You should think about:

• The course
• The university
• The town or city
• Employment prospects

English is an extremely popular degree course. There were over 9,000 applicants for English courses in 2002. Fortunately there are lots of courses too and in 2002 92% of those who applied got a place somewhere.

Information from Dr Sean Freeman, lecturer in Physics and Schools Liaison Officer at the University of Manchester.

What different degrees are available?

• BSc – 3 years – suitable for those who plan not to pursue a career not directly related to Physics
• Mphys/Msci – 4 years – provides greater depth and breadth and is suitable for those intending to become professional physicists
• Joint degrees are available – at Manchester, for example, you can study Physics with: Astrophysics; Technological Physics; Theoretical Physics; Computing and IT; Philosophy; Business and Management; Finance; Study in Europe; Mathematics

What courses are available?

There is a huge range. For example,

• Computer Science
• Computer Studies
• Applied Computing
• Computing with specialisms (eg, Communications, AI)
• Information Technology
• Information Systems
• Business Information Technology
• Business Information Systems
• Business Information Management
• Information and Communication Management

What skills and attitudes should I have?

• English language skills: grammatical clarity; reasoning skills; report writing; thesis writing
• Strong quantitative skills
• Foreign languages, in particular Spanish and languages such as Mandarin Chinese
• Strong work ethic
• Team spirit and leadership qualities
• Communication skills
• Overall professionalism: punctuality; the way you talk; the email address you choose to use…
• Creativity, initiative and entrepreneurial spirit

There are 150 universities and colleges offering Art and Design courses. There are over 35,000 applicants each year.

Applicants for studio-based courses must:

• possess a portfolio of creative work
• be prepared to attend an interview

What is an Actuary?

They apply financial, mathematical and statistical theories to solve real business problems. It may be more thought of as Risk Management – assessing the future likelihood of an event happening and the cost of it. Actuaries carry out future projections, using historical data as a base. There are approximately 8,000 qualified actuaries in the UK compared with in excess of 500,000 qualified accountants. The male/female ratio on Actuarial Science degrees is around 80:20; you could see this as an advantage or a disadvantage!

Thinking about a degree in Religious Studies or Theology?

What is Religious Studies?

Religion remains a significant feature in world history and its study involves knowledge of the major traditions, of the issues they raise and of the different methods of analysing them. Religious Studies offers a comparative approach to the study of religion, broadly involving the various ways the human race has expressed its search for meaning.

What is Theology?

Theology means ‘Discussion about God'. It usually has Christianity as its primary focus but will include the study of other religions. It includes options to study sacred texts in depth, religious thought, ethics and the history of religions.