The UCAS Process at Boston Grammar School
Key dates • Summer term of Year 12 - students write their personal statement • Autumn term of Year 13 - students make their choices and complete their applications • October 15 th of Year 13 - early entry applications are sent off • Christmas of Year 13 - all applications are sent off • January/February of Year 13 - all students receive five offers, preferably unconditional! • August of Year 13 - all students pass all exams, and attend their first choice university…
Summer of Year 12 • Start to think about choices, both subject and institution • Go to open days, look at websites, talk to other students • Research entry requirements carefully • Think about work experience/volunteering whilst you have got time! • Start to draft your personal statement
Autumn of Year 13 • Register on UCAS and start your application • Finalise your choices and double check the entry requirements • Show your personal statement to your teachers and form tutors for feedback • Complete your application • Pay and send it!
Early entries • October 15 th is the deadline for those students applying for medicine, dentistry, veterinary or courses at Oxford or Cambridge
Christmas of Year 13 • ALL other applications are completed and sent off by Christmas. Without exception. Even if it is at 3.25pm on the last day of term!
Meanwhile in the background… • In the summer term of Year 12, subject staff will all write a subject specific reference, detailing how you have worked, what your attitude to study is like, what skills you have developed in their subject and how likely you are to succeed in Higher Education • These subject references are collated and given to your form tutors
Autumn term Year 13 • The results of your summer examinations will be used to determine your UCAS predicted grades • Your full academic reference will be written (usually by your form tutor), using the subject references provided previously, and also your personal statement and predicted grades • Your application will be checked, double checked and checked several more times. We will make sure that your choices are appropriate to your predicted grades, and that you have entered all information correctly. You will then be advised to ‘pay and send’ the application • Note that this will send the application to me, and NOT to UCAS! • When we are happy that everything is in order, your reference will be attached, your predicted grades entered and your application will be sent to UCAS
Please note • This is an incredibly stressful process all round. We need to get it right, and we need to do it on time. You may be taken out of lessons, or hunted down at break times when it is time to send your application off. There may also be times when you need to provide chocolate or cake in order to assist the process…
What happens next? • By Christmas, all applications will have gone off and you do not need to think about it for a while! • Concentrate on your work – you need to make sure you get the grades you have been predicted, because… • You will soon start to receive offers from your universities, which will usually be based upon those predictions
• Wait until you have all of your offers or replies • Decide which is your firm choice – the one you most want – and which is your insurance choice • Accept these and decline the others. There are certain dates by which you have to do this, and you will be advised of these nearer the time • Pass your exams!
August, Year 13 The following could happen to you… • You meet your predicted grades/offer at your firm or insurance choice and you are off on your way to uni! • You do better than you thought you would, and you can choose a different course with a higher entry requirement through adjustment • You don’t do as well, and you are unsuccessful in being placed at either of your choices. You can then choose other courses through clearing
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