Destination Education
00:09:03 · Barbara Lestak
[00:09:03] S1: Yeah, so good question. So there's a number of different factors. So obviously there are the renowned universities here in The UK, Top Class, so Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, I'd say LSE and any of the G5 Russell Groups. So students will always sometimes pick based literally on its legendary status, if you will. Prestige. Yeah, on its prestige, which is absolutely fine. That's no problem at all. But the first thing that I would do with students who are taking that pathway and those first steps into deciding is sitting down with them and saying, okay, you've obviously picked your GCSE subjects, you've picked your A level or A level equivalent subjects. What is it that you've picked? Because you've obviously picked them for a reason, you must enjoy them. What do you enjoy out of them? And getting that conversation going and seeing where there's a spark, or there's always a spark in one or two subjects. And then saying, okay, well, what TV programs do you watch that are not Star Trek, for example. And what reading have you done? Are you subscribed to any journals? You know, things like that. And trying to kind of understand where's that spark. And some students will naturally have it because they've developed that, you know, into sort of a hobby, into their own love. And then it's taking a look at, okay, going, okay, well, how does that fit into a degree, an undergraduate degree? And then looking at those undergraduate degree options. Now, the other important element is you can look at the prestige of a university as a whole, but actually what you need to do is also look at the ranking of the department that you want to apply to. Because the ranking of the university is done as one university, but that might be because three or five of their departments are absolutely top class, but the department that you want go to might not be number one at that university. So take a look at the ranking of departments.
00:11:07 · Ruth Benny
[00:11:07] S0: Let's take a quick break to talk about something that can make all the difference for your child's educational journey. I'm thrilled to share that this episode is sponsored by Top Schools, your trusted partner in navigating the complex world of school applications. If you're aiming for a top independent school in The UK, Top Schools offers personalised consulting to ensure your child finds the very best fit with a guaranteed outcome. From identifying those best fit schools to crafting stand out applications to invigilating the entrance exams, the expert team is with you every step of the way. Ready to take control of your child's future? Visit topschoolsadmissions.com or click the link in the show notes to learn more and book a consultation today. Use the code DESTINATION for 20% off. That code is DESTINATION for 20% off personalised support for entry into a top independent boarding school in The UK. Now back to our conversation. Where do we look at the rankings? So, I mean, I guess there's a lot of different sources, but how do we choose our credible source?
00:12:11 · Barbara Lestak, Ruth Benny
[00:12:11] S1: Yeah, yeah, really good question. So I always recommend, and I'm not affiliated to them in any way, I always recommend Times Higher Education. Why do I do that? Because yes, they are linked to the Times as in the newspaper, but actually they are an entirely independent source and they I think actually provide the most rounded amount of information. So they do look at the student happiness level, the individual departments and what they're doing, what their research funding looks like, what the universities are doing for postgrad and undergrad. And I think that's kind of one of the best places to go to. A lot of the newspapers, so Guardian for example will also do one. [00:12:58] S0: Right. And do they break it? Does the Times Higher Education, do they break it down by course within university? Is each course ranked within the university which is ranked as a whole like you mentioned?
00:12:58 · Ruth Benny, Barbara Lestak
[00:12:58] S0: Right. And do they break it? Does the Times Higher Education, do they break it down by course within university? Is each course ranked within the university which is ranked as a whole like you mentioned? [00:13:09] S1: Yes, think they do from my memory. I know it changes each time a little bit every year. But last time I looked, you know, I can have a good look at the department. I can have a good look at student testimonials from all their different subject areas and you know I can have a look at key changes or elements that they've done. They won't go sort of into the very nitty gritty of for example who's teaching there and what are they teaching and what's their level of teaching because they're not an offstead body, they can look at all of the other components. So for definite, I would go there first and take a look. The other element as well, which I know a lot of schools and students use is UniFrog. So UniFrog [00:13:53] S0: is a [00:13:54] S1: great source. It's a fantastic platform. And also I think you get to speak to students there as well. So you can quiz them. There's lots of kind of different like components that you can utilise. So if your school has a UniFrog account, I'd certainly use that as well.
00:13:54 · Barbara Lestak, Ruth Benny
[00:13:54] S1: great source. It's a fantastic platform. And also I think you get to speak to students there as well. So you can quiz them. There's lots of kind of different like components that you can utilise. So if your school has a UniFrog account, I'd certainly use that as well. [00:14:09] S0: Yeah, I think for certain, if your child is attending boarding school in The UK with a view to using that as a stepping stone to UK university, almost certainly they will have UniFrog, which is a subscription service that the students have access to that the school will provide. And maybe that's a good segue into, you know, how much support do students genuinely get in school? As opposed to, and I know that you offer, you know, guidance over and above what they get in school. Therefore I guess the question is, why is that necessary?
00:14:47 · Barbara Lestak, Ruth Benny
[00:14:47] S1: Yeah, good question. So the level of support that students receive from their individual schools really does vary. And it doesn't, it's sort of almost irrelevant whether it's grammar school, an independent school or a state school, at least here in The UK. With international students, I know that does vary, that variation can be a little bit more kind of wider on the scale. But it also depends on, you know, the funding that the school has and the facilities and the faculty that are there at the time that you're applying. So I think you're a very lucky student if you have an Oxbridge graduate, for example, who's teaching in your school that you can utilise. Majority of schools will help with basic university decision making and with basic personal statement support. Beyond that, there are schools that will bring external providers and also consider sort of, okay, great, I have an Oxbridge graduate teacher, but that teacher may have applied and read history at Oxford, but you want to apply to computer science in Cambridge. It's a very different sort of process. [00:16:00] S0: And it may [00:16:01] S1: have been [00:16:01] S0: twenty years ago as well. [00:16:04] S1: Yeah, exactly. And it was twenty years ago and you very quickly, unfortunately forget these things once you kind of go into your career ladder and graduate and you leave the education system. So, you you're teaching that you do forget what it was like. I forget what it was like. So it's very difficult. It's too painful, [00:16:25] S0: need to forget.