So you’ve decided to apply to the UK! What do the next steps look like?
Thankfully, the UK application process is relatively straightforward as you apply directly through a single system called the University and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS). A quick overview of this entire process:
Choose the 5 schools and the courses that you want to apply for
Write 1 personal statement (not 1 per school! 1 in total, isn’t that fantastic!)*
Approach your civics tutor / form teacher / a teacher who knows you well to be your referee
Look out for any entrance examinations or interviews that you need to complete for your chosen schools and courses.
*For the 2024 cycle onwards, UCAS announced they will be scrapping the personal statement. It will be replaced with a series of questions about the higher education course a student is applying for.
How should you go about choosing the 5 universities and courses you want to apply to?
To decide on a course, check out our article on How to Choose a Course.
On university choices, the first important consideration applies if you are studying a professional degree such as law or medicine - do check the website of the accrediting body in Singapore for the list of approved universities if you want to keep the option of working in Singapore open after graduation (e.g. Approved Universities for Law in the UK).
Next, it would be ideal if you could find a list of universities that offer the course you wish to take - for instance, if you’ve set your heart on doing biology, LSE will be immediately out as it only offers social sciences courses. A useful way of finding such a list would be to use a university ranking website such as the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020, where you can sort the ‘top’ universities based on the subject you want to study, and this provides a pretty comprehensive list of all the universities in the UK that offers that subject. However, do not take the rankings at face-value, and just decide to apply to the top 5 on the list, as the factors considered in these rankings may not be something you care about (e.g. research by the faculty may not be something very important if you are an undergraduate) or they do not take into account certain things (e.g. school culture), and hence Top 5 may not actually be the Top 5 for you!
I would suggest that you shortlist a couple of universities - maybe 7 to 8 - from the list above, and further develop your understanding of these universities by (i) visiting the actual university website, and (ii) talking to seniors that are studying, or have studied, there.
Looking at a university’s website can feel very confusing; but here are some things you should look out for / questions you should try to find answers to so that your research on universities can be more streamlined and efficient:
What are the admissions requirements like?
What are the average grades of the students they accept?
Are there any additional assessments you would have to take?
What are the modules under the course you want to take?
Do they align with your interests?
For instance, if you are very interested in IT Law, but a certain university’s law course does not that have that, you may want to reconsider that university choice
Are there any double-degree programmes / exchange programmes / semester abroad opportunities?
What is the teaching style like?
Is it a lecture-tutorial system?
What are average class sizes?
What are living arrangements like?
Do you get to live on campus?
Which part of the UK is the university located in?
Is it in a vibrant city like London?
Is it more remote in a place with a lot of greenery?
What do you like better?
What is the lifestyle like?
Most university pages often feature a blog post by someone studying there
After you get a better understanding of the ‘hard features’ (like modules they offer; teaching style) of the university in question, it would be extremely beneficial if you could find a senior to talk to so that you can find out more about the intangible things like school culture! If you do not know anyone personally, fill in our form to Talk to a Senior and we’ll pair you up with someone. Some things you might want to ask are:
How has the experience been so far?
How is the quality of teaching?
Are professors friendly and approachable?
You could also ask about the ease of switching classes if you get allocated to a not-so-good teacher.
What is the school culture like?
For instance, is it very pre-professional and everyone always seems to be networking and applying for internships/jobs?
Does the university provide good support?
In terms of mental health, careers, extracurricular activities, etc.
What are some interesting extracurriculars that they are a part of?
Something you might not know: you can actually apply to the same university, but with each choice being a different course. For instance, 2 out of 5 of your choices may be UCL - Economics; and UCL - Economics with Statistics. It is common for people to choose similar courses as you only have one personal statement to apply with.
So, how do I write a good personal statement?
The UCAS personal statement is a 4000-character piece of writing that is essentially supposed to convey your interest, abilities, and aspirations in relation to the course you are applying for. All the universities you apply to will know that you are likely applying to more than 1 university with that personal statement (though they won’t know for sure, and they definitely won’t know which other universities you’ve applied to), so there is no need to focus your statement on something a specific university offers. Instead, to maximise your chances for all 5 universities, avoid mentioning specific universities, and just discuss your interest in the subject.
It is indeed true that UK universities focus more on your academics than extracurriculars. A good rule of thumb when writing your personal statement is the 80/20 rule: 80% of your personal statement should be about your academic interest and ability in the course you are applying for, and the remaining 20% can be used to briefly mention what you do outside of school that can show skills such as time-management. It would be preferable if your extracurriculars highlight your interest in the academic course.
The UCAS Personal Statement Page provides a good guide on things you should consider including in your statement. These include: what sparked your interest in the subject (maybe it was a certain book you read? A talk you listened to?), what activities you did in and out of school that developed your interest and knowledge in that area, and how you plan to use what you will learn from the course. As an international applicant from Singapore, it may also be beneficial to mention why you have chosen to apply to the UK in particular.
There are plenty of websites you can visit to read examples of good personal statements (UCAS runs a plagiarism check so please don’t copy!), such as Uni Compare or College Essay Guy, or just ask your senior if they would mind sharing their UCAS essay with you!
Do remember to start writing early - if you are applying to Oxford or Cambridge (P.S. you cannot apply to both - it’s an either/or choice), the UCAS deadline is mid-October; if you are only applying to other UK universities, the deadline is early January.
After you complete a draft, you should try and get feedback on it so you know how to improve - ask you parents, friends, university counsellors, seniors, anyone! When asking for feedback, it would also be beneficial if you could state what you want feedback on in particular - for instance, you may not be sure if your writing flows from one paragraph to the next, or if your expression is clear, or if your tone is overly casual. This helps the person giving you feedback by letting them know what to pay greater attention to, and it targets your concerns too!
What else do I need for my UCAS application?
The last thing required is a reference from one of your teachers. How this system works is that you would put down your teacher’s name in the application, and UCAS will alert your teacher to input their recommendation for you in the system directly - you won’t get to see it! Certain JCs may have deadlines for you to approach your teachers by, be sure to check if your school has any such deadlines. You should try to approach your tutors to let them know that you’ll be needing a reference as soon as you can, as it will also take time for them to write the reference, and some teachers may also request for you to give them a list of what you’ve done so factor in the time to do that too.
Wait, you mentioned entrance examinations/interviews above! How about those?
Some universities may have entrance examinations (like a sit-down paper) and/or interviews for certain courses. These are not done through the UCAS system, but are university specific. Hence, after you submit your UCAS application, the university will contact you directly to let you know what to do.
However, for certain examinations such as the Law National Aptitude Test (LNAT), the BioMedical Assessment Test (BMAT) or the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) (which apply to most, if not all, university applicants studying law or medicine), you will have to take these tests on your own accord by signing up for them, and making sure that you indicate which schools to send these results to. Thus, when doing research on the university as mentioned above, do take note of the examinations you may have to take and prepare accordingly by making sure you have enough time to take them and not miss any deadlines the university might have set.
*From the 2024 cycle onwards, several university admissions tests, including the BMAT, ENGAA, NSAA, and TMUA, will be discontinued. Other alternative arrangements will be in place, so do check with your respective university & course to determine whether examinations are needed!
Is there anything else?
Not really! The above provides the general application process for most UK universities and most courses so chances are you can rely on the above advice. However, there are always going to be certain exceptions especially in the context of additional entrance exams and interviews, so do make sure you do your research on those.
If you have any further doubts or queries, the easiest way is still to ask a friendly senior who has been through the process so sign up here if you need any additional help.
All the best in your UK application journey!
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