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University Applications 2012-‐‑13
Aim
To provide a brief introduction to university applications for 2012-13
To provide a to do list for the summer To provide a roadmap for the year
Applications 2011-‐‑12
UK 26 US 17 Hong Kong 8 Singapore 7 Australia 5 Canada 5 Europe 3
UK Applications
UK university applications are made through UCAS: the Universities and Colleges Admission System
This is an online process which will go live over the summer for registration for 2012-13
Application Timetable
UCAS applications are made at the start of Year 13 to the following timetable
September 20 for Cambridge local interviews (Shanghai, Singapore)
October 15 Oxbridge and Medicine January 15 final deadline
UCAS Application Format
UCAS Applications are made to a common format Personal details Course and University choices Examinations record Personal statement School Reference
The Personal Statement
The Personal Statement is the most important part of the student application
It’s their chance to market themselves to the universities of their choice
Course and University Choice Students are only allowed one Personal Statement This means they need to focus on one type of course They are allowed five university choices These need to be ranked from a “reach” option to a “safe”
option
UK University Degrees UK universities typically offer three or four year single
subject Honours degrees This puts pressure on students to decide on a single
subject There is a growing trend to offer US style Liberal Arts
programmes
IGCSE Results IGCSE results are used as discriminators and predictors by
UK universities They are also the only external qualifications an IB student
can offer to a university
IGCSE Results
A good set of IGCSE results are therefore fundamental to an application to the best UK universities!
A poor set of IGCSE results will limit choice
Years 11 and 12
UK university applications are largely decided by what happens in Years 11 and 12
This is the basis of the application made in Year 13
Year 12 Performance
Year 12 performance is the basis for predicted grades at the start of Year 13 and the school reference
A poor Year 12 performance will again limit what the school can reasonably predict
Extra Curricular Achievements
Extra curricular achievements in the areas of sport, leadership, service, performance etc. that support a reference need to be recent, in practice Years 11 and 12
Subject Choice IBD Higher Level subjects need to match degree
requirements E.g. Medicine requires HL Chemistry, Economics at elite
universities requires HL Maths, Engineering requires HL Physics
Extra Assessments Extra assessments are a part of every Medical or
Oxbridge application Registration and preparation need to happen over
the summer The school can help to prepare students for these
assessments
Interviews are a requirement for places at Oxford or Cambridge or for UK medical schools
The school can provide mock interview practice in preparation
Interviews
UK Universities
Ancient: Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, St.Andrews Collegiate: Oxbridge & Durham City: Manchester and Liverpool Campus: Warwick and Sussex New: Oxford Brookes
The “Golden Triangle” or Top 6
Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial LSE, Kings & UCL applications to these universities will be particularly
demanding 14 DCS students applied to these universities this year 12 have received offers
The Best UK Universities
There are 24 Russell Group universities including Cambridge, Oxford, LSE, UCL
There are 13 universities in the 1994 Group including Lancaster, Durham, Exeter, York
The Best UK Universities
Most DCS applications this year were to these universities
There were a small number of applications to universities like Kent or City University which are outside these groups
Offers 2012
116 applications to Russell Group universities led to 79 offers
22 applications to 1994 Group universities led to 17 offers
Most Popular Universities 2012
11 applications to Edinburgh 9 to Durham 7 to KCL and Queen Mary 6 to Bath, Cambridge, Leeds, Manchester and York
Rankings
Subject rankings are more useful than university rankings this is when universities outside the two main groups may
be relevant
Oxbridge Applications Early deadline for application will put pressure on other
UCAS choices Therefore, the UCAS application will need to be prepared in
advance over the summer Next term is for finalising an Oxbridge application not
starting it
Oxbridge Applications
In particular plan for: Choice of college Summer visits Summer schools Extra Assessment preparation Personal Statement drafts
Medical Applications
Medical applications also need careful forward planning Because of the UK quota on international students and
the competition for places in general, it would be sensible to plan for alternative options
Medical Applications
Like Oxbridge applications, forward planning for Medicine will involve:
Careful choice of universities University visits UKCAT/BMAT preparation Drafting Personal Statements Last opportunity for internships
Other Options
Use the UCAS 5th choice for a BioMedical Sciences or BioChemistry application
Apply to Trinity College Dublin or the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Apply to Hong Kong, if you have the Cantonese
Other Options
Apply to those Australian universities that still offer an undergraduate medical degree
Consider an application to other Medical Schools that offer an english medium medical degree
Use www.readmedicine.com to do this
Other Medical Schools
This Years Offers
Land Economics at Cambridge 43 points+HL776 Law at KCL 39 points Management at LSE 37 points+HL766+7SLMath Politics at UCL 36 points+HL665 English at UCL 38 points+HL665
This Years Offers
Medicine at Birmingham 36 points +HL18points+6HLChem Physics at Imperial 40 points+HL776 BioMedical Science at KCL 36 points+HL665
This Years Offers
BioChemistry at Birmingham 38 points+HL665 Sociology at Warwick 36 points Law at Queen Mary 36 points+HL666 Psychology at Edinburgh 34 points+HL666
This Years Offers
Management at Durham 34 points+HL665 Sports Management at Edinburgh 32 points + HL554 Law at Aberdeen 34 points+HL555 Sociology at Kent 33 points+HL665
What needs to happen now
Decide on the appropriate course Put together a college list Draft a Personal Statement Decide on a summer activity that supports your application Try to visit at least some of the universities that interest you
