STG Alumni
Welcome to our Alumni page. On this page you can read about what some our #STGAlumni have got to say about where they are at University, what they are studying and their advice to Year 12 and 13 students.
In the banner on the right-hand side you may sign up to our Alumni mailing list, join our Alumni Facebook page and LinkedIn page
What course are you studying?
What university are you studying at? (Please state the country it is in)
Is this the same course that you applied for in your final year of school at St George’s?
Do you enjoy your course?
Is the course what you were expecting it to be?
What key pieces of advice would you give our current Year 12 and 13 students about the application process
- Make sure your personal statement is the best it can be and make sure you look at all aspects of the university before applying; How many people successfully get a job after your degree? How highly is it ranked? Do you see yourself being happy in this place and are there a lot of enjoyable things to do for free time?
- Read the course module guides!!! To fully understand what each subject within a course will consist of. The biggest mistake people make is they don't really know what they are going to be required to do throughout the year.
- Applying to several universities is always a good idea, given how hard it can be to get into your first choice.
- Try not to stress too much, it all works itself out in the end. Even if you get a rejection don’t let it get you down. Try not to compare yourself to your friends.
- Make sure you are applying to a course you will want to spend your next 3 years studying. And the university you choose aside from the course is also important, as some may suit you better than others, so try to visit the ones you're applying to.
- Go visit the universities you are applying for and if you are unsure of what you really want to do take a gap year to figure it out. You don't want to end up stuck in a course you don't like because you rushed a decision.
- Make sure that you apply in time and that you listen to advice from your teachers, because sometimes they know you better than you do. For example, i wanted to go study psychology and was advised by my media teacher, Mr Burrowes, and my psychology teacher, Miss Moody, to go study Media and something to do with Entertainments instead of Psychology. In the beginning i was very stubborn and didn’t want to listen. However, now i realise that it was 100% the right choice. Also, if you do get declined from your first choice of university, call them up and speak to them, you never know they may have space in clearing.
- Ensure the course you choose is going to be enjoyable. A lot of people I know have changed their course and had to restart again because they didn’t like their original course.
- 1.Check out the courses in detail: what core and optional modules you can take since courses vary a lot between universities. 2. Don't be afraid to apply to the best universities sometimes they take you even if your grades aren't quite good enough (especially if you have a really good personal statement).
- Start looking early, explore your options and really delve into the course (I didn't do as much research as I maybe should have done) in order to best prepare yourself for what's to come. Go to open days and "student for a day" days to get a glimpse of what the course is like.
- Don’t stress too much.
- Don't worry about where everybody is expecting you to go and think about what you want to get out of your university experience and pick from that.
What key pieces of advice would you give our current Year 12 and 13 students about the life at university?
1. If you are not enjoying your course or lack motivation for it, you still have time to change it. Don’t worry about being a year behind because it makes no difference in the grand scheme of things. Make sure you put your work before your social life but still have fun when everything is up to date. I would recommend making a budget of what you can spend weekly based on your money coming in and money going out as it will help in the future. Lastly, if you do not achieve the grades you hoped for, go through clearing as soon as it opens as there are so many other options available.
2. Do what you want to a certain degree but don't drown yourself in the party life. Don't feel obliged to attend every event because usually you don't miss that much anyway. Eat vegetables and keep yourself moving. Exercise helps you stay in shape, sleep much better and gives you more energy than 2L of coffee a day (believe me....). Sports can be expensive at times but the investment is worth it.
3. Learn a lot of recipes before leaving home.
4. Enjoy it!
5. Stay focused and don't skip your lectures, the academic level is much higher.
6. Don't get too caught up in the misconception that university will be "the best time of your life" or that first year will be incredible fun right from the start. Moving away from home isn't easy, and I don't know anyone that hasn't had a few struggles along the way, but it's much easier if you realise that everyone feels like this (no matter how many 'night out selfies' they post on Facebook). And now that I'm a 3rd year, I also don't know anyone who isn't dreading graduation and wishing they could be a student forever. So it all works out in the end! ;)
7. Try not to close off yourself after you've found a small friendship group at the start of uni. Join societies so you can meet more people studying different courses.
8. Be as open as possible with other people, and throw yourself out there.
9. Interact with as many people from the beginning, in your building, in your course, anywhere. because if you wait too long, friendship groups will already have formed and it’ll be harder to get in.
10. Keep up with your work. If you finish early get your work done so you can relax in the evening. Spend at least one day on the weekend/free day at the library to get all your work done so it doesn't linger at the back of your head. Getting your work done asap lets you spend the rest of your time doing what you want to do.
11. Enjoy your time at uni, because the year goes by so incredibly fast. Also, make sure to state whether the course is actually something for you, because if it isn’t you are still young enough to change your mind and change your path.
12. Join societies, whether it’s for sport or through the course. You meet a lot of people through them and it massively helps your social life at uni.
13. Don't be afraid to try something new.
14. You will have to manage your time really well. It's very easy to not go to lectures and workshops because no one is making you go but in my experience it really helps to go. Join some sort of sport or other student organisation to get to know as many people as you can and be open towards everyone because otherwise you risk feeling alone. And especially in the Netherlands, your first year is very important. I needed to get all 60 credits in order to continue to my second year where as most courses do not require that, so it is important to check all the details.
15. Make sure you work hard enough in your first year. Resits are a pain and unnecessary.
16. Take every opportunity given to you.
