Wednesday, 18 May 2016

10 Tips to choose your Pre-sessional course


It is not easy knowing how to choose the right course to help you gain entry into the university of your choice.  Below, our Pre-sessional Director of Studies Robyn gives you 10 of the most important points to think about when choosing your course.

 1Experience: Look for how long the institute has been running their course.

2 - Location: Is it in the same city as the University you want to go to? For example if you want to go to the University of Manchester, look for a course in Manchester.  This will save you money because you won’t need to move again, and you will be familiar with the city.

3 - Cost: How much does the course cost? What is included in the cost? How big will the classes be? Are your books included? How many hours per week will you study?

4 - Opportunities:  How many opportunities will you have to practice? How many essays will you write and get feedback on? Will you do presentations? Will you have lectures?

5 - Direct Entry: Will you get direct entry to the university or will you have to take another IELTS exam?

6 - Pass Rate: How many students pass the course every year, and if students fail what are the reasons they fail?

7 - Relationship with the University: Does the Pre-sessional course provider understand exactly what is needed by the university?

8 - Accreditation: Does the course provider have inspections that check the quality of the courses they provide? For example British Council or BALEAP accreditation schemes.

9 - Staff Qualifications: Do the teachers have for example an M.A. in Applied Linguistics or a Teaching Diploma (i.e. DELTA).

10 - Student Feedback: What do past students think about the course, is it good? What do other people say?

We hope this helps you with the very difficult decision.  If you need any more help, then do get in touch with us.  If you would prefer to watch Robyn explain the points, watch her here explaining in a video.

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