1. Making your application to UCAS Part 3 Setting yourself apart
Aim: to understand how to make your academic and personal profile stand out from the crowd

2. Enhancing your academic profile
Apart from the required grades, universities look for people who show a commitment to their studies
How can you do this?

3. Enhancing your academic profile
Summer schools
Subject / taster days
Use the University of Northampton library
Complete an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) in a topic closely related to your chosen course
Complete a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course)

4. University taster days and other events

5. University of Northampton
Allow public access to their library
Hold events / lectures available to the general public

7. Other universities eg LSE http://www. lse. ac

9. Sign up for a MOOC http://www. southampton. ac. uk/moocs/howtoresearch

10. Read! Online blogs Periodicals A quality broadsheet newspaper
Text books other than your set texts

11. Blogs eg http://www.tutor2u.net/
Ask your subject teacher to recommend a website

12. Periodicals available in the LRC
Choose some articles to analyse and write about
These will act as a prompt in an interview or impress in a personal statement!

13. Newspapers are available in the LRC
Read and analyse articles
Make notes to aid your memory

14. Text books other than your set texts
Ask your teachers for recommendations

15. Enhancing your personal profile
Register your volunteer hours -

16. Analyse what you’ve got out of volunteering:
What have you done / observed?
What impressed you?
What have you learned?
Analyse a particular instance where your volunteering made a difference
Could things be done differently / better?
How has this affected your choice of course / career?

17. Complete and evaluate a period of work shadowing
What have you done / observed?
What impressed you?
What have you learned?
How did the staff interact?
What skills did they use?
How has this affected your choice of course / career?

18. Extra-curricular activities and part time jobs
How do these demonstrate:
Time management?
Sustained commitment?
Financial awareness?
Team work?
Leadership?
Transferrable skills?
That you will be a better student?