9 Year 13 Students Reveal How They Picked Their Firm and Insurance Choices

So, it’s that time of the year when students are making their final university choices. Many factors are included in making this decision, and you may be struggling to decide which two to put down. I spoke to some Year 13 students to ask them about their decisions, and find out how they went about making up their minds...

Amy Donnelly – "Despite thinking things through carefully I don't know if I've made the right choice"

“When picking my firm and insurance choices, I went with the one I liked the best and had the best feeling about. After I had decided that, I looked for one with a lower offer. I found the process to be extremely difficult and time consuming, and despite thinking things through carefully I don't know if I've made the right choice. I still haven't fully decided – I change my mind every other day – but for now Liverpool is my firm choice, and either Keele or Birmingham will be my insurance choice.”

Hannah Clark – "The courses were better suited to me"

“I picked my choices by choosing the two that I liked the most after visiting them. The decision was difficult, as I had to think about the grades they were offering – and if I’m likely to achieve them – alongside the course itself. It didn’t take me very long to decide as I had two favourites from the beginning; my firm is Exeter and insurance is Cardiff. I picked them as the courses were better suited to me than any of the other unis and I also really liked them both when visiting!”

Year 13 students

Georgie Bryant – "It took me around four months to really decide on my top two choices"

“I compared all my choices using statistics websites, league tables and student feedback to see which ones were best. Then I visited the ones I was interested in and narrowed it down that way. It was a really difficult decision because I wasn't 100% sure what I was looking for or what made an 'exceptional' uni. It took me around four months to really decide on my top two choices. For my firm choice I have chosen Warwick, with Swansea for my insurance. I picked these (and my other choices) because they were rated highly for my course, received good student reviews, and I liked their location and the fact that they’re campus unis. I narrowed it down by just comparing each feature, for example facilities, local area, exams, etc.”

Hope MacDonald – "I could picture myself studying at the uni"

“I only went to three open days because I wasn't sure where I wanted to go and it was quite late when I started looking! But my top choice uni just felt right when I was there; I could picture myself studying at the uni and it made me really excited and enthusiastic about the course. My second choice was more of a tactical decision to do with entry requirements. I had to be realistic and choose a uni I could get in to if I didn't get the grades I hoped for. I didn't find the decision that difficult as it felt right for me, and I was set on my top choice uni from the open day. As soon as I had all my offers I made my choice as I knew what I wanted to do and I wanted to secure my place as soon as possible! My firm choice is the University of Gloucestershire and I was lucky enough to get an unconditional offer from them, so I didn't need an insurance choice.”

Year 13 students

Joe Paddon – "I have chosen my insurance purely because it is my lowest offer"

“Although I haven't decided yet, I have chosen my insurance purely because it is my lowest offer (Bristol) and I’ve yet to decide between UCL and LSE as my top choice. It’s been a difficult debate. I've been on a UCL summer school and loved it, but what's stopping me from choosing it as my top choice is that I’m yet to see LSE and it's statistically a better university!”

Gemma Aitchison – "You almost start to doubt yourself"

“The process for me was, in one word, stressful! I applied for veterinary courses where you're lucky to get an interview (let alone an offer), and even after the interview it can be such a long wait until they give you an offer. You almost start to doubt yourself, which raises stress levels significantly. It’s been hard waiting to receive rejections (or the very rare offer) as everyone around me – as soon as they finalised their UCAS – received offers, yet I’m still waiting even now...”

Beth Seymour – "After going on open days I was able to make my decision pretty quickly"

“After deciding on the course I wanted to do I used UCAS to see which universities offered what I wanted. I then looked at the entry requirements which narrowed down my options a lot. I looked at their results on Unistats, the course details and the distance from home, which gave me my final five universities to visit and apply for. After deciding on my top five universities and visiting them, I compared each aspect of the course, the accommodation, and the location, and chose the two that ticked every box. I found the decision difficult to begin with, but after going on open days I was able to make my decision pretty quickly. I decided as soon as I had gone on my open day that Southampton was definitely my top choice – I liked every aspect!”

Year 13 students

Mallory Tovey – "I picked my top two by immediately discarding those that didn't offer a year in industry"

“I picked my top two unis by what felt right when I visited them for open days and applicant days, as well as the academic opportunities, how friendly the staff were and what I thought my chances of getting a job would be after graduating. At the beginning of the process I found it difficult to pick the universities I liked because I wasn't sure what to look for, but once I picked my five universities I found it fairly easy to decide what my top two were. Deciding which would be my firm and which would be my insurance was difficult, though. My firm choice university is Coventry and my insurance choice is Plymouth. I picked my top two by immediately discarding those that didn't offer a year in industry (as this is something I really want to do), and I also picked the university that would give me a psychology course which included a variety of topics and would allow me to develop a range of different skills. I also wanted a university that would offer support for me, if needed.”

Holly Sawyer – "If the atmosphere of the university felt right, it would be in my good books"

It’s clear to see that there is a mixture of opinions and methods here. Personally, I mainly based my decision on the impression I got from the open days. If the atmosphere of the university felt right, it would be in my good books. Of course, offers and grades were also a major decider, and the attitude of the staff played a massive part for me too.

Next

- 14 Sixth Form Student Reveal Why They Chose Their Future Uni Course

- 16 Year 13s Reveal What They Wish They’d Known at the Start of Sixth Form