1. Students’ Guide to UCAS - 2017 Entry 17 May 2016 Monday 4:45pm@ACJC LT5 Higher Education and Career Guidance Anglo-Chinese Junior College 1

2. Accompanying resources 1.Instructions for UCAS application 2017 (Handout) 2.ACJC HECG Handbook (available in PDF on the LMS, under the Admin module’s Higher Education tab) 2

3. Contents 1.Registering a UCAS account (available from 24 May 2016)Registering a UCAS account (available from 24 May 2016) 2.Personal DetailsPersonal Details 3.ChoicesChoices 4.EducationEducation 5.EmploymentEmployment 6.Personal StatementPersonal Statement 7.Pay/SendPay/Send 8.Teacher’s referenceTeacher’s reference 9.Admissions TestsAdmissions Tests 1.Proof of English Language ProficiencyProof of English Language Proficiency 10. Oxbridge applicantsOxbridge applicants 3

4. Go to www.ucas.com Register for an account in UCAS cycle 2017 (only available from 24 May 2016 onwards)www.ucas.com 4

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6. Postal Address  Use an address where letters from the universities / UCAS can reach you even after the A levels  i.e. Not the address of ACJC or ACS Boarding School 6

7. ~VERY IMPT~ Phone no. & Email  Make sure you are contactable!  Home and mobile number – include your country’s calling code  Email address – Check that account regularly. You may be contacted regarding changes needed in your application and offers from uni 7

8. Create your login password and set 4 security questions Memorise or record down  the password you created and  the username given to you on the next page 8

9. Apply through ‘School/college’ in order to get a reference letter from your ACJC teachers 9

10. Buzzword for ACJC applicants: 2017ACJC40  Buzzword will be available on ACJC’s HECG website if you will be applying as an alumni in 2017 or 2018 10

11. Tutor group  Present students: Please select your form class  Alumni: Please select the year of your graduation 11

12. Personal ID  You will need the personal ID  When you write in the Customer Care Services for help  When you contact the university regarding  acceptance of offer  submission of qualifications (if needed)  Follow the instructions given on the website to verify your email address Verify your email address 12

13. Personal details  Click on each section to fill in the application form  At the end of each section, check on ‘Section completed’ 13

14. Country of birth & Nationality  Please pick from the list only Date of first entry to UK  Related to start date of your course and application of student visa Area of permanent residence  Refers to your home country 14

15. Reference numbers  For students who have taken university admissions tests,  e.g. UKCAT, LNAT, TOEFL / IELTS 15

16. Passport details and student visa  Provide your passport details so that, if admitted, UCAS will facilitate your student visa application with UKVI 16

17. Fee code  If your family is funding your education, select ‘01 Private finance’  If you will be applying for a scholarship, select ‘99 Not known’  (Alumni) If you have received a scholarship, select ‘09 Intl Agency’ and briefly make note of it in your Personal Statement Eg. Science research excites my mind so I am grateful that the A*STAR Undergraduate Scholarship provides me the chance to carry out research after graduation. 17

18. Nominated access  Please do not list your teachers as a nominee unless you asked them and they agreed 18

19. Choices  You can choose up to five courses in no order of preference  Your universities/colleges won’t see where else you’ve applied until after you reply to any offers you get Limitations  You can only apply maximum of four courses in any one of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or veterinary science  You can only apply to one course at either the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge 19

20. For students serving NS / taking a gap year ‘Date of first entry to UK’ is based on this 20

21. DO’s - How to choose courses 1.All your choices should be of similar subject, eg.  Medicine and Biomedical Sciences,  Actuarial Sciences and Statistics,  Mechanical Engineering and Automotive Engineering 2.Include  1 or 2 ideal choice(s)  2 or 3 realistic choices  1 or 2 insurance choice(s) 21

22. DO’s - How to choose courses 2.Include  1 or 2 ideal choice(s)  2 or 3 realistic choices  1 or 2 insurance choice(s) E.g. 1 ideal choice, 3 realistic choices and 1 insurance choices Or 2 ideal choices, 2 realistic choices and 1 insurance choices 22

23. DO’s - How to choose courses 3.For professional degrees such as Law and Medicine - Check the list of approved universities for practicing in Singapore 4.Discuss the affordability of UK university education with your parents 23

24. DON’Ts – How to choose courses  Don’t be too hung up over university rankings (Read article about university rankings in HECG Handbook)  Don’t choose two completely unrelated courses because the uni(s) will know through your personal statement! 24