Applications to Hong Kong
The three most popular HK universities are HKU, HKUS&T and CUHK
The online application process requires a school transcript and reference with an optional Personal Statement
Most degree programmes are single subject as in the UK
Applications to Hong Kong
Students can pick up to three different courses in their application
The deadline for applications is the end of term one Applications can therefore be completed after half term
Applications to Singapore
Applications to the three Singapore universities can take place in Term 2
For international students this is a very competitive procedure
Singapore offers an interesting range of degree programmes based upon an American model
Applications to Singapore
Students can apply for a range of courses The online application procedure is complex and needs
time No essays, personal statements or transcripts are
required but extra-curricular activities need to be listed SAT1 or SAT2 may be required
Applications to Canada
The most popular Canadian universities are McGill, Toronto and UBC
Applications need to be made between October and March
Applications are direct to the university apart from Ontario which has a central system
Applications to Canada
The application process is very straightforward but the university may well require extra information
Transcripts and predicted grades are required Some universities will want essays SAT usually only required of US High School graduates
(send good scores if you have them)
Applications to Australia
The best known Australian universities are the “Group of 8”, including ANU, Monash, Melbourne and Sydney
Applications are either through the individual university or the UAC: University Admissions Centre or the individual state
Applications to Australia Applications are for a spring or fall entry i.e. for a spring start
apply in August, for a summer start, apply early in the year Application procedures are straightforward References are required
US Education Overview Characteristics of US Higher Ed Broad based education More flexibility
o Choice of majors/minors o Ability to change majors o Transfer between institutions
Emphasise critical thinking/problem solving over rote memorisation.
US Education Overview
University Types National Comprehensive Universities National Liberal Arts Colleges Regional Universities Regional Colleges Community Colleges Public and private institutions exist in each
Which University is Right?
University Research Links to several university search sites have been placed in
Naviance They include search criteria such as:
Institution size Institution location Public vs private Major Etc.
What is Naviance?
Naviance is a system students and staff use to manage university applications
All students have Family Connection accounts to access Naviance
Naviance training is being provided to students during PSHCE lessons
Parent accounts for Naviance will be activated soon so you can monitor progress
US Applications
US university applications can be made via several methods: The Common Application University Online Application Paper Application University of California (UC) System
US Applications
The Common App Over 450 member schools One application to all member schools Each school may have it’s own supplement to fill out Approx. 95% of last year’s US apps UC System One application to all UC schools Self reported (students must tell us!)
US Applications
On-Line Application Most schools will have their own online application This includes Common App schools that allow you to use
either one Paper Applications Some schools still have paper applications
US Applications
Application Types Early Decision (ED) apply to one school only: binding Early Action (EA) can apply to several schools: nonbinding Regular Decision (RD) later deadline, but much later
notification of result Rolling Admissions: some schools make decisions as apps
come in
Application Timetable – US ED/EA typical deadlines are around November 1 UC System Deadline is November 30 There are a few early December deadlines January 1 is the most common RD deadline with some at
January 15 Rolling Admission deadlines vary Important to identify deadlines
Common US Application Requirements
Essay/supplemental essays Transcripts of academic record External examination results 1-3 teacher references (varies from school to school)
addressing primarily academic ability Counselor recommendation Test scores – SAT, ACT, TOEFL are possible (TOEFL not
very often)
Common US Application Requirements
Essays Less structured than UK Chance for the applicant to let the university get to know
them Tell the university things they can’t get from transcripts and
references Supplemental essays on specific topic Student submits with the application We can help review
Common US Application Requirements
Transcripts DCS will send Student must request at least two weeks prior to deadline
(excluding holidays) Request via Naviance and submit paper form in counselling
office.
Common US Application Requirements
Letters of Reference Student should identify recommenders this term and ask if
they are willing Next Fall: requests must be submitted to teachers via
Naviance one month in advance (excluding holidays) Give teachers deadline.
Teachers upload references to Naviance and DCS sends to schools
Letters should be obtained this term from teachers who will leave DCS
Common US Application Requirements
Counsellor Recommendation Requests must be submitted to the counsellor via Naviance
one month in advance (excluding holidays) DCS sends Test Score Student requests the scores to be sent by the College
Board/ETS Know the SAT I and SAT II requirements for your school
US Offers for Autumn 2012 Entry
INSTITUTION PLACES American University 2 Arizona State University 1 Babson College 1 Berklee College of Music 1 Carleton College 1 Carnegie Mellon University 1 Colgate University 1 College of the Holy Cross 2
US Offers for Autumn 2012 Entry
INSTITUTION PLACES Hofstra University 1 Loyola Marymount University 1 New York University 3 Northeastern University 3 Oberlin College 1 Santa Clara University 2 Savannah College of Art and Design 1 Smith College 1
US Offers for Autumn 2012 Entry
INSTITUTION PLACES The George Washington University 1 Trinity College 1 Trinity University 1 University of California at Los Angeles 4 University of California at San Diego 3 University of California at Santa Barbara 1 University of San Francisco 1 Ursinus College 1 Wellesley College 1