Preparing for the UCAS Process
We invited three leading figures in the world of higher education for a talk about preparing for university.
Mollie Charge, Admissions Manager at LIS
Clare Harrison, Head of Upper School at Merchant Taylor’s School
Daniel Keller, CEO at Unifrog
When should students start applying?
Students should start preparing for UCAS from the summer after Year 11 (GCSEs)
Use the long summer to visit universities (campus-based, city, countryside)
Work experience - it’s great to be exploring the subjects beyond A-Level
Different pathways - degree vs degree apprenticeship? You can apply through UCAS to universities and apprenticeships. This is really worth considering before.
Avoid the late-in-the-day banana skins
Try not to leave it too late - give yourself plenty of time and don't submit 1 minute before the deadline in case there's a tech issue.
Re-read application (all of it, not just the personal statement to ensure the phone numbers/emails are correct)
Do your research
Choose an insurance choice that you've visited.
Research the course - some are more independent vs tutor led and students might respond differently to each.
Personal statement
It's one personal statement so you need to make it work for all the subjects, courses, and universities that you're applying for
Universities want to see a passion for the subject -the extra mile.
Ensure the extra-curricular section is related to the course.
Try not to go into too much detail - narrow it down to what is relevant.
Picking universities
Visiting universities - try not to base on hearsay or league table ranking.
Decide the subject first and from that look at the institutions for that.
If you are looking at the league table ranking, don't focus broadly but on the individual subject(s) you're looking to apply to
Things to consider:
Student satisfaction
Costs
Campus/city
Close/far away from home
Think about grades and back up - don't pick universities with the same offer grades in case you need a backup.
There are lots of choices about universities and subjects and where it leads - try to do research for yourself e.g., if I want a job at X, I need to go to X and study X
How do I prepare for a straight degree vs joint honours?
Focus on the priority subject and bring in the additional subject with a link e.g., English and History of Art - has a painting inspired a book you've read?
ABC Method - Activity, Benefit and Conclusion - relating it back to the course.
How do I write about extra-curricular subjects in the Personal statement e.g for Medicine?
Usually, students are advised to have a couple of lines on their extra-curricular and link this back to skills. For medicine this is different as you'll need to add more information about work experience and what you've benefited from it.
The more vocational the direction of subject, the more opportunity there is to bring in other experiences.
Should I think about European universities?
Look for undergraduate courses that are taught in English - the Netherlands is one example. There are institutions in most European countries that offer courses in English, and fees can be cheaper than in the UK.
Private universities such as IE in Madrid are good for Business and they have partnerships with global employers with potential opportunities to work with them
New institutions in the UK such as LIS are also worth considering.
In Europe, the length of course is different. In the UK it's often 3-4 years, whereas in Europe it can be 4-5 years. Do you research - what is the case at one institution might be different for another.
Let your school know as early as possible if you're thinking of applying to Europe.
What should I do about internships?
Internships are becoming more important - it's not enough now to have a good degree, but also to have experience. When researching universities, it's important to look at the different support you can get for career provision.
If you don't know what you want to do after university, try and get as much experience as you can whilst at university.
Start as early as possible to get a good sense of the options that are out there
Predicted grades
Whatever your predictions are, you'll likely have to get those grades.
Lots of students want 3A* grades, but that's likely not in their best interest - there's no point in overpredicting in case you end up at a course or institution that doesn't appeal to you.
Predicted grades are important - if you can't meet the entrance grades with predicted grades, likely universities won't take the application further.
Give universities as much information as you can e.g., extenuating circumstances
Final reflections - what are universities looking for from candidates?
Passion and interest - ABC (Activity, Benefit, Conclusion). Someone who can clearly explain why with evidence.
Why are you interested and what makes you suitable? Highlight examples - what was it, what did you take/learn from it? Showing that you've gone above and beyond the school curriculum.
Looking for someone who is genuine - who has shown interest in a course not because their friend has told them or they think it'll lead to a certain job, but that they're teachable. If you're applying to a university and you're not enjoying the preparation, it's probably not the right thing for you. It's important to enjoy the preparation.