#2 Choices at the end of Year 12

So, all of your AS exams are done - its time to celebrate and put your feet up! - for about a week. Then you need to get into gear for choosing your uni or college (or neither, but if so, why are you reading a blog about going from Sixth Form to University?!)
So, when you pick your uni, before you order any prospectuses, there are a few questions you need to ask yourself. This is the order I asked them in, but it will vary from person to person:

1. How far away from home do I want to be? Do you want to be close by so you can pop home every weekend? If so, don't even bother looking at anywhere more than and hour and a half's train journey away just in case you fall in love with it but then don't want to go because its too far away (also check the open uni! They have so many courses on offer, you can go at your own pace and you can have a regular job at the same time!). Do you want to get as far away as possible? How far? Abroad (also take into account that almost every uni has a year abroad option for your 2nd year) or just in the same country. Or do you really not care where your uni is at all (like me).
2. What course do you want to do? For me I always knew; Geography. Obviously some people have no clue - In this case I would write a list of things you are interested in that you have or haven't studied before - if there are lots consider a joint degree - and type these into the UCAS course finder http://search.ucas.com/ . Also make sure you are looking for the right kind of course. If you have no prior degree you look for Undergraduate! Remember if there are two different courses you like, you might be able to do them as a joint course!
3. Just how easily can I get home from the different unis? Very important. Who wants to lug a suitcase across 3 rail changes when you go back for Christmas! Check out http://www.thetrainline.com/?href=ppcg_trainline&WT.srch=1&WT.mc_ev=click&gclid=COT16JLE6bcCFVMetAode0sAmQ for how many changes you might face! Remember, some unis even have their own train station! Also, if you drive and will take a car to uni, even if not until year 2 or 3, see how easy it is to drive there!
4. What are the entry requirements? Check this before you look at a course. If you are predicted BBC you don't want to fall in love with a course wanting AAB (believe me, I've been there). Look at a good range of universities within realistic reach and a few above what you expect to get, and a few below just to safety net yourself - or you'll end up like me on AS results day, realising I had only really looked at universities which wanted A-- when I wasn't at all likely to get an A in anything.

And when you've answered those, here are some more questions, to help you sift through the prospectuses! 

• Is the course accredited? Many courses are officially accredited by national organisations, making them look much better qualifications, and may mean you can get a shortcut to becoming a member of these national institutes or societies. e.g. Psychology or Geology. If there is a society in your field you already know about, their website may list accredited degrees.
• How long do I want to be there for?  A standard Bachelors degree is 3 years and a Masters is 4. for some qualifications (namely medicine, among others) some courses may be up to 5 years long - full time! There's also the opportunity to study part time if you want to!
• What modules are covered in the course? Is there one area you are interested in? For example one of my friends hoping to study English realised that one of her top universities only studied work from the Renaissance and after, whereas she was also interested in middle English, Chaucer and Beowulf! 
• What facilities are there? If you're an avid sportsperson, you don't want to end up somewhere with no gym/pool/pitch/stables!

Some Dos and Donn'ts:

• Don't discard somewhere just because you've heard something bad about the area. For example, I'm hoping to go to the University of Hull, and everyone seems to think the university is going to be horrible and I'm going to get burgled and raped just because there's a rough bit of town! Everywhere has a rough area, and campuses and student accommodation most likely have regular, if not 24/7 security!
• Do look at places just because your friends are! Don't choose them as a Firm choice just because your friends are, but its worth checking out places you might have missed!
• Do go to your local university fair! Even if you already think you've made up your mind, get more prospectuses! And there are ALWAYS free pens!
• Do try to narrow your universities down to about 6 or 7 before you book open days. Remember you have 5 choices on UCAS, so give yourself some leeway in case you just don't get the right feeling at the place which has the best course. You will get a feel when you visit the right place for you - you will know it!

For now, that it all I can think of. Happy Prospectus ordering and I hope I've helped :)