A great deal of my time at the moment has been taken up with applying to university. From going to open days and looking around over a year ago, to the position I’m in at the moment where I’m moving out in 5 days, it’s been a really interesting and unique experience. I’m going to write an overview of what I’ve gone through, and share some tips and experiences.

What to look for

The course comes first. By far the most important thing to decide is what you’re going to want to study for three or four years of your life. Once you’ve come to that conclusion, you need to realistically assess what grades you’re going to get at A level. Then, just simply look for the highest regarded university who is likely to make you an offer.

Look at distance from home, accommodation (catered or not, ensuite or not), the size of the city it’s in, cost of living and all the other things you can think of. Factor it all in, and come to a decision of 5 universities.

Personal Statement

Applying through UCAS online is a very simple process - by far the most complicated aspect is writing your personal statement. I had guidance from all over when writing mine, but the most important pieces of advice were to keep it concise, cover all your strengths and explain specifically why you want to be on that exact course. You of course can’t be specific to one university, but ideally be specific and positive about that course. This is a copy of what was (almost) the final draft of my personal statement:

In Year 10, I was given the opportunity to complete a work placement at HBOS PLC in Halifax. This first experience of the business environment fascinated me, and from then on I have been interested in a career in management. My thoughts have been confirmed by two subsequent work placements. I spent one week at the O2 head office in Leeds, which involved looking at how the company operates as a whole as well as on a departmental level. This helped to improve my communication skills, by allowing me to talk to several different people on a daily basis about their role in the company. I also visited DLKW, a London-based marketing company (a placement I organised myself). It was amazing to see a large-scale London based company working with clients from across the world. I particularly enjoyed being shown the process of constructing a marketing campaign - from the initial brief to the finished product.

Through a degree in management, I hope to open up new opportunities for myself in that career field. I would like to focus on a generic management course (rather than a combined or specialised degree), as I enjoy looking at how the various aspects of management link together in an organisation. All my A-Levels involve being committed to the subject, working on coursework, and managing my time successfully. I enjoy AVCE Business, as it covers several different aspects of management and gives me the chance to look at how processes function in actual companies. These have included organisations such as Apple, who I have a particular interest in. I occasionally write for a website called ‘The Apple Blog’, reviewing Apple related products. AVCE offers a good combination of coursework and examined modules, which has allowed me to improve on both these methods of assessment.

I completed the OCR IT qualification to a Level 3 Diploma standard, to have something to show for the ICT skills I had acquired over previous years. It helped to educate me about business documents, and improved my proof-reading skills. I am also taking part in a Young Enterprise scheme with a group of other students, setting up a small business within college with the aim to make a profit.

I follow an interest in the Internet and computers, and have been designing websites for various companies since I was 13. This has involved liaising regularly with clients ranging from hypnotherapists to a film production company (even attending film premieres!). I also started to offer ‘web hosting’ in 2004, reselling packages to around 30 customers across the world (offering them space to put their company’s website online). This entailed setting up invoicing/payment systems, and has taught me to manage my finances. The venture was profitable from the outset.

I enjoy playing sport, and have recently been selected for a local tennis team. I have played squash for several years, and started to take lessons in golf last summer. I also enjoy playing the keyboard and have gained a merit in Grade 5 theory. I have completed six months voluntary work at a local Christian bookshop, and this has lead to working in various local schools with a Christian charity called CICS. This involves making regular presentations to classes and assemblies, a new skill for me. I am continuing with voluntary work this year, with a view to complete the Millennium Volunteers award in early 2006.

I am thoroughly looking forward to studying management at university. The chance to focus on the subject I have a passion for is a fantastic opportunity.

That’s the style that I followed, and it seemed to work fine for me. You obviously need to think long and hard about your personal statement as it’s something that can really set you apart from the rest of the crowd.

Responses

You then hear back gradually from one university after another as they let you know whether they have accepted your application or turned you away for one of various reasons. I was rejected from Warwick and Bath universities, I believe because they didn’t really accept the Double AVCE Qualification which I was working on. You then need to choose two to submit further as your Firm and Insurance choice. Your Firm choice is the one you definitely want to go to providing you get the grades. Your Insurance is generally a university which has slightly lower requirements, but which you would still be happy to go to.

Results…

This is always a tense time, whether you’re desperate to get your results to proceed to university, or whether you are just curious to see how you’ve done. If you get the grades you need, then you’re contacted by your university to welcome you into your place. If not, you need to go through a process called Clearing, where you compete for the remaining places which weren’t filled by other candidates.

Accommodation

Once you’ve confirmed your place at a university, you need to go through the process of applying for accommodation. This is often very much a decision about how much you’re willing to spend. It ranges from around £2500 to £5000 per year, and there’s a lot of scope for the quality of accommodation you’d like to stay at. Often, ‘Halls of Residence’ are provided to every student moving in in their first year. You are often expected to find your own accommodation in the years afterwards. This works well, as staying in Halls gives you a great opportunity to settle in and socialise in your first year at university. Or there’s always a camper van…

Leaving

Then you’re off! It’s incredible how quickly this process flies by - it doesn’t seem like two minutes since I was attending open days and looking into where to go. I’m thoroughly looking forward to moving out and experiencing university for myself - I’ve heard great things about it!

