HIGHER EDUCATION
How do I apply?
Select an item from the list:
- Prospectuses and Open Days - If you have the chance, go to Higher Education Fairs – many colleges arrange such Fairs where representatives from universities are available to talk to. Go and ask questions.
Pick up the University Prospectus – have a look at quite a few as they will tell you what is out there in terms of courses. Go online and order them either through UCAS or individual university sites. Your college library and public library may well also have copies of some of the more popular university prospectuses.
Look out for when Universities have Open Days– take the time to visit and find out for yourself just what it is like. Try to visit both a campus based university [everything including accommodation all on one site] and a non-campus based university [accommodation and university buildings are spread out across a city].
Go to www.openday.com for details.
- UCAS - The majority of applications for Degrees, Foundation Degrees and HND courses go through a centralized system known as UCAS - www.ucas.com All UCAS applications are now done online– the normal closing date is 15th January, though if you apply through a school or college they may want your application in earlier.
REMEMBER – LATE APPLICATIONS - UCAS will actually accept applications up to September of the year in which you want to go to university, BUT any application received after 15th January is considered a late application.
Your school or college will help you with the application form, but you can also contact Connexions or UCAS for help.
You may make up to 5 choices of course on your UCAS form.
- Personal Statement or ‘How to sell yourself’ - This is one of the most important sections of the UCAS form – universities/colleges have a lot of applications to go through and they need to be able to tell from your application just WHAT makes you special and WHY they should offer you a place on the course.
Make your Personal Statement stand out by taking the time to think about what your strengths are, why you have chosen the course, what background experience you have, what your interests and achievements are.
Don’t underestimate the skills you do have – doing a paper round since you were young may seem insignificant, but it demonstrates that you can get up early and organise yourself even in bad weather! Good time management skills and commitment are skills that universities value in students! In applying to university, you may well have had to overcome personal challenges – life experience/disability/learning difficulties – dealing with these challenges is an achievement.
It is up to you whether you mention such things as having a physical or learning difficulty or that you have been in Care in your Personal Statement. However, it could be to your advantage as many universities/colleges now offer substantial bursaries [non-repayable grants] to students from these groups and may well give extra consideration to your application.
If you are applying as a mature student, think about the skills you have gained since leaving school or college – again, time management, commitment, good organisation are all skills that universities and colleges value in their students! Use the Personal Statement to demonstrate what skills you do have.
- Interview - When universities/colleges look at your UCAS application, they will decide to Accept, Reject or Invite you for an interview. Your college or Connexions can help you prepare if you are invited for an interview.
REMEMBER
If you’re invited for interview –
Read your UCAS application form before you go. It helps to remember what you said in your personal statement.
Read up about the course and think about why you want to do it.
Don’t be afraid to say ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I’m not sure I understand that question’.
That they will probably ask you what you intend to do after your course, so try to be prepared for that question.
Relax, try to be yourself and switch off your mobile before your interview.
You are there because they think you’ve got the potential to be on the course.
- Offers - If your application is accepted, a university will either make you an unconditional [U] offer or a conditional [C] offer. An unconditional offer offers a place irrespective of your grades and a conditional offer will ask for specific A Level grades or points.
Once you have received ALL the decisions from the universities/colleges you applied to, you will be asked to choose TWO offers – a FIRM offer [CF] or first choice offer and an INSURANCE offer [CI] in case you don’t get the grades for your first choice offer.
- UCAS Extra - If you decide to decline an offer or do not have any offers through your UCAS application, you can make a further application through UCAS Extra. Your college and UCAS will advise you, usually in March, if you are eligible.
- Clearing - If you don’t get the grades you expected, don’t panic!
- In August, contact the University whose FIRM offer you accepted to see if they will take you with lower grades or offer you a slightly different course.
- If not, you have your Insurance Offer so see if they will offer you a place.
- If not, then you can still apply for a university place through Clearing. Universities using the clearing system provide UCAS with a list of available places within a couple of days of A Level results in mid August.
- You contact the University Clearing Office directly to negotiate a place. UCAS and university websites will have details of all clearing vacancies. Many national newspapers also publish a list of all the universities that are offering places through Clearing. Your college or local Connexions Centre can advise you on how to apply.
INFORMATION
REMEMBER
The UCAS site
www.ucas.com is extremely useful and has links to other useful sites.
REMEMBER
The deadline for Oxbridge [Oxford and Cambridge] applications is much earlier than other UCAS applications – usually around 15th October. Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary related courses tend to use this date as well.
Art & Design courses have a choice of two entry routes – Route A and Route B. UCAS will advise which route a university is using.
CLEARING
In 2006, over 38,000 young people found a university/college place during Clearing