Talks and workshops

These sessions focus on the research stage for students including how to choose a course and university, preparing for university study and what subjects are like to study at university. Click the dropdown arrow on the right to see the range of sessions available.

Introduction to Higher Education

This session will examine the benefits of progressing onto Higher Education (HE), discuss the pros and cons of moving away or living at home for university, provide advice on how to choose a university and course, and explore the support and additional opportunities available at university.

Gatsby Benchmark 2 & 7

Introduction to Higher Education, Edge Hill and the North West

This presentation introduces prospective students from across England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands to higher education and Edge Hill University in particular, choosing courses and universities, pros and cons of moving away from home, additional opportunities as well as student life in the North West of England and what there is to do in local towns and cities such as Ormskirk, Liverpool and Manchester.

Gatsby Benchmark 2 & 7

Moving away from home

This session gets prospective students thinking about whether moving away from home is the right choice for them for their University studies. The session includes aspects of choosing accommodation, thinking about suitable location, budgeting, funding moving away and student support they can access whilst away from home.

Gatsby Benchmark 7

Preparing for Open Days and Higher Education fairs

A presentation that will help students to prepare for both open days and higher education fairs and how to make the most out of these events. The session also discusses the different types of higher education fairs and open days available, including both in-person and virtual events as well as topics we’d recommend researching before attending and possible questions to ask. It also covers how to register for such events, what students should take with them and some top tips to make the most out of the day and reflect effectively afterwards.

Gatsby Benchmark 7

Introduction to Subjects

A presentation which introduces students to a specific field of study within the university. Students explore the faculty, related courses and the entry requirements. Students will also explore unique course features and information about applying to the subject.

More details of these can be found on our ‘Subject specific sessions’ page.

Study Skills

Our suite of sessions covers five different study skills topics and can be delivered individually, as part of a programme or in tandem with our EPQ session getting started.

• The foundations for successful study (including independent study, time management, healthy study/life balance and academic resilience)
• Active Learning (including note taking and making the most of lectures, seminars and tutorials)
• Research skills (including information sources and finding information)
• Academic Writing (including question words, essay planning, referencing and critical thinking)
• Pitch Perfect (an interactive workshop that helps students understand what skills they do well or need to improve on. Students work in groups to create a society which they would then have to pitch back to the Students’ Union)

Gatsby Benchmark 7

These sessions focus on supporting students through their application process; such the UCAS application, writing a personal statement as well as how to make their application stand out. Click the dropdown arrow on the right to see the range of sessions available.

Introduction to UCAS

This session will examine the different stages of the UCAS timeline, including how to conduct your own research into universities and courses, how to apply to university through the UCAS system, dates and deadlines, and what to expect once you have applied through UCAS.

Gatsby Benchmark 7

Personal statements

This session will discuss what information is best to include in a personal statement and how to structure this, including seeing some real examples. It will explain how to correctly use the STAR technique to help demonstrate your skills and abilities and reveal our top tips to help you write your own personal statement. It can be delivered as a talk or as a workshop.

Gatsby Benchmark 7

How to make you and your application stand out

This session covers why work experience and extracurricular activities are important in regards to your UCAS application, where and how to find alternative and traditional physical work experience and additional things you can do to reflect and help you application stand out. The session also covers the role of interviews in applications, example questions, what to expect and some top tips on how to approach them before, during and after an interview.

Gatsby Benchmarks 4 & 7

Applying to high demand courses

A presentation that explores the application process for high demand courses at university. Students will look at why there are high demand from applicants and also receive hints and tips to help with their application.

Gatsby Benchmark 7

These sessions focus on what happens after UCAS applications are submitted; such as making the transition to university study, student finance, budgeting as well as the support services on offer at university. Click the dropdown arrow on the right to see the range of sessions available.

Making the transition to university

This session examines what happens after students submit their UCAS application, advice on how to consider and answer their offers, some finance and budgeting aspects as well as information on how to make a successful transition to university study. The session also looks at accommodation processes and what to expect in their first week, including some excellent top tips and things to look out for over the summer before they start

Gatsby Benchmark 7

Student finance

This session will explain the student finance system including Tuition Fee Loans and Maintenance Loans, how to apply for such loans through Student Finance, and how to repay loans once graduated. It will also cover the additional financial support available from university such as scholarships and bursaries.

The team are also happy to offer sessions supporting students on the system in;

• Northern Ireland
• Wales
• Isle of Man

Gatsby Benchmark 7

Budgeting

An interactive workshop that advises students on how to budget for and during university. Students will compete in a game aiming to manage and budget money over a number of scenarios. We will also provide some money saving tips as a student throughout.

Gatsby Benchmarks 3 & 7

Support services at university

This interactive session looks at the various support systems and teams that are available to support you as a student at university. The session covers how to deal with stressful situations, how and why to declare issues, mental health and wellbeing, the chance to solve some real world case studies as well as providing some useful resources to take away.

Gatsby Benchmark 7

Study Skills

Our suite of sessions covers five different study skills topics and can be delivered individually, as part of a programme or in tandem with our EPQ session getting started.

• The foundations for successful study (including independent study, time management, healthy study/life balance and academic resilience)
• Active Learning (including note taking and making the most of lectures, seminars and tutorials)
• Research skills (including information sources and finding information)
• Academic Writing (including question words, essay planning, referencing and critical thinking)
• Pitch Perfect (an interactive workshop that helps students understand what skills they do well or need to improve on. Students work in groups to create a society which they would then have to pitch back to the Students’ Union)

Gatsby Benchmark 7