Parents’ Information Evening

1. Parents’ Information Evening The UCAS Process Wednesday 10th July 2019

2. Objectives of the evening • To gain an understanding of how the UCAS process works at Loreto College • To gain an understanding of how you can support your son / daughter as they are approaching their UCAS applications

3. Universities and Colleges Admissions Service • Central applications agency for HE applications inEngland, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland • UCAS operates on behalf of all full-time HE courses at member institutions • Handles over 600,000 applications each year

4. Timeline

5. What should my son / daughter be doing now… • Around 35,000 courses on offer in the UK • Over 300 different institutions • Foundation degrees • Honours degrees • Single honours / joint honours • Full-time study / Part-time study • Sandwich courses • International exchange Research is key! They should be spending the summer researching the different courses available.

6. Which course is right for my son / daughter? • What interests them? • Do they wish to continue a subject they are already studying? • Or study something new? • Make sure that they are able to commit to it for at least 3 years! • Which jobs and careers interest them? Will this then give them the correct qualifications?

8. The UCAS application UCAS Apply • 5 sections • Personal details • Choices • Education • Employment • (Personal) Statement

9. The Personal Statement • Your son / daughter’s opportunity to say why he / she wishes to study this particular course. • It is really important that they spend a lot of time on this making sure that it is as good as possible. • We will have a session next Thursday about how to write a good personal statement and students will be provided with a booklet which has extensive guidance about how to write a good personal statement. • Students should write a good first draft over the summer and should have it ready to hand to their form tutors by the first week back in September.

10. How can you help as a parent? • Encourage them to start writing it early! • Read through early drafts and see if it fits with the advice presented in the documentation.

11. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT? • Most courses will read it (but not all) • It’s especially crucial for: - High-demand courses - High-demand universities - Vocational courses - Borderline cases…. “An inspired personal statement may swing us to offer a place to someone whose predicted grades are slightly lower than those we ask for.”(History admissions tutor) “

12. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT? • Many universities look at your application holistically, so every part counts, including the personal statement • If they don’t read it when you apply, it’s quite likely to be a deciding factor at Confirmation if you don’t quite get the grades • Some vocational courses at some universities SCORE the statement against their selection criteria (like some medicine/physiotherapy/ radiography/ OT degrees)

13. HOW LONG IS IT? 47 lines maximum 4,000 characters maximum (including spaces) 1,000 characters minimum Do it in Word first Use pt 12 Times New Roman Use paragraphs

14. IT’S A LOT EASIER IF YOUR SON / DAUGHTER’S 5 CHOICES ARE ALL FOR THE SAME COURSE…. ….because they can only write one statement for all 5 choices If there are slight differences: No problem, just make sure everything they write will interest all 5 choices If there are big differences, SEEK ADVICE FIRST! • Blend it, so all of it is relevant to all 5 choices OR • Be honest and explain why they’ve chosen different courses OR If one of their choices is completely different, ASK THEM!.......... • They might consider a separate statement sent directly to them….. • ….. or they might tell them just to include a subtle hint If they’re applying for Medicine/Dentistry/Vet and want a 5th choice: • Some 5th choice courses will accept their Med/Dent/Vet statement, but IF IN DOUBT, CHECK IT OUT – DON’T ASSUME!

15. HOW TO MAKE THEWRONG IMPRESSION • Exaggerate • Waffle • Plagiarise- they WILL be caught out by the UCAS detection software • Use vocabulary they wouldn’t use in real life (like “It was in Year 10 that my love for maths came forth”) • Try and cram too much in • Repeat themselves or repeat what’s elsewhere on your form • Start with “from a young age” or “since I was a child” • Start with a quotation (like “Muhammed Ali once said…) • Make spelling or grammar mistakes

16. What should a Personal Statement include? • Focus on why they want to do the course • It should be well structured. • Reflect on the skills, interests, experiences and qualities they will bring to it (academic and personal) • Try to convey enthusiasm for learning and a passion for their chosen course(but without using the word “passion”) “BE YOURSELF and make sure your enthusiasm for the course shines through” (University of Nottingham)

