Blog 🍎 School 6th May 2022

Your Students’ European University Research Journey with BridgeU

Profile image of James Leach
James Leach

James is senior content marketing manager at BridgeU. He writes and directs content for BridgeU's university partners and our community of international schools

Studying in Europe has long been one of the most popular options for international students. The continent combines cultural treasures and ancient history with vibrant cities and diverse student populations – not to mention world-leading academic excellence!

But researching universities across an entire continent can take time and effort, for you as well as for your students.

And although some processes are streamlined across Europe (think of the lack of visa requirements for EU students), there’s actually a surprising amount of variety when it comes to application criteria, processes, platforms and deadlines. Finding and tracking them all is quite the task!

That’s why having a platform like BridgeU can be revolutionary for you and your students. It’s a totally free and incredibly impactful way of offering students support and bespoke resources as they research European universities to find their best fit.

Finding the top universities in Europe with BridgeU

When approaching a task as vast and daunting as researching European universities, it’s crucial to go in with a step-by-step plan… So that’s just what we’ve put together for you!

By following these steps, you’ll make sure students aren’t overwhelmed to the point of inaction. Plus, this plan has been carefully designed to ensure every student creates a shortlist of universities that’s truly tailored to their goals, ambitions and preferences.

So here’s our guide to guiding each student to their best-fit European universities.

Step 1: Student self-assessment

The first step is arguably the most important, but it’s also the most easily skipped. After all, students often feel that they already understand themselves and know what they want… But they might be surprised!

So we’ve created a university research journey that begins by leading students through some key questions and personal preferences, through our Profile Builder.

It poses questions in a digestible and quick multiple-choice format, getting students to consider topics like:

  • Where would they like to study?
  • What are their predicted final grades?
  • Which subjects might they study at a higher level?
  • What are their preferences when it comes to university campuses?
  • Do they want to be around lots of students? Lots of international students?

Step 2: Explore the top universities in Europe

Now that students have filled out the Profile Builder and are getting a stronger sense of their ideal European university experience, it’s time for them to explore their best-fit institutions.

BridgeU presents these simply and clearly using students’ completed profiles. Students no longer need to scroll and click through endless university websites, department pages and outdated student blogs!

This is especially valuable when researching European universities, because there’s such a huge number of institutions, and so much variety between them. Many of your students may not even have heard of some of their strongest matches without BridgeU!

The platform also makes it easy for students to spread applications across ambitious and realistic choices. When displaying their best-fit programmes, we clearly divide them into ‘Reach’, ‘Match’ and ‘Safety’ options.

bridgeu browser mockup with european uni matches

Should your students want to undertake independent exploration beyond their tailored matches, they can do that too – right from within the platform! They simply head to the ‘Explore’ tab where they’ll find data on over 28,000 global universities across the world.

This can be a particularly helpful tactic for students keen to compare options in a certain country, or specific subject programmes across universities. Many European countries have lots of specialist institutions, so having an easy and convenient way to weigh these up at a glance could be invaluable for your students.

Through Explore, students also unlock destination guides which cover key topics including visas, tuition fees, academic culture and more!

bridgeu browser mockup with european uni exploration

Step 3: Shortlist the top universities in Europe for them

After your students have had their fill of exploration and comparison, they can get started on narrowing down the (probably long!) list of European universities they’re interested in.

A good way to get started is by reviewing their Reach, Match and Safety courses.

For each, they can look in closer detail at where and how each course meets their needs. If your school has decided to enable students to see their chances of acceptance and/or QS university rankings, they can review those too.

They won’t need to scribble down their choices or make any complicated spreadsheets, either. With one click, students can ‘Add course to Shortlist’ or ‘Discard Match’ for each of the options they review.

Each student will almost instantaneously create their own tailor-made list of their top universities in Europe!

bridgeu browser mockup with european university shortlist

Step 4: Create an application plan

At this stage, students will probably be really excited about their top choices. But each student can ultimately only go to one university.

And given how time-consuming applications can be – particularly when they have different requirements and criteria, as is often the case across Europe – limiting the number of applications they send isn’t only wise, it’s necessary.

So we’ve created a platform that makes whittling down their choices really easy. Students can look over their Shortlist within BridgeU to make quick and useful comparisons, pick the ones that suit them best, and easily put them in their Application List.

Their Application List then becomes a powerful tool for creating detailed and carefully timetables application plans.

It displays each university a student is going to apply to, alongside the deadline they need to submit by. If there’s any other information they want to remember (like the criteria personal essays are judged on), students can create notes on each application.

bridgeu browser mockup with european university applications

Since European universities have deadlines throughout the year, multiple intake periods, different required documents, and a slew of potential entrance exams, keeping all this information gathered and organised in one place is crucial for successful applications!

From within the platform, students can also request recommendations, monitor when they’re completed, and send follow-up emails if needed, which makes keeping track of their application status much easier for you, too.

One free platform to ensure students find their top universities in Europe

Finding the best universities in Europe for each student without the right tools requires a colossal amount of time, effort and attention. And left to their own devices, students may easily give up – particularly in the face of exams, coursework and homework.

But with BridgeU, you can make the whole process simple, easy and even fun! Our free platform guides students from careful self-assessment, all the way through to personalised shortlists of their ideal universities.

Plus, organising and tracking deadlines and document requirements becomes infinitely easier – for you, your colleagues and your students.

Create a free BridgeU account for your whole school so that your students send the strongest possible applications to their top universities in Europe! Click here to get started today.

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