Links to really useful information
If you are not aware yet, you will soon find that there is a mountain of information on the internet. Much of it maybe really useful. But it can be overwhelming.
This section provides links to web-pages that I think will be really useful in helping you make your decisions.
20 Questions you should ask your university/guidance counsellor Whilst this webpage is primarily focused on applicants to Universities in the USA, the questions are still very relevant. Remember, to replace the questions on qualifications with the qualifications you are or plan to be studying at high school (IB, A-Level etc)
How to start planning for college (university) in 9th Grade (Year 10) Again, mainly focused on US applicants but, has some great ideas and a really great place to start regardless of where you are applying. I start my students making their big decisions and self-reflection in Year 12 (Grade 11). But, if you can do these reflective sessions earlier, that is good. One word of caution, remain flexible. Lots can change as you get older and have more experiences.
How to start planning for college (university) in 11th Grade (Year 12) Same as before, a US focus. A great resource for students planning to apply to the USA. Less useful for students applying to other countries. Nonetheless, this web-page provides access to some great resources. This resource leads into the final one from the CollegeBoard, How to Start Planning for College (University) in 12th Grade (Year 13) Still worth looking at even if you are not planning to apply to the USA. Lots of great tips on what you should be doing as an applicant.
Prospects is a UK university focused website and similar to the previous links, provides a load of great advice and tips. Very useful is their Job Match tool. You will need to register for an account, but that is free and it gives you access to the job match tool and loads of other useful resources.
One of the best resources of information for students considering applying to the UK is UCAS. If the UK is your planned destination I can be fairly certain that you will use UCAS for your application. But not only is it where you will submit your application but, it also has an overwhelming amount of information and guidance. I recommend that you register with them and create a UCAS Hub. This will allow you access to loads of matching tools and guidance tools. It is well worth it.
The Complete University Guide is another UK-focused website. It has loads of advice and guidance. If you've read through the other sections of my website, you will notice that I am not the biggest fan of ranking. But, the Complete University Guide provides league tables that are student-focused. This gives you the perspective of a university from someone like you.
If you are thinking of studying in a European university, Study.eu, is a pretty good starting point. You may not find a detailed breakdown of how to apply as it covers hundreds of universities from many different countries. However, it will allow you to filter search for degrees across its member universities across the EU. It is a pretty good starting point to see what is available.
Eunicas is a central application support service for European universities. Eunicas, for me, is a bit like UCAS. It provides loads of information on courses but also an overview of the higher education systems of the participating countries. This can be very useful in getting an idea of how application systems run in different countries.
Other country-specific websites include DAAD for university applications in Germany, Study in Holland for (you guessed it) universities in the Netherlands. Incidentally, if you are looking for another country in the EU try typing in "Study in" and then the name of the country. You might just get valuable info.
There is a mountain of information out there and I will add more to this list. But, I want to only put links to stuff I think will be useful. If you have a resource you think would be worth sharing, please feel free to get in touch via the contact form.
One last website I want to share is Numbeo. Numbeo is a website that allows its users to compare the cost of living between two cities or countries. Funding your education is always a major factor. That said, the day-to-day living costs are often overlooked. This website (and there are others) gives you useful data to help you make a more informed choice.