University roadshow helps decision making process for Flint High School students

Flint High School students benefited from a university roadshow that demystified university and offered a host of top tips when it comes to making subject choices for GCSEs and A levels.

The Higher Education Roadshow is a partnership between Cardiff University and Cardiff Metropolitan University which aims to ensure that students fulfil their potential by encouraging them to continue in education post GCSE and A level.

Two hour long interactive sessions were delivered by Freya Morris, a Higher Education Roadshow Officer, who studied for her masters in International Relations at Cardiff University.   

The first session addressed year 9 students to help them think about their future and make the right choices when considering their GCSE options, and the second was designed for year 10 students to give them an overview of university life and the benefits of a university education.  

Both sessions highlighted the benefits of going to university, informed students about student finance, explaining that this means everyone can afford to go, and that, with 37,000 courses on offer in the UK alone, there has never been more choice of subjects to study.

During her first presentation, Freya gave the students top tips about what to consider when deciding which subjects to choose and a UCAS Careers Quiz enabled students to find out their personality type and which careers would best suit them. 

A video gave the students an insight into all aspects of university life from different study styles to socialising and opportunities to take part in a host of clubs and societies.  

Grace Roberts, year 9, wants to become a lawyer and will be staying on at the school’s sixth form after her GCSEs. 

She said: “I found the session really useful, particularly the dos and don’ts when deciding our GCSE options, and the personality quiz was really good. 

It was also helpful to see the timeline showing the process of getting from where we are now in year 9 through to graduating at university.”  

Oscar Bettaney added: “I also found the tips on how to choose our options very helpful and the explanation about student finance which made it clear that you can get into university regardless of money.  I want to be a surgeon so I will definitely be looking to go to university.”

During the second session Freya also spoke about her own experiences and the fact that she was the first person in her family to go to university. 

She gave examples of her own friends who had gone to university and how each of them had gained different strengths and developed personally as a result.

To help the students appreciate what going to university involves, they were shown a slide highlighting the different aspects of university life which they then had to guess the percentage of time that was typically allocated to each, from studying and socialising to making new friends and gaining independence.

Wesley Overton, assistant headteacher, organised the event. 

He said: “The roadshow has been extremely beneficial for our students, providing clear information that they can consider when making the important choices around options.

Freya has helped to demystify the process of getting to university and given students a fantastic insight into what a university education can offer them.  

“As a school we encourage all our students to aim high and do all we can to support them to ensure they fulfil their potential.”

Freya said: “It has been a great morning, both groups of students were lovely. 

They engaged fully with everything that was presented to them and showed great maturity. 

I think they have all learned something from the sessions and I hope they will use this knowledge to go on and do their own research into universities, different careers and so on to help them make the best choices for them.”