UEA offers 'university life' classes to sixth formers

The University of East Anglia has seen course applications rise by 17%

A summer school to help Norfolk's A-level graduates grasp "university life" is being set up by the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich.

The first course of its kind at the UEA looks to bridge the skills gap between further and higher education.

Students will be able to learn about note-taking, structuring an argument and plagiarism before they start their undergraduate courses.

The course is open to year 12 and 13 pupils from 30 August to 1 September.

"Students who arrive at university with these additional skills are more likely to perform well and adapt successfully to university life," said Dr Harriet Jones, a senior lecturer in biological sciences and developer of the Skills for Uni programme.

"Those lacking in such skills are less able to respond to new forms of independent learning and scholarship and, in fact, often under-perform and lose confidence - sometimes even dropping out."

The university has also seen successful results with a similar training course for sixth form tutors, enabling them to teach coping strategies to sixth formers throughout the academic year.

This year applications for UEA courses are up 17% as students look to avoid the tuition fees price hike being introduced in 2012.