Making a Competitive University Application Jacqui Howard MA Cantab MEd PGCE Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge

Choosing a course Things to think about: Your academic and wider interests – be open minded DON’T JUDGE A COURSE BY ITS TITLE Course requirements – for entrance and throughout Course structure Course content Assessment style Graduate prospects – professional requirements, transferable skills

Subject Choice and Career Prospects Most top jobs specify no subject when they are advertised e.g. law, business and finance, public administration, non- governmental organisations, journalism and publishing A small number of careers do require a degree in a particular subject e.g. Architecture; Engineering; Medicine; Veterinary Medicine

Accountancy & tax recruits

Banking & investment recruits

Legal training recruits

Arts & recreation recruits

History graduate destinations

Engineering graduate destinations

How do AS/A2 Level choices fit into this? The original AS subjects you choose and the subjects you choose to continue to A2 can have a significant impact upon the subject choices available to you when you apply to university; in other words, making inappropriate choices now might restrict your options later, and reduce your chances of winning a place on the right course for you Admissions Tutors often prefer applicants to have taken particular subjects, or combinations of subjects, as these provide the best preparation for their courses – do your research! Don’t fall into the ‘just take what you’re good at/what you enjoy’ trap and end up with a poor combination of subjects

Critical elements of application success The four ‘R’s Right subject Excellent examination record Read and think – critically and analytically Embed your learning and revise

What do admissions tutors look for? The basics: Genuine subject interest Good ‘fit’ between applicant and course Potential Core knowledge/technical fluency Focus and determination Ability to learn independently Vocational commitment (where appropriate)

Personal Statements Write with integrity, and be selective, critical and analytical Don’t write anything you don’t want to talk about if interviewed! Some universities will place more weight on the PS than others – you need to tailor it to all 5 choices, avoid displaying a clear preference for one choice Russell Group institutions suggest rough 70-75% / 25-30% balance in academic subject based discussion versus extra-curricular activities, but look for HEI-specific preferences and think about the courses you’re applying for (e.g. practical or not)

Personal Statements Write first about your interest in the subject, your wider reading and other ways in which you have explored the subject (~70%) Your interest in your subject area and the courses Relevant subjects you have studied Why this particular subject? Need to show genuine academic interest. Aspects of particular interest in the subject? Link to current studies and interests – link present and future

Personal Statements Don’t confuse extra-curricular with super-curricular Super-curricular exploration: Reading Other wider exploration Relevant work experience Then write about extra-curricular activities/positions of responsibility (~30%) Different universities will consider extra-curricular activities differently

Personal Statements Full use of space – but paragraphed. Use the UCAS guide (4000 characters/47 lines) but roughly 500 words/side of A4. Use a clear structure: engaging introduction, development and expansion of material, positive conclusion. Don’t just talk about what you’ve done but what you’ve gained by doing it – use it to back up claims about yourself. e.g. “I am very confident and have excellent communication skills” is vague and unproven. However, “I reached the finals of the Buckinghamshire Young People’s Oratory Competition in May 2011, speaking to an audience of 500 people on the importance of local libraries” gives evidence of your confidence and communication skills and describes a relevant experience you’ve had.

Personal Statements Try to avoid clichés – “I have a thirst for knowledge…”, “Ever since I was a child I’ve…”, “It is my dream to…” Show enthusiasm and motivation but limit your fire-related metaphors – ‘sparked’, ‘ignited’ etc! Be passionate, don’t say it! Your statement MUST be error free! Absolutely NO spelling, punctuation or grammatical mistakes – no matter what your chosen course is! Do not rely on electronic spell-checkers – proof-read it yourself, numerous times, then get others to read it too. It should be fluent and not a burden to read. Allow time for multiple drafts and edits. No jargon, slang, non-standard English or abbreviations. No rambling, repetition or irrelevancies. Be original – don’t take ‘good bits’ from examples online - UCAS has a similarity detection service and you will be pulled up on this. It is a PERSONAL statement!

Tests and submitted work Pre-interview or at-interview tests (e.g. BMAT, LNAT, TSA) Understand pace and structure by looking at practice papers on internet Revise science and maths content where appropriate Aptitude tests (e.g. BMAT) are not generally content-based, though in most cases knowledge will be rewarded to some extent Submitted work Look it over again before interview The most effective submitted work tends to be that which applicants are likely to enjoy discussing and which has been completed relatively recently

Interviews More and more universities are calling similarly-qualified applicants to interview, for a variety of courses. Everywhere will be different – find out what you should expect from each HEI. Interview practice works best with somebody you’re not comfortable with or don’t know well. Get used to thinking out loud and having discussions. Talk to people!

Work Experience Work experience can help admissions tutors understand a prospective student. "Work experience is one of the things that can give me some idea of how a student can reflect analytically on new experience. But simply listing where you have completed work placements isn't enough: However glamorous or enterprising it was, if a student can't reflect thoughtfully on it — well that counts against them." (Mary Beard, Cambridge) Don’t dwell on where or how prestigious your work experience is, focus on how you applied yourself when you were there. What you gained from it is more important than what you did. Whilst some universities will place more weight on work experience, it does not make up for low grades. For some subjects work experience is imperative (e.g. Medicine), for others it is not essential. Universities know that not everybody has the same work experience opportunities available to them.

Summary Right course match of aptitude and interests Recent academic track record must be excellent Read outside the course Revise the material you have studied