Helpful Tips when completing your UCAS application Helen Lee Professional Development Officer

Online research – where to go for useful information 05/02/2016 At the heart of connecting people to higher education 2 ▪ UCAS website ▪ UCAS Course Finder and Entry Profiles University websites UCAS connect ▪ Unistats

UCAS Course Finder 05/02/2016 At the heart of connecting people to higher education 3

Course and Institution Information

Entry Profiles ▪ Accessed via UCAS website  ▪ Details presented within Course Finder ▪ 2 x routes (International and EU/Home students) ▪ Most courses have an Entry Profile ▪ Provide clear, up to date information ▪ Help you to make fully informed choices ▪ Same course title – different experience ▪ Transparent routes of application and selection ▪ Bursary and scholarship information

Making a UCAS application Every applicant has six sections to complete: Personal details Student Finance Choices Education Employment Personal statement Forward to tutor: Reference  UCAS  Universities / colleges

Key features of the UCAS scheme One application per admissions cycle Application fee £23 / £13 single choice Maximum 5 choices (some restrictions) Simultaneous consideration ‘Invisibility’

Key dates and deadlines Early September – Apply centres and independent applicants can start to submit completed applications 15 October Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Oxford or Cambridge 15 January – main deadline date 24 March – deadline date for some Art & Design courses 30 June – last date for submission of applications with initial choices

Personal Statement - the section that has applicants tearing their hair out!

How is the Personal Statement used? As part of selection institutions weight the importance differently Helps distinguish between applicants with similar academic profiles Some look for ‘reasons to reject’! As the basis for interviews Keep a copy to refresh your memory For ‘near misses’ at confirmation In clearing Keep a copy to refresh your memory

Activity Benefit Course Activity Benefit Course What you’ve done What skills it has given you How these relate to your course Personal Statement ABC Guide Good Better Best  Structured, clear, concise, precise  Avoid waffle, slang and inappropriate language  Check GRAMMAR and SPELLING GRAMMAR SPELLING

Example format for a personal statement Opening Section Provide insightful reasons for choosing the subject Demonstrate commitment to the subject Middle Section Opportunity for the writer to identify themselves as a reflective and mature individual with appropriate skills, knowledge and attitudes Final Section Needs to be ‘punchy’ and leave the reader with a firm impression of a strong desire to study the subject chosen

Common Opening sentences 1. am currently studying Highers / Advanced Highers in... 2.From a young age I have always been interested in... 3.From an early age I have always been interested in... 4.Nursing is a challenging and demanding career... 5.For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated with... 6.For as long as I can remember I have been interested Academically I have always been a very determined and... 8.“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only”...

Strong opening Capture the reader’s attention “I have always wanted to be a teacher ever since I was very young. I liked learning and thought it would be good to teach” “Making a rocket style engine from a bottle of lemonade; working with class mates to create a human model of the solar system; explaining in written reports what we had learned: these were the classes that inspired a passion for learning in me…and later a desire to pass on that passion to others”

But don’t go over the top… … and when I’m not working towards World Peace, I enjoy learning languages from scratch, writing symphonies and playing a standard of tennis that Andy Murray can only dream about.’

Decision making by institutions An admissions tutor may initially make one of three decisions: Unconditional offer Conditional offer Unsuccessful Or recommend: A place on an alternative course

Track Enables you to follow the progress of your application (24/7, access via password) Quickest way to find out about new offers You can reply to offers online

Applicant replies to offers Once the final decision has been received, a maximum of two offers may be held Applicants have a choice of three reply options: Firm acceptance Insurance acceptance Decline the offer

Helen Lee Professional Development Officer Any questions? Good luck for the future!