Applying to University

Hello everyone! 
I am going to talk about applying to university, I feel as though this is very important to know about and I really wish I knew more about it when I was applying to university. Also, just to add, this applies to those applying for university in England since I have no idea what it's like anywhere else!

So, the first thing to do before applying to university is to know what you're doing. Obvious right? Wrong! This is not obvious for everyone, some of you may be thinking that you would love to go to university but aren't really sure of what you would like to do. So, a good thing to think about when trying to figure out what you want to do is what are you good at? What do you enjoy? For example, you may enjoy figuring out how things work and enjoy working with electrics. Well then, electrical engineering may be for you! The main thing to remember is that you really really need to enjoy what you're going to do because university is difficult, and you could be doing it for 3+ years, and if you don't enjoy it you'll find it really hard to engage and learn! 
So, if you're like me and you already knew what you wanted to do then that's brilliant! The next thing you need to do is think about whether you would like to move away from home or not. When I was applying to university I knew that I wanted to move away from home, but I didn't want to be too far away. So, thinking about this (I come from the south of England) I knew for definite that I didn't want to go to university in Liverpool, or Scotland or somewhere like that. Moving away from home is a big step and if this is something you want to do then maybe exploring more of the Country you're from through going to university is the choice for you! Or, if you don't want to be far from home, you may want to choose a university that's close to home so that you can come home on a regular basis! 
So, after you've chosen what you want to do and where you might like to apply for it's time to go on the UCAS website and start looking at what the best universities are in what you want to do and where you might like to go! This is really easy, you can just type in what you want to do and loads of universities will come up and you can flick through them and chat with your friends and family about what you think will be the best option for you. I was really lucky when choosing what universities I wanted to apply to because my mum had already done loads of research for me! Thanks mum! Now, this can be really scary because this, for me, is where things get serious and more real! When applying to your universities you need to narrow it down to 5! When considering these 5 it's also important to think about your grades, perhaps going to an open day at this university and what you've studied. Some courses it's a requirement to do a certain course, such as for my nursing course we had to of done a health and social care related course! So, when you've taken all of this into consideration I would now think about your personal statement!
So, what is a personal statement you may ask? Well, it's basically a page of words about yourself! Easy you might think, no! The personal statement was something I found so challenging when applying to university. You've basically got to big yourself up so that your university will want you! And this is hard because it's difficult to get into university sometimes, especially if you're applying for a popular course. I remember being told that thousands of people apply for my course, but they only accept about 500 students! Scary right! Yep! So this made my personal statement difficult to write. But you basically need to tell these universities, why you want to do this course, what makes you the best person for the course and you need to talk about any experience you may have had in the area you're studying. It may also be useful to talk about personal things about yourself, so for my own personal statement I wrote that I am a caring and compassionate person because I was applying for a nursing course. So I think you get the idea on that one, since there's not a lot I can write, since you know you the best! 
So, after writing your personal statement and you've picked your 5 universities, you then need to actually apply! Now, what I wasn't told is that this costs money! When I applied back in 2012 it cost me about £50 to apply. This may be different now, but yeah it costs money! So I would be prepared for that! Or you can use the bank account of mum and dad if you can get away with it! :) 

Okay, so you've done all that. Filling out the application is easy, it's just a step by step application and is all done online too! And you don't need to do it all in one go. You can do a bit and then save it and then go back to it. As long as it's done by the deadline, then it will be fine. 
So when you've applied you then have that period where you're waiting for universities to offer you a interview. These usually start around October time and end around march or may time. So don't be worried if you wait until this time for your interview, it doesn't mean you're rubbish! They just have a lot of people to get through! I applied for university in September and I didn't get my first interview email to come through until about January. They were really good and they emailed me about a month in advance of the interview which meant I could get my stuff together and find an outfit and plan my travel to the universities. I got interviews at 3 of my 5 places, but only got places in 2 universities. So I had 3 interviews to do. Scary!! 
With interviews I feel as though it is important to wear something that's smart. For example girls, black trousers, blouse and a blazer. And guys, perhaps black trouser, shirt, tie and a blazer. Very spiffing! When going to an interview, it's okay to be nervous! But what is important is to stay confident and to remember who you are and not to lie when in the interview! The people interviewing you are most likely going to be really nice, because they do want you at their university! They just need you to show them why you would be the best candidate! 
So, after interviews comes the worst part! Waiting to see if you've been accepted. You find this out by August at the very latest. And, if you didn't get in, then it's okay! Because there's always clearing. Which is where people have dropped out, not accepted places or whatever. This is found on the UCAS website and opens towards the end of August I believe. 

So, yeah! I rambled on a bit there! Hopefully this was insightful! In one of my future blog posts I'll write about preparing for university and first day jitters and things like that! Stay tuned!
Bye! xx