Universities: the revolving door…

January is named after the Roman god Janus, who was most famous for having two faces looking in opposite directions.  It is apposite that the month sees the external deadline for university applications for the UVI and the launch of the process for the LVI. 

Having sent just shy of 200 applications to UCAS this year, I always take an interest in trends appearing amongst the Salopian cohort.  85 UK universities and over 220 courses have inspired the Upper Sixth to apply to them, with a typically Salopian spread, from Acting to Actuarial Science to Fine Art, Modern Languages to Medicine to the dauntingly named Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics (abbreviated helpfully to MORSE). 

Equally, the growth in international universities remains strong, with 7 Salopians already committing to US universities in the early cycle, with another dozen or so applying in the regular decision cycle.  I was delighted to hear that Jay W (SH) has been awarded a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, exemplifying the breadth of avenues chosen. For the rest of the Upper Sixth, the waiting game now begins as universities continue to review applications over the next few months.

Much like Janus, we will keep a close eye on supporting the Upper Sixth in making informed decisions in the coming months, whilst turning our attention to the Lower Sixth, who start their post-Shrewsbury planning in earnest.  Chris Wain and I very much enjoy visiting houses at this time of term, talking to pupils and parents about how best to navigate that path.  Our credo of ‘the right fit for each individual’ is at the heart of what we do and this term is about exploring all the various options.

The next staging post is our University & Gap Year fair on 17^th February, where we welcome 50 universities and gap year providers to the Alington Hall.  Though aimed at the Lower Sixth, all pupils and parents are warmly welcome. 

More information can be found here.

Toby Percival

Head of Higher Education