How do I apply for university?

Currently, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) handle all applications to UK universities. Along your journey to healthcare, you have probably heard of the UCAS application, but what exactly does it mean for you? 

Deadlines

If you plan to apply to university in the 2024 cycle (*or for 2025 deferred entry), then you need to register a UCAS account and fill in the application form ready to send off to your chosen unis. The deadline for this varies depending on where you apply and the course; some unis/ courses operate with an early applicant system. For those of you aspiring to study Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine and/or at Oxbridge, there is an early application deadline of 16th October 2023 at 18:00 (BST). The majority of other courses require your application to be submitted by 31st January 2024 at 18:00 (BST). You can check if your course demands an early application here: https://digital.ucas.com/search. Now you know when to apply by, but what does the application entail?

What do I actually have to do?

The first step is to register your account and, if linking your application to your school, then entering their buzzword. You will be given a personal ID number (make a note of it, it's important!). After doing so, you can access your hub where you will begin your application. Note that it is advised to do the application well in advance and it is also not necessary to complete it in one sitting. There is no set order you must complete the form in, but it is best practice to first fill in your personal details along with contact information, double checking everything is correct. 

For the ‘Finance and Funding’ section, if you are planning to take a student loan with the Student Loan Company, then select ‘UK, ChI, IoM or EU student finance services’. 

If you do not feel comfortable filling in the ‘Diversity and Inclusion’ section, it is perfectly okay to select ‘I prefer not to say’. 

The ‘Education’ section will ask you to input your Unique Learner Number which can be found on a qualifications slip such as your GCSE results, however if you are unsure of it, then leave it blank. If you are a current Year 13 student in the UK, fill in your GCSE results (or equivalent) alongside the date of your qualification (either the year and month you sat the exam or received the result for it) and your place of education. Then fill in your A-Level information such as exam board and subject; if you have not yet sat the exam then input the grade as ‘Pending’. 

With the deadline looming ever near, you are probably sick to death of redrafting and condensing that personal statement to align with the 4000 character limit. But before you put your feet up and accept your last draft as final, ensure you paste it into your application to make sure it also abides by the 47-line rule to avoid having to make last-minute changes. If you find yourself a couple lines over, consider taking out spaces between paragraphs as your statement will likely be condensed later anyway. If this still doesn’t fix the problem, fill in a personal statement review form at https://www.journeytohealthcare.co.uk/psreview and our team can help you out!

Choosing Unis

Lastly, UCAS asks you to input up to 5 university choices (note that for courses such as Medicine only 4 Med schools can be chosen) and this can seem very daunting. To aid you in your choice, it can help to consider:

• Entry requirements

• Style of teaching

• League tables

• Student satisfaction rates

• Accommodation

• For Oxbridge: use https://www.unifrog.org/student/oxbridge/long-list to help pick a potential college (you will have to make a Unifrog account to access this)

• Location 

It is also advised to choose at least one ‘safety’ school that has lower requirements for grades/ admissions tests to increase your chances of receiving an offer.

Sending the application

To send your form there is an administration fee of £27.50. If you would like to print your form, click on ‘review and submit’ and you can download it as a pdf (you can then go back to the application page).

Most importantly, remember that you are getting one step closer to achieving your aspirations. Good luck and Happy UCAS-ing!

To defer an application, ensure you have contacted the university prior to submitting your application to check that they will let you defer entry. It is also possible to contact them after to ask to change your entry date but this might not always be considered. 

Sources:

https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/what-and-where-study/how-choose-right-undergraduate-course-you

https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/ucas-undergraduate-when-apply

https://www.themedicportal.com/application-guide/ucas/