August 4, 2016, by Christine

Results day – making your choices

If you are reading this post, then you are probably waiting for your results to find out which university you will be attending in September. When I was waiting for my results, I was fairly certain that The University of Nottingham was the right place for me, but I still had doubts. The doubts are normal, the doubts are natural and the doubts should be listened to.

What is the difference between your firm and insurance choice on your UCAS?

Your firm choice is the university you will automatically be enrolled at if you achieve the grades required from the university. Your insurance choice is the university you will be enrolled at if you did not achieve the grades required by your firm choice, but did achieve the grades required by the insurance university. Most people spend a lot of time deciding which university to accept as their firm and insurance choice, but not many consider this afterwards. I suggest taking some time to reflect over your choices and ensure they are the right university for you. There is still time to change your mind over your firm and insurance choices, even on results day. But the quicker you make up your mind, the easier the process will be.

How do you know which university is right for you?

At the end of the day, this comes down to you. Whether you call it your instinct, your gut or anything else; only you can decide which university you belong at. When deciding which university is right for you, start by asking yourself a few simple questions:

• Does the university offer the support you need?
• How do you like to learn and does the university I chose support this?
• Are you excited to go?

How can you make the choice clearer for you?

There are a number of things you can do to make the choice of university clearer for you:

• Visit the university campus again. Make time to see the academic school you will be studying with, the accommodation you have applied to live in and the areas you will be spending your free time in.
• Join the social media pages and groups of your chosen university and course. This will help you to connect with the students you will be spending time with and begin to build a sense of belonging.
• Make a list of the pros and cons. Consider the points you have listed and how important each point is towards you.
• Talk to people about it. Whether you discuss your choices with your friends, family, teachers or anybody else, talking it through with somebody objective and who knows you should help.

For myself, I know the University of Nottingham is right for me because I have the freedom to express myself. I feel comfortable in my passion not only for the university, but for my course and societies. Finally, I know this university was the right choice for me because if I weren’t writing this blog post, I’d probably be walking around campus even though term has ended!

Find out more about what it’s like to live and study here at the Student Life blog. 

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