A lot of secondary schools and colleges make a BIG deal about the UCAS application form and to some extent they are not wrong to do so. BUT it really isn’t as difficult as a lot of people make out. You just need to be sure on what you want to do, where you want to do it, and clear on what you can bring to the course you have chosen. In other words, how will you benefit the University?
From my own experience, in 2006! A long time ago but trust me I remember it well – I remember my teachers making us do our applications a year in advance, they were also very ‘persuasive’ about me putting in certain information – which can make a person feel more pressured, and therefore stressed. I’m not saying this is wrong as it does show a level of care and attention from the said academic but it is important to remember that the UCAS application is a reflection of you as an individual, it is also your first impression with a particular and relevant academic.
I applied for LLB Law, and I was sure that one day I wanted to be a barrister.The first step was deciding on where I wanted to apply to. I based this on primarily wanting to be in the London area. I applied to some top universities because I was predicted high grades and I applied to some others so that if I did not meet all my predicted grades, I would have a fall back choice. At the time Greenwich was not one of the top University’s on my list but the location, history and architecture attracted my attention. Today, Greenwich is rated as the highest in London for Student Satisfaction in the NUS survey and the Law department have won many awards for their achievements. I was truly lucky to go there.
The next stage was putting in all the details and finding the relevant information. This can mostly be found on the www.ucas.com website. If there is any information you cannot find such as details on courses or course codes, it is best to contact the University directly. In the case of Greenwich the number is; 02083319000.
In regards to your predicted grades encourage your teachers to be realistic. I remember trying to ‘coerce’/ beg my teachers to give me a high predicted grade because 1) I thought I was capable, 2) I thought it would motivate me to do my best and 3) I thought that a higher grade would give me a better chance in getting what I wanted. This isn’t the case as usually you are offered a conditional offer based on you achieving your predicted grades. Knowing how well you are going to do on exam day is hard to predict, especially when unforeseen factors such as illness, pain, lack of sleep, stress etc can come in to play – so make sure you don’t put any added pressure on yourself with high expected grades and just do your best.
There will then be opportunities to input details regarding qualifications and work experience. This must be accurate and if in doubt of what you should or shouldn’t put in, you should put in all your qualifications. It may not be exactly relevant to the course, but in the eyes of the academic looking at your application, it may show another skill.
After this you must attach a personal statement. In my opinion this is the most important part and should be checked by someone that you trust to give you a good and honest opinion. It can be an academic or someone that has experience within this area. Note: this is your first impression and for some people it can be hard to make a good one via words. So give it some adequate time and attention. When I did mine, I initially made a plan. I wanted to stand out; so I remember opening my personal statement with a catchy quotation that was relevant to the subject I wanted to study, Law. I then introduced myself. It is important to be clear and concise. Academics read thousands of personal statements and if it is badly written and a lot of ‘waffle’, they will lose interest and end up skim reading your statement. After this, I wrote why I wanted to study law, in some cases I referred to specific modules that the University’s offered – this shows that I have done my research and in many cases a lot of University’s will offer similar modules; so you can be broad here. If possible use examples of statements you make. In regards to why I wanted to study law I spoke about work experience I had done: articulating what I had gained from the work experience, what I had achieved, learnt and what I hoped to do with it.
I briefly touched upon why I wanted to study in London, as this was a commonality throughout my choices. Try, if you can, to make the University feel as if you are only talking to them, rather than the truth – which is that you are applying for more than one University and not all of them can be your first choice.
Another good tip is try to add something different and current – in the case of Law this could be a relevant case in the news, for example the Stephen Lawrence case and the new laws on double jeopardy. Remember to state why you believe what you are talking about is important to you. You don’t want to just fire random statements at them without showing your reasoning behind it. This shows that you have a personal passion for the subject that you are applying for. Remember; give your personal statement a strong and positive conclusion.
Finally, you will be asked to give a reference. Make sure that this is someone that knows you and preferably an academic reference and an employer. If you have not yet had a job then use another academic reference or personal tutor. Your reference is another way for the University to find out more about you. Remember a referee can be honest but cannot say anything that could be regarded as slander. Referees, therefore usually focus on your good points but the better the referee knows you the more positive things they will have to say.
Remember, you don’t have to do your UCAS application alone. Get someone to check your personal statement! Be yourself and try to show as much of yourself as possible. In these situations it is vital to not be shy. If you are naturally shy, fake it and act as though you are confident in your skills and have an outgoing personality. Finally, I wish you good luck in your application process.
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