insideKENT Magazine Issue 96 - March 2020 | Page 153

IN ASSOCIATION WITH
EDUCATION
APPLYING FOR UNIVERSITY IS PERHAPS ONE OF THE MOST DAUNTING YET EXCITING
APPLICATIONS A STUDENT CAN MAKE. GONE ARE THE SHACKLES OF COMPULSORY CURRICULUM
MANDATES, LIMITED SUBJECT OFFERS AND THE RIGIDITY OF SIXTH FORM CONFINEMENT. BUT
WITH A MYRIAD OF OPPORTUNITIES COMES CRUCIAL DECISION MAKING AND AN APPLICATION
JOURNEY THAT NEEDS TO BE PLANNED AND SUPPORTED.
PREPARING FOR UNIVERSITY APPLICATIONS
Deciding to go to University is all about choice. But
this is no longer the case of choosing GCSEs, A-
Levels, IB or vocational qualifications based on the
offer available, ability and interest; perhaps swayed
by parental and teacher influence, or in some cases
with a stronger sense of what a future career may
require, (although let’s face it how many people are
actually doing the job they thought they would be
aged 13 or 16?). The journey to university is about
atmosphere and experiences sought, campus choice
and course discovery. And of course, once those tens
of thousands of course choices have been investigated
and narrowed down to just five, (yes five!), there is
the actual application itself.
UCAS
In the UK, applications to almost all registered
university courses, or those offered by their partner
delivery colleges, are made through UCAS - the
University and Colleges Admission Service. Whilst
some specialist providers such as drama or dance
schools or private (non-student loan financed)
institutions will have separate applications that need
to be made directly to the provider, for the vast
majority of students considering university study,
they will need to tackle the UCAS application.
The UCAS Application
UCAS opens its applications in the summer the year
before entry - so for those applying for an Autumn
2021 entry date, applications will open from June
this year. It seems incredible but as soon as Year 12
or Lower Sixth have settled into sixth form life, so
the focus turns to the next stage of their progression.
Open days begin, futures talks progress, and advice
and guidance sessions for both students and their
parents/guardians will begin; with the first round of
UCAS deadlines - for those applying to Oxbridge
- occurring just five weeks into the first term of Year
13/Upper Sixth, on the 15th October, with other
course applications closing on 15th January.
Applicants need to register on the online UCAS
Apply portal, here they will be issued with their
unique username and will create their own password
to access not only their application, but also the
Track system that delivers information about
admissions tests, interviews, portfolio submissions,
and auditions, as well as delivering the hopefully
positive offer decisions.
Cleverly application are linked to an applicant’s
current school or college, allowing the institution’s
dedicated UCAS coordinator, usually a head of
careers or head of sixth form, to monitor the
application, provide feedback and ultimately approve
the application; adding the student’s school/college
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