If you’d ever taken the time to browse through my portfolio, you may have noticed that one of the projects I have worked on is a website for a film production company - North Country Pictures. They specialise on creating films set in the North West of England, in the 1960’s.

One of the perks of designing for a company such as this is that you are given the opportunity to attend the premiere’s of new releases. Last night, their second film The Jealous God was premiered in Rochdale - where it was filmed. I went along, and had a really enjoyable evening. Red carpet, press, lots of actors, it was a great experience. Among others, I saw Jason Merrells of Cutting It fame, Denise Welch and Roy Walker.

If you get the chance, I would really recommend going to see The Jealous God. It should be showing at many cinemas across the UK (particularly in the North of England), so there’s no excuse not to! You can read the synopsis here, but I promise you it would be worth watching whether you think you would be interested or not.

I’m in a position where I really appreciate the amount of work and effort which has gone into producing something on this scale, and it’s no mean feat. It has taken over three years to create and the logistics of trying to find all the 1960’s equipment, vehicles and props has been a mammoth task. I feel proud to be a part of such a great production.

This second section consists of some basic secondary research into the mobile phone market.

Introduction
I am using secondary data to research into the mobile phone market for several reasons. Secondary data is very easy to collect, is cheap, fast, and is readily available:

• Easy to Collect- Secondary data is available from many places. I collected mine from various sources, including a library, the Internet, and marketing journals.

• Cheap – When collecting data from the Internet, or a library, generally the only cost is that to print out or photocopy the data and statistics you have found.

• Fast – Because the data is very easily available, it can be found quickly. It is not like a questionnaire where it has to be passed out, collected back, and then have all the information typed back into a computer.

I obtained my data in several ways. Most of my data was collected from computers, and the library. I have outlined each piece of data I have used below:

• Snapshots Statistics – From CD-ROM at the Huddersfield Library
• Mintel Reports – From the Huddersfield University
• BBC News Articles – From http://www.bbc.co.uk
• Keynote Market Report – From http://www.keynote.co.uk

(more…)

With all the speculation about Apple’s upcoming mobile phone release next week, I think it is appropriate to run a short series of articles relating to that very event. Rather than speculate what the new device will look like, what it will do etc - I am going to consider whether Apple should actually be launching a mobile phone at all. I’ll look into Apple as a company, and conduct some basic market research to decide whether what they are embarking on is actually a good idea. It should hopefully give an insight into how Apple researched the market opportunity as well.

This first section will cover a brief introduction to Apple, and their continuing success as a brand, and as a manufacturer.

Apple Computer Inc.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II, and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Apple still stands by its original aim - to bring the best personal computing products and support to students, educators, designers, scientists, engineers and consumers in over 140 countries around the world.

Apple spends a huge amount of money on Research and Development. In 1996, Apple invested approximately six percent of its annual sales in research and development. Apple’s main R&D sites are located in Ireland, California, Japan and China. Apple owns manufacturing facilities in Ireland and Singapore. Distribution facilities are located in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and Japan.

Although Apple has been developing innovative and state of the art computer products for many years, it’s main recent claim to fame has been the Apple iPod. At the moment, the iPod is the leading ‘Must Have’ gadget, and rightly so. Its design has become a brand in itself, and the iPod has been incredibly marketed and promoted.

Apple also operates the world’s largest and most successful online music store, the iTunes Music Store. It integrates with it’s also highly popular iTunes software and is currently operating in the USA, UK, France and Germany. It has sold over 100 million songs.

Although this chart (from ipodlounge.com) shows the sales of the iPod in the past 3 years, Apple’s general success follows a very similar pattern. Apple’s most recent development has been the iMac G5, where Apple has managed to fit an entire computer in a screen sized case, and the tiny Mac Mini.

Apple is always looking to expand their product line, and create new and innovative computing products. Recently, they have moved away from solely computer based products to focus on the multimedia, audio and communications markets.

Tomorrow: Secondary Research and Statistics

A Close-Up of the Plasticsmith mini Skirt glo

Plasticsmith have come into their own since the launch of the Mac Mini, developing accessories at an alarming rate, and offering some really original and funky ideas. These include a monitor stand to place your Mini underneath, a tower to support your Mac Mini vertically and the mini Skirt which I am going to review.

I want to put out of the way at this point that the item is not an essential buy. It doesn’t add any major functionality to your Mac Mini, and it is (lets face it) purely for aesthetic value. This is the case with many of Plasticsmith’s products. They are often space savers, or simply new ways to enjoy the look and feel of your Mac Mini (with the exception of their new USB hub). However, this product does what it was designed to very well indeed, and it I think it is a worthy addition to your Mac Mini.

Read the rest of my review over at The Apple Blog

In my opinion, pinball can be likened to the huge range of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream. There are a countless number of variations on what is always essentially the same basic recipe. With this classic arcade game, the simple essentials are always the same. Take a couple of paddles, the ability to tilt the board and a shiny metal ball then combine them to create an addictive (all singing all dancing) pinball machine.

However, the main reason for the timeless success of the pinball machine is that it can be changed and altered to be based around a different idea. The 7 pinball games I have been playing (obsessively I might add) for the last couple of days have covered themes such as the Knights of the Round Table, a Monster Theme Park, Las Vegas and the Beginning of Time. Ultimately, it means that although you are playing a similar game with similar objectives each time around, you are still remain interested in each individual one.

Continue over at The Apple Blog