face budgeting disasters, a level of stress to produce good work for your course and waves of feeling homesick… but despite these small setbacks I personally wouldn’t change my fresher’s year for anything.

During my first year I commuted from student accommodation based in Liverpool. I went from my mum’s fabulous cooking to ready meals and cheap vodka. From her washing all my clothes, to learning how to use the washing machine myself. From watching my mum fix all my problems, to having to sort them out for myself. I never thought in a million years that I would be able to look after myself. But thanks to uni life, I found my inner independence and learned more in my first year than my previous 18.

When it comes to being a fresher, I can’t speak highly enough of the support provided by the University. From form tutors all the way to student services, Edge Hill University puts every student first and solely concentrates on their well-being. The student union puts on amazing events throughout the year to make 1st -3rd year as memorable as possible. Societies, whether social, sports or alternative clubs, encourage freshers to get involved within the other areas of uni.

So, whether you’re moving out or commuting from home, freshers’ year will be unforgettable. Everyone is in the same boat as you; nervous, scared, excited. Just take a deep breath and enjoy every moment.

 

Until next time…:)

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