Please familiarise
yourself with this
session plan before
delivering the session.
Preparing for a UCAS convention/ Preparing
for the Exeter UCAS Convention
Session Plan
Target Year Group: Year 11/12
Aims:
Students will be informed of what to expect at the Exeter UCAS
convention or any UCAS convention and be prepared on how to make
the most out
f their visit.
Resources needed:
Preparing for the Exeter UCAS convention presentation or Preparing for a UCAS
convention generic presentation (WP or Recruitment)
Internet connection
Duration
1 mins
Activity
Welcome & Introduce yourself and the session title
1 mins
The purpose of this presentation is to give you an
insight into what you can expect at the a UCAS
Convention and to also help you prepare in order to
get the most out of the day.
Resources
Slide 1
“Preparing for a UCAS
convention”
Slide 2
“Aims and objectives”
Role
Staff
Staff
UCAS convention are large events, Similar to a Comic
Convention, Food Shows or Careers Fairs where
various Higher Education Institutions (HEPs) from
across the UK (and even Europe) will have a stand on
the exhibition floor for them to display their
institutions to the prospective students and provide
them with information about the courses they offer
and the types of areas they are in/
In addition to the exhibition space some conventions
will also have a dedicate space for seminars (short
talks on subjects related to Higher Education) as well
as catering facilities and workshop spaces.
The convention will normally last one or two days
and often have thousands of students attending
over that time.
These talks may be subject focused which is a great
way for you find out more about the subject that are
considering applying for by someone who teaches it
or from students that study it.
In addition there may be more general talks which
may focus on applying to university, finance and
student life.
Seminars are also a good opportunity for you to ask
questions to the experts about your chosen course
or about Higher Education in general.
Seminars may take place at various times
throughout the day so it maybe that you will not be
able to attend the one you want to go to as it falls
outside the hours that you will be visiting. Have a
look at your convention guide to find out what
seminars are taking place on when – you can have a
look at this online before you go too on the UCAS
website
Before you go to the convention there are few
things that you can do in preparation to help you get
the most out of your visit.
All visitors to the UCAS convention will need to
register to attend. This may have already been done
via your school or college but if not you can register
via the UCAS website (click the hyperlink to show
them the registration page).
One of the most important things to do is your
research. If you know what subject (or subjects) that
2
Slide 3
“UCAS conventions”
Staff
Slide 4
“Seminars”
Staff
Slide 5
Staff
“Pre convention prep”
you wish to study then find out what HEP’s offer
them. This can be easily done my visiting the UCAS
websites course directory. Doing this research
before you arrive will save you time having to go to
each and every stand asking them is they do your
subject. Remember not all universities provided the
same courses.
Once you have rough idea of the HEP’s that provide
the subject(s) you wish to study write them down on
a list and take that list with you on the day. That
way you have a clear plan of who to see. You may
want to put your list in alphabetical order or perhaps
in the order of your most preferred.
It is also a good idea to write down any questions
that you want to ask your chosen HEP’s. This maybe
questions such as “What are the entry
requirements?” or “Where is your university?”.
Remember there is no such thing as a stupid
question and you night as well make the most of the
people being there to find out the answer to
anything that you’ve been itching to know.
One final thing to do is to think about what, if any of
the seminar presentations or talks you wish to go to.
Make a note of what times they are on and in which
seminar room and that they are on during the times
that you will be attending the convention. Show
them the link to the convention website and seminar
programme.
Once you register for the UCAS convention you will
be sent an email with your booking ticket attached
which will contain a barcode. You will need to print
this off and take it with you to the event as they will
scan your barcode to get you in.
Once you are inside the event some exhibitors may
ask to scan your barcode when you visit their stands.
This is so that they can send you targeted
information about the subjects you are studying.
On the day of the convention there are several
things that you can do.
Most universities will have their prospectuses for
you to collect – these are catalouges often
containing course listings, details and entry grades –
they can get heavy!
One thing that is really useful to do (and often
3
Slide 6
“Remember your
ticket”
Staff
Slide 7
“On the day”
Staff
5 mins
forgotten) is to bring a sturdy bag with you – we’ve
even seen people with suitcases!. Remember you’re
going to be collecting a lot of prospectuses and
course materials throughout the day so you want
something to put them in. A rucksack is perfect as
you can wear it on your back and saves you having
to carry everything around with you. You may even
find that some HEP’s will give out free carrier bags to
put your prospectuses in. Whatever you do though,
don’t over load them! Otherwise they will break.
Lots of HEPs will also have their prospectuses
available to order online.
When speaking to the Higher Education instutions at Slide 8
the convention there a few things you may want to
“Things to consider”
consider when finding out more about them.
Finance:
Do they provide any financial support in the form of
scholarships, bursaries or other forms of funding? If
they do are you eligible for any of them?
Location:
Where are they located? Will you be on campus or
will you be in a city centre? How far are the halls of
residence from where your lecture are? What are
the transport links to the university like? How far
away is it?
Reputation:
Where in the league table is the university for your
subject? Are they a member of the Russell Group?
How good is their graduate employability? Are they
well regarded in a certain (for example sport or
research), What is their Student Satisfaction score?
What is the average grad that student come put
with? What is their drop out rate?
Support services:
Do you offer any academic support services? Do you
offer any wellbeing service?, Do you have a health
centre? What are your support services like? Do you
provide any additional funding to assist with my
studies? How frequently can I access these services?
Are they free?
Social scene:
What activities take place at your university? Is there
X society? Do you have X Sports Team?, How student
friendly is the area?
4
Staff
3 mins
5 mins
Once you’ve been to the convention that’s not the
end of your journey. You still have a few things to
do post event.
The prospectuses that you collect will have a lot of
information in them so ensure you make some time
to go through the prospectus that you gathered and
read them! Check the entry requirements, course
models, assessment methods etc.
Now is also the time to book onto any Open Days
that you may want to visit. Make sure you book as
early as possible as some Open days may get booked
up quickly and you don’t want to miss out. Open
Days are a great way to find out the HEP’s you’re
interested in attending at they give you a great feel
for the place!
Finally you need to ask yourself “Can I see myself
studying there?” Only you can tell if your chosen
HEP’s feel right – but don’t just go on what it seems
like on paper!
Recap the aims and objectives of the presentation.
Slide 9
“Post-convention”
Staff
Slide 10
“To conclude”
Staff
DON’T FORGET!
5
You’ll need to collect
feedback about this
activity from the group
so make sure it is
included on the
evaluation form’s list of
activities or you use the
presentation postcards
to collect data when
delivering off campus.