THE STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH
This guide is intended for all who are considering uni., at whatever stage, including those who have left school/college after Year 13.
If you click on a Step number in the list of contents below, you will be taken to that section of the website.
Some of these steps listed below will apply to all potential applicants. Others will apply to those with specific interests and needs. So don’t be put off by the length of the list! You might find it reassuring to read what I put in the Conclusion (Step 71) before embarking on Stage 1.
The suggested order and time scheme is based on students studying for 2 years in the Sixth Form (Year 12 and 13), and appropriate adjustments need to be made by those applying outside this structure. Not all students can or will start their research early in Year 12. Those who begin much later will have missed some opportunities, but most of this guide will be relevant to those whose decision to apply only comes after the start of a given year’s application cycle on 1 September.
Step-by-step number suggested time scheme
STAGE 1 : BASIC RESEARCH
Year 12 : September
Step 1 Sixth Form subject choice
What is a university?
Step 2 Degree programmes
Step 3 A very brief history of UK universities
Step 4 Some basic differences among universities
Step 5 Are there any similarities among UK universities?
Step 6 Keeping an open mind
Year 12 : Autumn Term and Christmas Vacation
Step 7 What can I do this year to get myself a good reference for university application (UCAS reference)?
Step 8 Visiting universities in the Half Term break (Part 1)
Step 9 Work experience and shadowing (Health and Social Care subjects, Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary)
Step 10 Taster courses (Part 1)
Researching possible university subjects
Step 11 Preliminary thoughts about subject
Step 12 Degree programmes accredited by professional bodies
Step 13 Degree programmes NOT accredited by professional bodies
Step 14 Website research at module level
Step 15 Further reading, the Extended Project Qualification and competitions
Year 12 : Spring Term and Easter Vacation
Step 16 Work experience and work shadowing (general)
Step 17 Taster courses (Part 2)
Step 18 Visiting universities in the Half Term break (Part 2)
Step 19 Higher Education Exhibitions (HE Fairs)
Step 20 Open Day visits
Step 21 Specific Learning Differences : questions to ask on a university visit
Step 22 Mental health and other health needs
Step 23 How to read a university prospectus
Step 24 How to use a university website
STAGE 2 : REFINING CHOICES
Year 12 : Summer Term and Summer Vacation
Step 25 Starting your UCAS form
Step 26 How useful are league tables?
Step 27 What is the relevance of the 2014 Research Excellence Framework to undergraduate applicants?
Step 28 Refining subject and university choice
Step 29 Contacting current students
Step 30 Collecting material for your Personal Statement and planning for the vacation
Step 31 Good and bad features in Personal Statement writing
Step 32 Entry tests
Step 33 The summer vacation between Year 12 and Year 13
Applying to Oxford and Cambridge
Step 34 Who should apply?
Step 35 Visiting Oxford and Cambridge
Step 36 Choosing a college
Step 37 The application process
Applying for Dentistry, Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
Step 38 Qualities needed
Step 39 Deciding which unis. to apply to
Step 40 Preparation for the UKCAT and BMAT tests
Step 41 Completing any work experience
Step 42 Conducting relevant scientific research
Step 43 Conducting research in areas likely to be encountered at interview
Step 44 The application process
Step 45 Useful websites
Step 46 A useful book
Work-related degree programmes
Step 47 Foundation Degree programmes
Step 48 Sandwich degree programmes
Step 49 Company-sponsored degree programmes
Step 50 Other work-related learning in degree programmes
Step 51 Degree Apprenticeships and Higher Apprenticeships
Single Honours, Joint Honours and Combined Honours degree programmes
Step 52 Single Honours (single focus and integrated) programmes
Step 53 Joint Honours and Major/Minor Honours (double focus and less integrated) programmes
Step 54 Combined Honours programmes (three subjects or more)
Step 55 Different types of Foundation programme
STAGE 3 : THE APPLICATION PROCESS
Year 13 : Autumn Term and Christmas Vacation
Step 56 Final decision on subject(s) and universities
Step 57 Completing the UCAS form
Step 58 The UCAS reference
Step 59 “Gap year” decisions
Step 60 Entry tests, additional forms and questionnaires
Step 61 Interviews
Step 62 What happens after I apply?
Year 13 : Spring Term and Easter Vacation
Step 63 Post-application Open Days
Step 64 UCAS Extra
Step 65 Conditional and Unconditional offers
Step 66 Firm and Insurance choices
Year 13 : Summer Term and Summer Vacation
Step 67 Notifying unis. about special consideration
Step 68 Confirmation and Clearing
Step 69 Examination re-marks
Step 70 UCAS’s Adjustment process
Step 71 Conclusion