Prepare to Head Back to School or University After Summer!
Everyone enjoys the summer break! Filled with adventure and relaxation, this is time off that is well deserved by students after spending endless hours studying throughout the academic year. Many of you may have spent this time considering the correct next step, exploring course options, university locations, what career you would like to go into and most importantly, what you’re most passionate about!
If you have decided to attend university, here is everything you need to know to successfully apply and prepare for a smooth transition into university in the Autumn term.
Your application
Before getting into all the details, the most important thing to do is make a note of deadlines. Many universities and courses will have deadlines stated on their websites for when you can apply to the course. The most important ones to note are the dates of final applications and the dates for clearing. There will also be UCAS deadlines which you can find on their website.
Making a note of these dates is important so that you leave yourself enough time to plan and prepare your personal statement and application. For those of you that have missed the deadline, there is more information on the clearing process below.
Clearing
The clearing process enables student who have missed the deadlines or grade requirements to apply to university once they have received their results. The process is available through UCAS and enables students to secure spots on any vacancies that the university has. Usually this would happen following the publication of results in August. But if you’ve already missed the application deadlines, it may be worth looking into the process on the UCAS website.
Personal Statements
The most crucial aspect of your application is your personal statement! Regardless of when or how you apply, your personal statement will be the piece of writing that makes a first impression on the admissions officers at the university. So, it is essential to make it a good one!
Your personal statement for university should reflect your personality, motivations, passion and determination for the course you apply to! To highlight your suitability for it, we recommend listing experiences which helped to develop skills that are transferrable to the course! It is vital to ensure that everything you write is concise and relevant to the purpose of the course.
You may also choose to illustrate any additional research, courses, or texts that you have engaged with to enhance your subject knowledge! This will show the admissions team that you are passionate about the subject.
Although this may be the most daunting part of your application, just give yourself time to list and plan everything you wish to include. Many personal statement services are available online and can assist you with proofreading, editing and enhancing the structure of your writing!
A personal statement service often has subject specialists who are familiar with what the admissions team are seeking in an application and expert writers who can ensure that your structure, spelling, punctuation, and grammar are flawless! If you opt to use a personal statement service, make sure that you research the company and ensure that they provide everything that you need. You should look at their different services and read reviews from previous clients. A personal statement writing service will also often provide ongoing client support and return policies worth looking into before you choose one. Many also offer free revisions and plagiarism checks to ensure that your statement is original and authentic!
Things to do before starting University
Once you have gotten the essential procedures and protocol out of the way, you can start thinking about the finer details that will enable you to get organised and settled in as soon as possible. We have compiled a list of things that we recommend doing in order to make your transition to higher education a smooth one.
Arrange your accommodation!
With more and more people opting to attend university, the choices for student accommodation are endless. There are university halls, private studio apartments, shared student houses and flats. Take some time thinking about what is best suited to your needs. Some of the things we recommend considering are location, accessibility, whether you want shared communal areas or your own space. It may be helpful to create a pros and cons list for the accommodations that you are considering before making a decision. However, most importantly, we highly recommend visiting the accommodation to see if you can see yourself living there for the next few years.
Once you have organised this, make sure you pack some things that will make it seem as homely as possible. Homesickness can be a real issue for many students during their first couple of weeks and it’s important that you try to minimise this by taking some home comforts!
Organise your finances!
For many students, university will be the first opportunity that they have to live independently, and budgeting responsibly will help ensure that you are able to afford necessities and make the most of your time at university!
Spend some time looking into student bank accounts, what they offer, and there are many budget sheets for students available online! We also highly recommend learning some cooking skills so that a large portion of your finances aren’t being spent on takeaways!
Familiarise yourself with your new surroundings!
Get out and about in the area to see where everything is and explore the campus! We also highly recommend getting to know your flat and course mates. Although you may find it daunting meeting so many new people, remember that they’re likely in the same boat as you!
Manage your time!
A whole new life at university will often present many opportunities and you might find yourself stretched very thinly for time! Therefore, it is important to remain organised and timetable in study, social and leisure time so that you don’t start falling behind!