How to research and apply

Courses, colleges and UCAS forms

You can download this presentation from -

www.oxford.lu/prepare.htm

USE UCAS TO RESEARCH COURSESwww.ucas.ac.uk

• Information about ALL UK higher education courses– Good starting point for an on-line search– Links to the universities’ own websites – …much more detail there– Also information about UK student finance– Information for parents, schools and universities– Frequently Asked Questions and extensive help

• Aim at Oxford or Cambridge– but also find alternatives– N.B. these slides are based on 2013 entry courses and

application process – they may be some changes for 2014.

www.ucas.ac.uk

www.cam.ac.uk/study-at-cambridge

Choosing a college

www.oxford.ac.uk/admissions

Oxford courses

Look at related courses

Look at the statistics!Archaeology & Anthropology 23 24,5%

Biochemistry 101 28,0%

Biological Sciences 108 32,8%

Biomedical Sciences 33 16,9%

Chemistry 181 36,8%

Classical Archaeology & Ancient History 17 27,1%

Classics 126 40,5%

Classics & English 5 24,1%

Classics & Modern Languages 12 31,6%

Classics & Oriental Studies 2 28,6%

Computer Science 25 20,9%

Computer Science & Philosophy 8 30,8%

Earth Sciences (Geology) 34 24,0%

Economics & Management 94 9,0%

Engineering Science 156 26,6%

Engineering, Economics & Management 11 8,4%

English Language & Literature 245 20,3%

English & Modern Languages 17 11,4%

European & Middle Eastern Languages 6 16,7%

Experimental Psychology 64 20,8%

Fine Art 21 14,9%

Geography 85 21,6%

History 227 24,2%

History (Ancient & Modern) 13 18,9%

History & Economics 13 14,9%

History & English 10 12,8%

History & Modern Languages 17 21,0%

History & Politics 46 17,8%

History of Art 14 10,8%

Human Sciences 28 24,4%

Law 230 10,6%

Materials Science 35 29,3%

Materials, Economics & Management 1 29,3%

Mathematics 172 20,1%

Mathematics & Computer Science 24 24,8%

Mathematics & Philosophy 19 25,0%

Mathematics & Statistics 13 11,9%

Medicine 155 10,6%

Minimum entrance requirements – all subjects

• Luxembourg– Diplôme de Fin d'Etudes Secondaires - overall score of at least 50.

• International Baccalaureat– total score of at least 38 points including core points, with 6s and 7s in subjects

taken at the Higher level.• European Baccalaureat

– Average of 85% or above, with scores of between 8 and 9 in specified subjects.• France

– French Baccalauréat or Option Internationale du Baccalauréat - average score of at least 15.

• UK– A-levels between A*A*A and AAA depending on the subject.

• Germany– Abitur with a total mark between 1.0 and 1.5 with scores of between 13 and 15 in

individual subjects.• Belgium

– Certificat d'Enseignement Secondaire Supérieur - average score of at least 8. Scores of 9 may be required in particular subjects.

Selection criteria

Tests

Example – Physics Admissions Test

Plan your time (1)• NOW (if not already doing this)– Read around your subjects – Make sure you can discuss your subjects in English.

• if you are not studying in English, read English books/articles about your subject so you have appropriate vocabulary

• End of summer term: – Finalise your choice of courses– ask your school teacher who coordinates UK applications

for a reference – make sure they know you will apply to Oxford or Cambridge and deadline is 15th October

– Start drafting your Personal Statement– Study requirements for entrance tests and start practice

UCAS application system• Not only an information source but also the single portal for

all UK university applications• Apply for up to five courses at different universities through

a single form filled out on-line.– For courses starting in 2014 applications open from late June

2013• After application UCAS lets the student follow the progress of

the application and make choices about offers from universities.

• For most students, UCAS automatically informs universities of examination grades achieved and confirms places offered.

• For those students not achieving the grades required for their chosen courses, UCAS provides a ‘clearing’ system which may find you a place on a similar course at another institution.

UCAS processRegister for

UCAS accountFill out on-line

forms

Submit completed

forms

School adds reference and

predicted grades

UCAS gives chosen universities access to your application(they don’t see which other universities you have chosen)

U1

Reject

Offer

U2

Reject

Offer

U3

Reject

Offer

U4

Reject

Offer

U5

Reject

Offer

Student selects first and second choice offers

Exam results to

UCAS

UCAS confirms

offers

Student accepts

confirmed offer

www.ucas.ac.uk

Registration screens ask for:•Name, address, birth-date•UK resident or not•Address/telephone•E-mail address – • use a ‘boring’ e-mail address!

