University Applications

Transcription

1 University Applications

2 Aim To provide a brief introduction to university applications for To provide a to do list for the summer To provide a roadmap for the year

3 Applications UK 26 US 17 Hong Kong 8 Singapore 7 Australia 5 Canada 5 Europe 3

4 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

5 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

6 UCAS Application Format UCAS Applications are made to a common format Personal details Course and University choices Examinations record Personal statement School Reference

7 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

8 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

9 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

10 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

11 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

12 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

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

14 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

15 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

16 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

17 Interviews Interviews are a requirement for places at Oxford or Cambridge or for UK medical schools The school can provide mock interview practice in preparation

18 UK Universities Ancient: Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, St.Andrews Collegiate: Oxbridge & Durham City: Manchester and Liverpool Campus: Warwick and Sussex New: Oxford Brookes

19 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

20 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

21 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

22 Offers applications to Russell Group universities led to 79 offers 22 applications to 1994 Group universities led to 17 offers

23 Most Popular Universities applications to Edinburgh 9 to Durham 7 to KCL and Queen Mary 6 to Bath, Cambridge, Leeds, Manchester and York

24 Rankings Subject rankings are more useful than university rankings this is when universities outside the two main groups may be relevant

25 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

26 Oxbridge Applications In particular plan for: Choice of college Summer visits Summer schools Extra Assessment preparation Personal Statement drafts

27 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

28 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

29 Other Options Use the UCAS 5 th 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

30 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 to do this

31 Other Medical Schools

32 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

33 This Years Offers Medicine at Birmingham 36 points +HL18points+6HLChem Physics at Imperial 40 points+hl776 BioMedical Science at KCL 36 points+hl665

34 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

35 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

36 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

37 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

38 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

39 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

40 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

41 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

42 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)

43 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

44 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

45 US Education Overview Characteristics of US Higher Ed Broad based education More flexibility o o Choice of majors/minors Ability to change majors o Transfer between institutions Emphasise critical thinking/problem solving over rote memorisation.

46 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

47 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.

48 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

49 US Applications US university applications can be made via several methods: The Common Application University Online Application Paper Application University of California (UC) System

50 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!)

51 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

52 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

53 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

54 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)

55 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

56 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.

57 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

58 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

59 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

60 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

61 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