Applying
Have you had a look at the timeline on this website?
All undergraduate applications normally go through UCAS, which is a national organisation which organises all applications. Postgraduate applications normally be handled directly by the universities in question, but UCAS has started to offer an application system for many of these through UKPass. It's still important to do your own research though, because not all courses on offer are linked to this system (yet).
From the timeline you will have had a good idea of what is expected already if you are an undergraduate (new degree student).
I can help you through the process from planning when you are 16 through to helping you plan and manage your application to your start at your favourite university.
Referee:
You would need to find someone who can write a reference for you, in English, and who can talk to universities should this be required. Having a reference written in your own language and having it then translated is not permitted! Of course, this person needs to know you quite well, both academically and as a person.
Work experience:
Competition is getting more and more fierce for fewer places. Especially for those degrees which are in high demand, such as law, medicine and nursing. Work experience can make the difference between getting a place or not, especially for the more practical/vocational degrees. many, if not most people in the UK do some form of work experience, voluntary work or anything else that benefits and supports their application. If you decide not to do this you may find yourself at a disadvantage. If you would like to study medicine it's of course not expected you've done open heart surgery, but you could think of the skills, insights and personality you need to have/develop to be a good doctor, and look for work experience that will benefit you. It doesn't always have to be the most obvious option. Something different may make you stand out in a good way! This is a challenging thing to think about and organise. I can talk through your options with you in this respect and see what we can do that is helpful.
Personal statement:
Your personal statement may be one of the most important things you write for a long time. Together with your secondary school results and your interview, if you will have one, it's one of the 'make or break' aspects of getting in. Very basically, it consists of more or less one A4 page of writing to support your application. This may include any experiences you had, why you would be a good student for university x to have, why you would like to study subject y, your insight or knowledge of the subject etc… No need to say, one A4 page is not a lot of space to write all of that down, so every word and every letter, space etc… counts! You ideally will also need to include the key words the reader of your personal statement wants to hear, after all, familiarity makes agreement easier. The personal statement will take up most of your time of the actual application… it needs to be as perfect as it can be!
In addition to all this, it’s very important not to copy anything as UCAS uses anti plagiarism software to go through statements. You will be caught out!
I can support you from the beginning in putting a statement together and I can support you using a very straightforward (if anything is straightforward writing a personal statement!) method to get you started… and hopefully finished. Alternatively, I am more than happy to check your personal statement for content as well as grammar, spelling/typos, layout etc…
Interview:
The interview is not there to catch you out but to find those students that will do best on the course and those who fit in best with the university's culture and way of teaching. Sometimes universities will ask you what sounds like very strange questions to make you think creatively and on the spot. It’s all too easy to pre-prepare the most obvious questions or to recite directly from one of your course books. Interviews are daunting to anyone, but at the same time there is nothing to be afraid of. After all… you’ve been preparing for the best part of six years!
Entry tests (BMAT, ELAT, TSA, STEP…):
For some degrees and at some universities you will have to sit an entry test before you are accepted. This will be mentioned in the course description, where you will also find the sort of test you will have to sit. It’s often important to contact the university/universities you apply to, to make sure you sit the right paper. Normally those tests, for UK based students, will be taken at their school or college. This is of course not possible if you live abroad. Most countries will have a centre where you can sit this test and I can help you find out and arrange this. Be aware of when these tests take place and leave plenty of time to organise your place. It will cost something as well…
English (or Welsh?):
I don’t need to say that, when coming to a university in the UK, your knowledge of English needs to be of a sufficient standard to be able to cope with university level study. There are two main ways of doing this:
- IELTS or the International English Language Testing System: arguably the most required test for entry to UK universities.
- ESOL or English for Speakers of Other Languages: required for some courses at UK universities and well respected by employers.
- TOEFL or Test of English as a foreign language, is sometimes required in the UK but is mainly aimed at American universities.
Which of these you need to take depends on which university and which course. Most of the time, the preferred test will be mentioned in the course description. It is possible to sit these tests quite late in the application procedure, but it could also be useful to do this early on and to mention it in your application. This may make it easier for universities to say yes to your application.
All these tests assess your reading, listening, writing and speaking ability and will attach a score to your result.
- Academic IELTS is scored between 0 and 9 (expert user)
- The ESOL course is scored differently and it depends on the papers you sat. CAE and CPE are the most interesting for applicants to university and these are graded A to E, where A to C grades are passes. CPE is the highest level, similar to the level of native speakers.