New Month, New Term, New Changes

OK ... so its September already and I have no idea where the last few weeks have disappeared to (probably somewhere hot and sunny on vacation ... which is probably where my brain has gone too). Here in the Clearing office things have been madness; we have found ourselves inundated with applications and, for the first time ever, the University of Greenwich have closed clearing by the end of August. Fantastic news for us, but I fear it will be bad news for those who still don’t have a place.


What can I do now? I don’t have a place ...
Many of you may be in the situation of not having a place and having no idea where to go next. So, here are a few ideas and links to help you. If you have been unsuccessful, think about the reasons why, was it the grades that you have? Was it the quality of your personal statement? Was it the lack of volunteering or experience within the field? If any of these are the reasons – they can be worked on. Try doing a one year access course to improve the quality of your qualifications (www.ocn.org.uk), work on your personal statement – use how-to guides on UCAS (www.ucas.com), volunteer your time (www.volunteering.org.uk) or get some work experience or a job (www.work-experience.org) and finally if you still need someone to turn to, visit your local connexions adviser (www.connexions-direct.com) or check out government advise for young people at: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/YoungPeople/index.htm .


For those who are on the way ...
For those of you who are successful enough to hold a place at a university, congratulations. It has been much harder to actually gain a place at university this academic year and you have been lucky enough to be one of those who have made it through. Getting ready to start university is a pretty nerve-racking time, you need to prepare yourself for getting to the uni, be it travelling or moving out, making sure you have everything you need to start – pens, pads, books etc and going through the endless paper trail involved in administration for your place.
BUT, don’t be disheartened, there is light at the end of the tunnel. It’s nearly ....

FRESHERS WEEK!!!!
 
Fresher’s happens over the first week ... or two ... or three of university and consists of a series of events to welcome you to the university and to get to meet other people.

For what is going on at Greenwich, take a look at http://www.suug.co.uk/freshers2010/events/ to find out what’s going on.

Once again, congratulations to all of you successful applicants and welcome to the University of Greenwich!