Event speakers:

David Handy, Senior Student Recruitment Manager at Newman University
Phil Mansell, Communications Officer at Plymouth Marjon University
Matthew Wall, Student Recruitment Officer at Keele University

Hosted by
Jon Cheek, Founder and Director, UniTasterDays.com

Event summary

This webinar is hosted by Jon Cheek, the Founder and Director of UniTasterDays who touches upon the guidance and help provided to students to help them make good choices when considering university. This is followed by three guest speakers who each talk about different aspects of university.

Session 1: Online university events
The first guest speaker is David Handy, the Senior Student Recruitment Manager at Newman University. David speaks about virtual events that are available to students who are interested in university. The first one he mentions is virtual exhibitions which are run by different providers. He explains what they are and how they help you to learn a lot about a range of universities to see if it is the right one for you. Virtual open days and webinars give you access to a general overview of each university and course, mentions David and provide you with a useful insight. He explains how to make the most of these, gives guidance on preparing for these events, examples of questions to ask and provides a detailed overview of what happens on the day. He finally ends by providing tips on what to do after the event is over and where you can start to look to find virtual events.

Session 2: Student Life
The second guest speaker is Phil Mansell, the Communications Officer at Plymouth Marjon University. He speaks about student life at university, the most important aspect being your chosen course. Contact time on each course varies and Phil explains how it is important to consider the type of learning that your course will provide to see if it is suitable for you. This is important so you can think about where the course can get you in the future. The second aspect he speaks about is social life at university and the different unions, societies and clubs that you can participate in. Phil highlights why it is important to think about the location when choosing a university regarding the social life and how your surrounding area is an important aspect when narrowing down your choices. Being able to budget is crucial at university and many students choose to work part-time. Phil speaks about on-campus working opportunities as well as job options in the wider city area. Finally, he touches on support given to students at university whether this is academic related or personal.

Session 3: Transition to university
The third guest speaker is Matthew Wall, the Student Recruitment Officer at Keele University. Matthew speaks about the transition to university and how it is different to A-levels and BTEC qualifications. The biggest difference is that rather than having a full timetable, it is more limited with a lot more independent study, explains Matthew. He goes on to explain the different teaching and learning styles at university, and not all styles will be used in every course. To get a feel for university, Matthew recommends virtual events. Most students move away from home for university and it is essential that you are able to adjust well. To prepare for this Matthew speaks about life skills that you can begin to develop now as well as budgeting tips for your course and general living.

Session summary from Rubaya Zaman, a final year English Literature student at the University of Birmingham.