Higher Education Conference
This event takes place at the University of Liverpool on 19th &20th June 2008.
Entry to the event is free, but is by programme only.
These are distributed via schools and colleges, but if your school is not attending or you are not at school you can get a programme from your nearest Connexions centre from 1st June 2008 onwards.
(Details of our Connexions Centres on this web-site)
This year over 90% of the attending students surveyed rated the conference useful or very useful.
So if you are in Year 12; on the first year of an advanced programme of study in FE or a mature student thinking of applying to university to start in 2009
We hope you find the Conference useful and enjoyable and these web pages helpful.
If you’ve any comments please use the feedback facility on this site.
We’d love to hear from you.
2008 Programme Information
Doors open at 9.30. The Conference closes at 14.00. There is no closure for lunch.
The Conference is aimed at anyone in Year-12 or the equivalent who is thinking of applying to higher education in 2009. It offers you the chance to speak to representatives from over 100 Universities from all over the UK as well as organisations offering Gap year opportunities and some companies who employ graduates.
In addition there are over 40 seminar talks on studying a host of subjects at university as well as general talks on student finance and student life. For a full list of the timetable of talks click here.
The Conference is organised by Greater Merseyside Connexions Partnership Ltd. and Cheshire and Warrington Connexions. It is sponsored by UCAS and supported by HELOA.
The Conference is intended to be part of your research to help you chose the most appropriate course and institution in higher education for YOU.
To make sure you make the most of the Conference please make sure you carefully read the programme before you attend.
Please pay particular attention to the Health and Safety information in the Programme. Some of which is reproduced here:
To ensure you are safe we are:-
· Making entry to the marketplace part of the Conference (where all the stands are) production of this programme. You must attend on the date your school/college has agreed.
· Asking you to follow the one-way system that will be operating in the Mountford Hall. Entry will be through the Courtyard area of the hall (see the floor-plan).
University of Liverpool Precinct Plan
· Restricting entry to the hall if it becomes too crowded. If it does you may be asked to wait in the corridor for a few minutes until the crowd disperses. Please be patient. Note that the Marketplace tends to be busier at around 9.30am. It is usually much quieter towards lunchtime. So, if you wish to talk to delegates from universities at any length, you may get a better chance later in the day.
· Requesting you NOT to bring rucksacks to the event. There will be a plentiful supply of carrier bags available for you to carry away prospectuses.
· Asking you be choosy in the prospectuses you take. Remember prospectuses can get heavy and are you really interested in that institution? Please do not just grab a prospectus; speak to the representative if you are interested in going there. If you do collect a prospectus you then decide you don’t really want, please don’t litter. Any unwanted prospectuses can be left at the ‘recycling point’ outside the exit doors.
· Asking you to pay careful attention to any announcements on the public address (PA) system.
The Conference is a non smoking event.
Car parking for visitors at the university is not free and is very limited. Please use public transport or the transport provided by your school/college to attend the Conference.
Some suggestions about how to make the most of the Conference follow:
How to get the Best out of the Conference
Your educational institution gives you the day off to attend the Conference as they know it can help you to research your choice of courses and institutions in higher education. Attending university costs money and making the right choice of course and institution is more important than ever. Making the wrong choice can be very costly. Use the Conference as a part of your planning to make sure you make the right choice for you.
Before the Day
Ø Study the booklet carefully and draw up a timetable for yourself for the day. Be familiar with where the lecture buildings. See the campus map in the programme.
Ø If your school or college is not providing transport, you must make your own travel arrangements.
See www.merseytravel.gov.uk for details of buses, trains and ferries.
Ø Choose two subject talks and carefully check the times and venues. You should have a third choice in case a talk is full or cancelled.
Ø Allow plenty of time in the ‘Market Place’. Try to plan which university stands you want to go to. Where are you thinking of studying?
(NB. there is a one-way system in operation - see the floor-plan in the programme).
Ø Think of what you want to ask the people on the stands – some example questions follow
On the Day
Ø Take your Higher Education Conference Programme with you
Ø Think about which institutions you are interested in and collect the prospectuses (be aware that they are heavy). Consider how far away from home you are willing to go to a higher education institution.
Ø Attend subject talks (at least two) and make notes of advice and information given.
Ø Speak to tutors who are staffing the stands in the Market Place, refer to the Floor Plan. Find out when Open Days are taking place at the universities in which you are particularly interested.
Ø Don’t wander around aimlessly, gathering prospectuses as you go. Don’t forget those prospectuses get heavy. Be selective – only take ones for universities you are interested in.
Ø If you do end up with unwanted prospectuses please don’t litter. We have an unwanted Prospectus collection point near the exit.
Ø Please allow adequate time to enable you to get to your talks and buildings in plenty of time
(you will be walking quite some distance in certain cases – see the map!!!).
These are some of the questions that you might ask speakers and representatives from the various institutions that are represented in:
1. Where is it? · How far away from home is the university or college?
· Is it on a single site or split onto different sites?
· Where is it in relation to the centre of the nearest town or city?
· Does the institution have courses franchised to further education colleges, and how far are they away from the main university?
2. What is it like to study there?
· How many students are there and what is the proportion of mature and younger students?
· Is it a university or college with very few students around at weekends?
· Is the university or college expanding?
· What are the teaching and library facilities like? (Some universities and colleges suffer major overcrowding problems.)
· What sports facilities do they have and what other clubs or societies are there?
3. What does it cost to study there?
· What does the accommodation cost?
· What course fees will they be charging?
· What opportunities exist for part-time work?
· Are there any sponsorships or bursaries available?
4. What is the Accommodation like?
· What proportion of first-year students are living in university or college-owned residences?
5. How does it differ from other institutions?
· How is the university or college different from other institutions offering similar courses?
6. What Happens to Graduates?
· Does the speaker have any recent figures about the destinations of graduates from this subject?
· What proportion of graduates go into employment, and especially into ‘professional’-level jobs?
· How many go into further (postgraduate) study?
After the Day
Ø It is recommended that you speak to your Teachers or Tutors in the subject (or related area) of your higher education choice.
Ø You will begin to work on a Personal Statement with your Group Tutor.
Ø You should do individual research into suitable courses and institutions by using the resources in the school library and/or relevant web-sites.
Ø You may sign up for an interview with your Connexions Personal Adviser through your school.
Ø You should send for your own individual copies of prospectuses if you did not collect them at the Conference.
Ø You should find out when the Open Days are for the institutions you are interested in.
N.B. All Connexions centres in Greater Merseyside and Cheshire & Warrington are happy for you to use their computers to look up information on higher education on the Web.
This service is free. (Details of the Greater Merseyside Connexions Centres on this web-site)
Or for details of your nearest Connexions centre please call free on 080 800 13 2 19.
