December 19, 2022, by Grace Pascoe

Five questions to ask yourself when applying for Advantage Award modules

By Grace Pascoe

Autumn-term modules may be well underway now, but you still have time to apply to our Spring-term modules.

Looking through the module catalogue can be quite overwhelming – there’s so much to choose from. If you need some help to decide, here are five questions you can ask yourself when applying.

1. What sort of experiences are you looking for?

The first question to ask yourself is ‘What sort of experiences do I want to have?’

This can have lots of answers.

It could mean looking at the particular skills you want to develop, thinking about teamwork or commercial awareness. You could also think about whether you’re looking for a module that’s placement-oriented or a way to get as much out of the extra-curricular activities as possible. Do you want to work with other people or do you want to work independently? What about assessment – do you want to practice giving presentations, pitches or written work? There are so many possibilities.

2. How much time can you dedicate to the module?

The more time and effort you put into your Advantage Award module, the more you will get out of it. That being said, some modules are more of a time commitment than others.

Some modules will have mandatory, scheduled sessions that you will have to make sure you can attend. When looking at modules that include completing a placement, you must make sure you have time around your degree and other commitments to take this on. If you can, then great. If not – don’t worry. We have modules available to fit around your schedule that are driven by independent study.

3. How will the module relate to your degree subject?

Some of our modules are linked directly to your degree; in fact, some of them will only be open to people doing your degree. These modules aim to give you the opportunity to expand and harness the possibilities already available through your course.

Other modules have no direct link to a School at all, and through them you will have the chance to try something completely new. You might have already decided that once you’ve graduated, you want to pursue something totally different than what you’ve studied. This is a great way to experiment.

4. When can you do it? i.e. when does the module run?

This is a more practical thing to take into consideration. Some modules take place in a single semester. These will have a heavier weekly workload but will be finished in a shorter amount of time. We also have some modules that span across two terms, and these are usually assessed at the end of the final term. These will have a lighter weekly workload, but you will need to make sure you will be able to commit to the longer time period.

When deciding on your modules, it’s good to look at your pre-existing university and extra-curricular timetables. Is there a term when you’ll have fewer commitments or assessments? It is important to make sure you still have time for social activities and for yourself, so make sure you will be able to juggle everything.

5. What skills have you not had the chance to explore yet?

It can be tempting to think about developing the skills and experiences you already have when applying for something like the Advantage Award. I would encourage you to use the scheme to do the opposite: try something that you’ve never had the opportunity to try before, or something that you’re not confident in. This will help you in becoming a more well-rounded candidate in the world of employment, and you may even find a new area of interest to pursue.

You may, of course, find that the experience of a particular module isn’t for you. But that can be useful too. It is almost as important to work out what you don’t enjoy when making decisions about your career as it is to work out what you do enjoy. The Advantage Award is a great place to reach this realisation as it is a safe, non-threatening environment with no repercussions. You have nothing to lose.

What now?

Hopefully this gave you some things to think about, and that the decision-making process feels a little less daunting now.

Take a look at our module catalogue to find out more about what we have on offer and apply.

If you are still unsure, then get in touch with the Advantage Award inbox at nottingham-advantage-award@nottingham.ac.uk.

You can also book one-to-one appointments with the Award team about making these decisions.

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