Posted: 14 Dec. 2017 5 min. read

What you need to do before your UCAS deadline

I remember my college years being consumed by the word UCAS. Everything I did in and out of school was given a new purpose - is it UCAS worthy? It was the vehicle that would drive me through my impending examinations, and ultimately take me to the university I set my heart on.

But the very first hurdle was the UCAS application. It’s the all important first step of the process, but it’s also not a mean hurdle to overcome. Mainly, you need to stay organised, and follow the steps correctly. So, here’s what you need to know before your UCAS deadline.

Know when your deadline is

It sounds obvious, but it’s so important. The deadlines for Oxbridge, and medicine courses have now passed. The general deadline for most applications is 6pm 15th January 2018. And some Art and Design course deadlines are on 24th March 2018. Make sure you understand the right deadline for your course.
From there, aim to apply in good time before the deadline. You don’t want to rush your application, and make mistakes. You also don’t want to get caught out by delays. Unplanned mishaps and hiccups can happen so, don’t leave it last minute.

Choose your five university courses
Hopefully you’ve gone to open days, read up on the best courses, and gathered everything you need to know to make the best decision for you. No doubt you’ll have your top choices, but there’s no order of preference when you submit them, and your university won’t know where else you’ve applied.

Personal Statement
It’s a significant part of your UCAS application. All the other parts are pretty much filling in information about yourself. Your personal statement however, is so much more than that. It’s a way of telling universities about you, and your interests, why you want to study the course, and why you will be the best student - things you can’t necessarily show through your grades. And it’s this that can seal you your place on the course. It may take many tweaks, edits and attempts to get it right, so make sure you start early. Go through it with your teachers and peers, so you can get a different perspective on it.

So, those are arguably the biggest tasks you’ll need to do for your application. But they’ll also ask for a few other important bits from you, including:

  • Registering
  • Filling in personal details: funding and sponsorship, residential status, any special needs, and any criminal convictions.
  • Full education history
  • A reference from your teacher
  • Employment history
  • Application fee payment

It’s not so hard, but it’s important to get right. So hopefully you’ve taken from here, what you need to hit that UCAS deadline.

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