Choosing a Course

The first choice to make is over whether you want to take social or biological anthropology. Some institutions cover both areas, but many concentrate on the social and cultural aspect, so if it's ethnology and aspects of evolutionary theory you're after, you may be disappointed if you're not too careful. And if that does take your fancy, remember that, while it's not essential, an affinity with science is a big help.

Given its close tics with other social sciences courses (which can often be bigger), check the relative health of those departments. As we've said elsewhere, it's not a hard and fast rule, but where the teaching and facilities cross over, a healthy "partner" department can indicate the health of the one you're entering.

Look at who will be teaching you and what their specialisations are - if you're taught by someone at the leading edge of research, you'll feel right on top of the game, although you'll also need to factor in whether all that research means they will be too busy to teach. When you make your trip to the open day, try to ask whether that heroic figure you long to learn from will actually have time to be teaching.

While projects and individual research can be very rewarding, they can also he demanding. On some courses they are optional, on others compulsory and part of the assessment process. Some help you arrange them and perhaps place you with agencies (or, indeed, a work placement, something else to consider). At some places the fieldwork can last a week, at others it can be 20 weeks. Find out what the options are and how much assistance you'll be given. You may prefer to work alone, or you may prefer the structure of more traditional learning.