9 th july 2013. applying to university and the ucas personal statement paul dunton outreach &...
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Applying to University and the UCAS Personal Statement
Paul DuntonOutreach & Recruitment OfficerAnglia Ruskin University
OPPORTUNITIES?
HOW MANY INSTITUTIONS OFFER HE COURSES?
300+HOW MANY COURSES CAN YOU
CHOOSE FROM?
Over 43000
UCAS: Universities & Colleges Admissions Service
5Choose Courses
Apply Online
Write a Personal Statement
Reference written by the school
Predicted grades added by the school
Application fee - £12 / £23
Applying to University
Applying – key dates1st September
UCAS Apply available
15th October
Closing date for: Oxford/Cambridge, Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine or Veterinary Science
15th January
Closing date for all other courses Late applications process starts
End of February
UCAS Extra available
End of June
Late applications process closes UCAS Extra closes
July to September
Clearing starts
“Your opportunity to tell universities and colleges about your suitability for the course(s) that you hope to study. You need to demonstrate your enthusiasm and commitment, and above all, ensure that you stand out from the crowd.”
UCAS website
Your Personal Statement
•The opportunity to sell yourself
•You let the University know why you are the best candidate for the course
•This may be your only chance to make the case for you to be offered a place
•It can make a difference later in the application process as well
•Admissions tutors find personal statements crucial when making decisions
What’s it all about?
• You only complete one Personal Statement
• Length: Up to 4000 characters or 47 lines of text (approximately 600 words)
• UCAS Apply does not have a spell check!
• The Personal Statement must be your own work
The Basics:
• Why that course?
• How much do you know about the subject?
• Why do you want to study it further?
• Do you have experience?
• What are your career aspirations?
• What are your skills, attributes & achievements?
Can you answer these?
• Are you a member of any groups/clubs? • What are your interests and hobbies?
• Do you have any work experience?
• What are your proudest achievements?
• What skills and abilities do you think you have?
• What makes you an interesting and unique person?
Things to consider
SHEET ONE
The skills universities love…
• Specialised subject knowledge
• Problem analysis and solving
• Leadership and teamwork• Communication and Presentation• Planning and organisation• Working to a deadline
• Managing pressure
What skills are specific to your course?
e.g. manual dexterity SHEET TWO
“…detailed textual and/or critical analysis, through discussion, and which may also incorporate some practical explorations. This work is balanced between tutor-led, student-led and self-directed study, and complemented by resource-based learning…”
BA Hons Drama will involve…
Studying Drama at A level has developed my ability to analyse style, for my coursework I critically analysed the contemporary style of…
Anglia Ruskin University online prospectus: Drama (BA hons)
Connect the skills you need to succeed on the course (sheet 2), with the experiences you have had (sheet 1).
Sheet 3: your personal statement
Claims about the skills you have, backed up with examples.
Obvious Rules…
• Show enthusiasm and commitment
• Make it interesting
• Check your spelling and grammar
• Organise your statement into a logical structure making sure it reads well
• Don’t repeat yourself
• Take your time and get it right
Grab the reader’s attention from the start…
“Ever since I accidentally burnt holes in my pyjamas after experimenting with a chemistry set on my 8th birthday, I have always had a passion for science.”
Medicine Applicant
“ Earlier this year I was involved in a car accident, and as I sat among the wreckage I was shocked to see that not one person stopped to help me. Didn’t anyone care enough to help? If it weren’t for the science of Psychology, this and so many other questions would go unanswered.”
Psychology Applicant
…and keep it until the end
Rather than…
“I am looking forward to my time studying illustration”
Use …
“I want to become a professional illustrator and I am very determined to make the most of a degree course that will help me achieve my ambition.”
Have I finished?• Are my goals well articulated?
• Have I explained why I want to study the course?
• Do I demonstrate knowledge about the course?
• Have I evidenced relevant skills and attributes that make me stand out?
• Does it read well?
• Have I asked for feedback?
If the answer to all of the above is yes, then you
have the makings of a good personal statement!
Who’s who?
Apply Online(Applications normally run from January to May)
Click here to apply
Sponsors can register & support an application here
Students can register & apply here
Click on academic year to see more detail
Check where your application is up to
Eligibility• You need to:
Be a UK national or have 'settled status' in the UK (under the terms of the Immigration Act 1971)
Be ‘ordinarily resident’ in England
Have been 'ordinarily resident' in the UK for the three years immediately before starting the course
Not already have a degree level qualification
Be aged under 60 when you start your course.
Eligibility• The institution must be:
A UK degree-awarding institution
A college that receives government funding and provides a course leading to a degree qualification
A private institution offering specifically designated higher education courses (ask your university or college if it qualifies)
A group of schools taking part in the School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) scheme
Independent Students
Means Testing
Dependent Students
An assessment is made on the student’s (and partner’s) income* if..
• Over 25• Self-supporting for 3 years previous• Married• No parents living• Estranged from parents• Have a child
• Assessment is made on household income*
• In cases of divorce or separation, assessment is made on who the student mainly lives with
* Residual Income = Before tax but after pension contributions
Tuition Fees
Regardless of the fee level, you don’t pay any money up front
The Tuition Fee is the cost of your course at University. It pays for your teaching and your access to the facilities of the university
Universities in England may charge up to £9,000 per year for their courses and many are charging this full amount
Tuition Fees Loan
• Not means tested
• Covers the entire cost of your fees
• Paid back after you graduate
• Also available for Part-time courses
Maintenance Loan
Living at Home £2,843 £4,375
Living Elsewhere £3,575 £5,500
Living in London £4,988 £7,675
Minimum Loan
Everybody gets the first 65% of the full loan amount.
