ACROSS the county, hundreds of 17 and 18-year-olds are preparing their final applications for university, typing and retyping their letters to make sure the admissions tutor has the perfect first impression.

Others, who are awaiting the results of their applications, are praying that their CVs and personal statements were embellished enough to secure them their place. The reason for the nerves is simple.

The cost of attending university - despite bursaries and grants for poorer students - is not yet prohibitive but, at the very least, it means it is more important than ever to secure a place at your first choice.

The option of going to a second or third choice is no longer a viable one for many people, because the potential cost of making the wrong decision is bigger than ever.

Teenagers need a knight in shining armour to lead them through the spiralling debt and top-up fees that university life could become - and, somewhat aptly, HERO has stepped in.

The Higher Education & Research Opportunities in the United Kingdom website offers the complete advice service for bewildered school-leavers.

The www.hero.ac.uk site not only take the stress out of searching for information on different universities and courses, it tackles the really crucial questions - "How will I fund it?", "What about a gap year?" and even, "Where will I live?"

"Deciding on which university or college to apply for, can be daunting," said HERO executive director Chris Harris. "The website helps with practical and impartial advice on all aspects of going to university and what to expect when you're there."

The site may sound simple, but it's a remarkable tool that allows tough decisions to be dissected and discussed at home with all the information to hand.

The need for a mountain of prospectuses or reams of computer print-outs is gone, and there's no danger of a five-minute meeting with a school careers adviser who knows a little about many universities but is short on detail for them all.

Reassuringly, the site does away with the need to read between the lines of the rose-tinted prose that universities use in their prospectuses. Instead, it offers straightforward facts.

The best advice on choosing a university has been - and always will be - to go to the campus, talk to students and lecturers, and "get a feel" for the place.

It usually takes just seconds to know if, as an individual, you'd feel comfortable studying there or not.

If you can't travel there, or if you want to make sure of your choice, you could do a lot worse than checking out the HERO website.

The UCAS deadline for applications is Saturday, January 15, 2005.

Howard pledges change of mood

PUPIL referral units will be expanded six-fold under a Conservative Government, Michael Howard announced yesterday.

The Opposition leader promised a £200m investment in the number of places in the units, for pupils expelled from schools.

In his speech, he said he planned to rebrand the referral units as Turnaround Schools, and said that, instead of dealing with disruptive pupils part-time, they would become full-time institutions.

Excluded children would only return to mainstream education after receiving a good behaviour certificate.

"Children learn best in a safe, secure and structured environment," he said. "They cannot learn in classes where loutish behaviour and disrespect for others are the norm."

Mr Howard also confirmed plans to abolishing independent appeal panels, which look at disputes over expulsions, preferring to hand the decision to headteachers and governors.

In his response to the Queen's Speech last week, Mr Howard criticised the Government's record on school discipline and truancy prevention.

Those who can ... train

MORE people in England are training to become teachers than at any time in almost three decades, the latest figures show.

The Teacher Training Agency says 34,400 began courses this year - the most since 1975 - with another 6,900 people expected to learn on the job.

The combined total is 700 more than last year and represents the sixth annual increase.

The TTA's census of universities, colleges and schools shows more people are training to be primary school teachers than last year.

However, fewer have joined secondary courses.