•Password choice•Security questions

UserID is displayed at the end of registration – make a note!To link your application to your school, you need a ‘buzzword’ provided by your school.•but you always can add it later

Work through the sections in any order.•Enter data or choose from a list•Click “Save” at the bottom of each page•Completed sections show a •You can go back and change anything before you submit the application

If you log out and log in again later, you can carry on from where you left off.•You don’t have to complete the whole process in one session!There are links to help on every page and a telephone helpline if you are really stuck!

Personal details•Name and contact details copied from registration•Country of birth, nationality and residency•Passport details if you need a student visa•How you will pay for your studies•Whether you want to get junk mail!•You can give a parent or teacher the right to discuss your application with UCAS•Whether you have any criminal convictions•Whether you have any disabilities

Student finance•If you have not lived in the UK for 3 years before your course would start, you only have to read some information and move on.

ChoicesHere is where you enter the details of up to five courses of study for which you want to applyYou can apply for fewer than five courses but•Only ONE from Oxford or Cambridge•Maximum of FOUR for medicine, dentistry or veterinary medicine

Institution code and course code from UCAS or university website – choose from list

For Oxford or Cambridge, Campus Code means College

Start year

Will you be living at home?!

Education•Enter up to ten schools and dates•Say whether you have or will have formal qualifications from this school•Many schools in Luxembourg are on the list!

Enter Qualifications attained at each school attended•Choose from list or type in details•Further screens depend on type of qualification selected•Add as much detail as possible of subjects studied•Choose ‘pending’ for results of exams not yet taken

Enter details of any employment•if experience relevant to course

Personal statement• Study UCAS guidelines carefully!

http://www.ucas.com/students/applying/howtoapply/personalstatement/– Your chance to tell them about yourself and grab their

attention in no more than 4000 characters– Explain why the course is right for you and you are right for

the course– Present yourself in a favourable light, but don’t invent!

• Write off-line (not on UCAS web page) and paste into the UCAS form when complete.

• Must be your own words – not parents or friends– but get someone to proof-read to check for mistakes!

• Big challenge to write about yourself – so start early and expect to re-write several times until you are happy with it!

Reference•If applying as an individual, fill in referee contact details•If your application is linked to your school, most of this section is not shown•You don’t see the reference or predicted grades!

Teachers’ references• Confidential section of UCAS form completed by

teachers• Includes their predicted marks for you in your school-

leaving exams• Must be in English - most schools have an English-

speaking teacher to complete this• But it needs input from teachers of all your main

subjects• To maximise your chances teachers should follow

UCAS guidelines!http://www.ucas.com/students/applying/howtoapply/reference

Review and check all details

When you are sure everything is correct and complete, Pay and Send•Major credit cards accepted•Fee is ~£23•If applying as an individual, you wait until your referee has added their reference before sending.

• September: – Check that your teacher has done / will do your reference

• remind them of deadline of 15th October for Oxford or Cambridge (15th January for other UK universities)

– Complete your Personal Statement– Complete your part of the UCAS form and submit

• September-October– Continue to study requirements for entrance tests and do

practice– Study guidelines for preparing for interviews (from

Luxembourg Oxford & Cambridge societies)– Apply to the societies for a practice interview

before 15th October

Plan your time (2)

• Tests at a Luxembourg test centre– UK-wide tests for Medicine and Law held sometime in October– Oxford entrance tests held on one day in 1st week of November

• Practice interview in Luxembourg– Apply to the societies for a practice interview– Will happen some time between mid-October and end

November• Interviews at Oxford & Cambridge – first half of December

– May include tests at Cambridge– Expect to spend one night in Oxford/Cambridge

• Offer of places for Oxford & Cambridge– first half of January

• Offers from other universities by end of March– follow progress of your application through UCAS – Track

Plan your time (3)

UCAS Track• Log into Track with your UCAS userid to update information if

you circumstances change (address, telephone, etc)• In Track you will see a list of the courses for which you applied• By the end of March you will receive for each course– An unconditional offer (rare), or– an offer conditional on achieving certain exam grades, or– notification that your application was unsuccessful.

• By early May, you have to reply to all offers– Firm acceptance – for your preferred course– Insurance acceptance – for your second choice (lower offer)– Reject the rest

• You will receive confirmation letters from UCAS and the universities

• Once you have your examination grades, you confirm your final course choice and enrolment is automatic.– University will send details of how to apply for

accommodation and when to arrive to start your studies!

A challenge for you

• You need to be able –– to RESEARCH– to PLAN– to MAINTAIN high marks at school– to PREPARE yourself for tests and interviews

• A test of your character and self-discipline