The other 35% is means tested
The loan can change depending on where you study
You are not obliged to take the loans
Max Loan
Maintenance Grant
Household Income
• Maximum of £3,354 per year• No need to repay• Entirely means tested based on household income
£25,000 or less £3,354
£25,000 - £42,600 £3,354 - £50
£42,600 and up £0
Grant Available
Fee Waivers
• Fee Waivers reduce the price of your tuition fees, so you don’t have to borrow as much money to go to University
• Our higher fee waiver is worth £1,500 per year off the cost of your tuition fees
• Eligibility requirements will vary from one university to another
• Our standard fee waiver is worth £500 per year off the cost of your tuition fees
Top Tip: Mark Anglia Ruskin as the Uni you plan to attend on your finance application
National Scholarship Programme
• The criteria for eligibility and support available will be different at each UK university
• There are limited NSP places available at Anglia Ruskin so apply early to ensure you don’t miss out!
You can apply for an NSP at Anglia Ruskin University if:• You have applied for a full-time undergraduate course• You are starting University for the first time in the academic year
2013/14• You are either normally resident in England or are an EU citizens from
outside the UK (if your home is in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland you are not eligible for the NSP)
• Your household income is below £25,000 per year• You intend to select Anglia Ruskin as your firm choice
Student Finance
Repay
Tuition Fees Loan
Maintenance Loan Maintenance Grant
Scholarship
Programme
Don’t Repay
Loans and Grants and Household Income
Max. Loan£5,500
Min. Loan£3,575
25k
30k
35k
40k
£3,823
£4,292
£4,761
£5,230
42.875k
50k
55k
60k
62.5k +
£5,500
£4,788
£4,288
£3,788
£3,575
£540
£1,478
£2,416
£3,354 £7,177
£6,708
£6,239
£5,770
£5,500
£4,788
£4,388
£3,788
£3,575
42.6k £5,475 £50 £5,525
Max Loan
Grant is reduced by £1 for every complete £5.50 by which the income exceeds £25,000
Loan is reduced by £0.50 for every £1 of maintenance grant Loan is reduced by £1 for every complete £10.00 by which the income exceeds £42,875
NHS Fees / Bursary
• Bursaries are available for courses such as Nursing, Midwifery, Operating department practice and Social Work..
• Contact the NHS Student Bursaries Team• www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/students• Helpline: 0845 358 6655 (Medical)
• Helpline: 0845 610 1122 (Social Work)
• Nurses, Midwives and ODPs usually have their fees paid
Special Support Grant
• A lone parent• Aged over 60• With a partner who is also a student, and they have children• Receiving incapacity benefit or non means-tested disability
allowance• Registered deaf or blind• A refugee• With an entitlement to certain means-tested benefits such as
income support during term time
• The Special Support Grant is paid instead of the Maintenance Grant, but does not affect the Maintenance Loan
Other supportDisabled Students Allowance• A disability, mental health condition or specific learning disability
Adult Dependent Grant• A financially dependent adult family member
Parent’s Learning Allowance
Childcare Grant
Other bursaries, grants and scholarships
Anglia Books Plus
£100 per year to spend at John Smiths bookshop on campus
www.anglia.ac.uk/booksplus
Sports Bursary
£1000 a year in training support for students representing the University at a national level in their sport.
Particular focus on Judo, Cricket and Rowing but other sports may also be considered.
www.anglia.ac.uk/sport
Other non-repayable support
Repaying the Loans
• Tuition/Maintenance Loan paid back after graduation
• If earnings fall below £21,000 per year, repayments stop
• Paid back from your earnings
• Only repay when earning over £21,000 per year
• Repayments based on what you earn, not what you owe
• e.g. Earn £25,000, repay £6.92 per week, around £30 a month (£360 a year)
Repaying the Loans
• Sliding scale interest rate, linked to Inflation and earnings
• During study period = RPI + 3%
• Up to £21,000 rate = RPI only
• £21,000 + = RPI + 0.15% for each £1000 over £21,000
• £41,000+ = RPI + 3% This is the maximum rate
• Loan is cancelled if you have it for 30 years
• Does not affect credit rating
• Remember, the interest charged will not effect your repayments
Earning Potential
Average graduate starting salary1
£22,800 Average extra lifetime earnings compared to
non-graduates with 2 A levels2
25% UK Graduates currently aged 30-44 earn:
77% more than non-graduates of the same age3
1. APSCO Research for The Telegraph - Oct 2012
2. HECSU 2007
3. OECD 2007
Debt…
www.moneysavingexpert.com
“Some types of debt are much better than others, all debts are not the same”
Martin Lewis
“Many wrongly believe that due to the higher tuition fees, people will have less money in their pockets each month than currently.”
“Those earning above the £21,000 threshold will have £470-a-year more in their pockets than now… “
Help!
https://www.gov.uk/browse/education/student-finance
Customer helpline: 0845 300 5090
https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
www. nhscareers.nhs.uk
Important dates• June 2013
• UCAS launched to students.• Visit from Loughborough University Representative• 86 students registered in first 24 hours! • Higher Education Fair (74 students attended)• Tutors gave advice on Personal Statements
• September 2013• Students can apply to UCAS from mid-September• First draft of personal statement completed• UCAS online details to be completed• Additional Personal Statement workshops provided• Ox-Bridge support
• 15th October 2013• Deadline for Oxford/Cambridge• Deadline for ANY course in Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary science• UCAS ‘Advice Bus’ to visit school
Important Dates• 2nd December 2013
• School internal deadline for applicants
• January 15th 2014• UCAS deadline for all subjects (except some Art and Design)
• March 24th 2014 Art and Design Courses deadline• N.B some may have the January 15th Deadline• Check with institution
• May 7th 2014• Students must reply to offers and accept a FIRM choice and an
INSURANCE