Enia
So, it’s that time of year again, when UCAS deadlines are looming. But there’s no need to panic. Hopefully you’ve completed the majority of your application by this point, so all that’s left is a few tweaks. Here are my top tips to make your application the best it can be:
1. Double check your information
Inputting your details, like your GCSE grades and address, was probably one of the first things that you did as part of completing the UCAS application. However, you may not have checked it since. Just take a couple of minutes to check that these little details are right; the last thing you want is a university querying your grades or sending information to the wrong address!
2. Ask others
If you’re like me, and can’t see your typos, why don’t you ask family or friends to double check your application? They’re sure to want to help, and hopefully will be able to spot little errors you may have missed. And any feedback they give you on a personal statement could also be beneficial.
3. Avoid personal statement panic
It can be easy, especially as the UCAS deadline is coming up, to start panicking about your personal statement, wondering whether you should have put in that piece of work experience, or your opinions on that book. But remember, with the character limit, you can’t write about absolutely everything you’ve done. Instead, check over your personal statement to make sure it flows well (reading it aloud can really help) and that you’ve expressed how enthusiastic you are about your chosen course. Aside from this, check that your statement fits the character and line count on the UCAS form, particularly if you’ve been drafting your statement in Word: the last thing you need is to suddenly find out that your statement is too long and you need to quickly panic edit!
4. Make sure you’ve got those references
The one part of the UCAS application that you won’t be able to do yourself is the references, so make sure that your teacher or head of sixth form/college has written it for you. This is a really important part of the application so it is worth making sure that the references are done before the eleventh hour.
5. Don’t worry
If you’ve double and triple checked your application and personal statement, got those references, and checked that you’ve put in the right five unis and courses, it’s time to hit the send button! Although it can feel like very daunting, remind yourself that you’ve put a lot of effort into your application, so relax and wait for those lovely offers to flood in!
Enia x
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