17. BALANCING ACADEMIC & EXTRA-CURRICULAR CONTENT Russell Group universities suggest a 75%/25% balance “People who write 10 lines about English and the rest about rugby, clarinet and their job in Sainsbury’s don’t interest us” (English at Warwick) BUT ..… For vocational courses, it may be right to focus more on experience “Don’t use up too much space talking about your science subjects, as it won’t make you stand out” (Medicine at BSMS)

18. ….DIFFERENT APPROACHES FOR DIFFERENT COURSES Courses in academic subjects want more emphasis on your academic and super-curricular interests (75%ish) Examples: English, History, Biochemistry, Philosophy, Theology, Mathematics, Economics, Geography, Sociology, American Studies, Modern Languages, Fine Art ------------ Courses in vocational subjects want some emphasis on your “experience” but this can take various forms Examples: Medicine, Vet, Primary Teaching, Physiotherapy, Dentistry, Optometry, Architecture, Social Work, Journalism, Midwifery, Engineering, PR, Animation ------------ Courses in semi-vocational subjects may not need as much “experience” as you expect Examples: Law, Psychology, Biomedical Science, Business Studies, Politics, Drama, Computer Science, Creative Writing, Sports Science

19. WHAT YOUR SON / DAUGHTER COULD INCLUDE: Why they want to study this subject/course at uni and what has inspired them What they enjoy most about your school/college courses - and how one or two of them have prepared them with relevant knowledge or skills for their degree Any relevant reading or research beyond their syllabuses Any extra-curricular achievements or interests that are relevant to their degree OR that just show they will be a well-rounded student Work experience, other relevant experience, career or gap year plans – if appropriate

20. When your son / daughter has written their personal statement and it has been thoroughly checked, they then can copy and paste it into UCAS Apply 2020. • They then click ‘Pay and Send’ – they have to pay their £25 application fee at this stage. • This then sends it to us at Loreto. They have to also print the whole form out for us at that stage and give it to me and I pass it to whoever is doing their reference.

21. References • We will be asking all staff this term to write a reference for your son / daughter. • We also ask students to hand in references from their work experience as well as any other activities they participate in. • This is then combined into a reference written by a member of SMT. • When it is written your son/ daughter will be called to see Mrs Lynch who will show them their reference and once this is done, we will add the reference and send it to UCAS.

22. Additional admissions tests Check UCAS entry profile or prospectus National tests i.e. LNAT, UKCAT, BMAT University / college questionnaires Oxbridge tests Used for competitive / vocational courses www.lnat.ac.uk | www.bmat.org.uk | www.ukcat.ac.uk

23. Decision-making by institutions Institutions may also offer a place on an alternative course An admissions tutor may make one of three decisions: • Unconditional offer • Conditional offer • Unsuccessful. At the heart of connecting people to higher education

24. Tracking applications Track will allow your son or daughter to: • follow the progress of their application 24/7 • see their choices and personal information • display their offers • reply to offers online. Track is our online system that allows students to follow the progress of their application

25. Replying to offers • When your son or daughter receives decisions from all of their choices they will need to make their replies by a set date. • They can now hold a maximum oftwooffers: • Firm - their first choice. If they meet the conditions of the offer they will be placed. • Insurance – acts as a back-up choice and only comes into play if they are not placed with their firm choice. • If your son or daughter fails to reply to their offers by the deadline date, all offers will be automatically declined. If they do not receive any offers they can make an additional choice through the Extra scheme

26. Confirmation • Exam results are published – many are passed electronically to universities by UCAS. • Admissions staff check if the applicant has met the conditions of the offer. There are four possibilities: 1. If a student meets the conditions of their firm choice. It’s time to celebrate! 4. If a student meets and exceeds the conditions of their offer, they are eligible for Adjustment. This provides an opportunity for them to reconsider where and what to study whilst still holding their firm offer. 2. If a student doesn’t meet the conditions of their firm choice, but meets the conditions of their insurance choice (which should be lower), they will be placed at their insurance choice. It’s also time to celebrate! 3. If a student has not met the conditions of their firm or insurance choice (or no insurance), they will be entered into a process known as Clearing. At the heart of connecting people to higher education

27. Additional Information • www.ucas.com • www.unistats.ac.uk • http://university.which.co.uk/ • www.qaa.ac.uk • www.prospects.ac.uk • www.nusonline.org.uk • www.unionview.co.uk • www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance

28. Any questions?