Year 12 pupils began their university preparation in earnest on Wednesday with the first of a series of dedicated sessions helping them make the all-important decisions on their next steps after A-level.
Ryan Martin from the University of Nottingham delivered an impressively thorough session on how to choose first a course and then a university from the often bewildering range of choices available to students.
"Choosing the course is the first crucial decision and needs to be made before thinking about which university to go to," said Ryan, a Student Recruitment Outreach Officer from Nottingham.
Ryan took pupils through the vast range of courses now on offer through UCAS - for example there are now over 2000 history-related degree courses and over 3,400 business courses on offer. By contrast, he also pointed out the much more limited offer for some of the more vocational study options with only only 13 institutions offering veterinary medicine and only 41 offering radiography.
"When you are choosing a course it is really important to look at modules, contact time, how the course is assessed and study abroad or industrial placement opportunities," added Ryan.
"Factors when choosing a university might be closeness to home, campus or city options, its ranking in league tables, as well as entrance requirements and the quality of student life once you get there."
Ryan also outlined the many attractions of Nottingham University itself - always a popular destination for Queen's applicants with its three UK campuses and two overseas - one in China and one in Malaysia. Recent developments include the new David Ross £40 million sports complex which helps make Nottingham one of the top sporting destinations after Loughborough University.
The talk was the first in a programme of events this term for Year 12 during Wednesday afternoon Quest time which will help guide girls through the university application process.