25. Education In the following slides, find out how to 1.Add your JC and secondary school to your Education Section 2.Enter your qualifications correctly for the  Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level  Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level (NEW-first award 2006) 25

26. ‘Add new sch/college/centre’ 26

27. Use the search function to find ACJC Feb 2015 to Dec 2016; Full time; Yes 27

28. Most Sec Schools are not found on UCAS, so you can select… 28

29. Qualifications If educated in Singapore, use only  Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level  Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level (NEW-first award 2006) 29

30. Entering your GCE O level subjects Check your GCE O level certificate for the accurate names of your subjects! Common mistakes  ‘English’ is not an O level subject. Please specify English Language or Literature in English  ‘Combined Humanities’ – Not ‘Combined Humanities (SS/Geog)’ Awarding Organisations  Chinese, Malay, Tamil and resp. HMT – SEAB  Applied subjects from SST – NP  Other subjects - CIE 30

31. Example – GCE O level 31

32. Qualification date - PW and MTL (Nov 2015) -NUS/SMU/NTU H3 (Apr/May 2016) -Other H2 subjects (Nov 2016) Awarding organisation  DO NOT select from drop down list.  Instead, type CIE / SEAB / NTU /NUS / SMU Grade  Select Pending (except for PW and MT) A Level Qualifications 32

33. Example – GCE A level 33

34. Employment  Fill in the details if you have any paid employment.  Unpaid job experience programme should not be listed.  National Service is taken as Full-Time employment Eg. 34

35. Personal Statement Before the Writing Process, You Should During the Writing Process, You Should After You have Written the Personal Statement, You Should  complete the necessary research on the course so that you can discuss the relevant character / personality traits or episodes in your life to substantiate your claim that you are suitable for the course.  adhere to the word limit: 1000 to 4000 words, a maximum of 47 lines, including spaces.  adopt a reflective tone in the personal statement, revealing a high level of self-awareness and a desire for self-improvement.  devote 80% of the personal statement to your academic abilities and aptitude for the desired course of study.  elaborate on your reasons for the desired course of study.  show an understanding of the academic subject, reading beyond the GCE ‘A’ Level curriculum.  relate relevant work experience and explain how it has helped to shape your desire to study the subject.  discuss other interests / one or two Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) achievements outside of academic work, expanding on the skills developed from such activities. As much as possible, establish the link between these skills / interests to your desired course of study. This should make up the remaining 20% of the personal statement.  end the personal statement with a justified indication of your potential to complete the chosen course of study well.  check your spelling and grammar. Seek a tutor’s advice, if necessary.  check that you have written naturally, having avoided clichés, bombastic language etc.  check that your personal voice shines through. Consider: would a stranger be able to understand you better after reading your personal statement?  check the flow of the personal statement, providing clear signposts when you should. You are reminded that you must use your own words when writing your personal statement. UCAS checks each application against its database of past personal statements and plagiarised essays will be flagged out to universities. U.K. universities require personal statements to have a greater emphasis on academic abilities, achievements and potential. 35

36.  Character limit is 1000 to 4000  Line limit is 47 lines  Time limit is 35 minutes  Type and save your personal statement in your laptop; Copy it over to UCAS 36

37. Pay/Send  Pay by credit card – £23.00 for 5 choices  Need to pay so that your application can be submitted  If your application is returned to you for changes, re-submit your application (but you won’t need to pay again!) 37

38. Teacher’s Reference  How many?  1 reference letter per applicant  Who do I ask?  Politely ask the relevant subject teacher who teaches you to write your teacher reference.  If the teacher whom you have requested for a reference turn you down after taking into consideration your performance and attitude throughout your JC career, you are strongly advised to ask for a reference from another tutor who may have a different assessment of your ability and aptitude. 38

39.  Ask your teacher early (by 28 Oct 2016)*  Ask nicely (You are asking a favour of them!)  Ask in person if possible, otherwise ask through email to their ACJC account (and SMS if needed)  * If you fail to ask them by the stated deadline, but your teachers are willing to help you, make sure you give them at least two weeks’ notice before the submission deadline (see below). You need to fill in your part of the application as soon as possible. Teacher’s Reference - Very impt instructions for ACJC applicants

40.  Upon confirming your teacher referee and Form Teacher who will be collating your predicted grades, please fill in this online form http://tinyurl.com/ACJC-UCAS  If your teacher referee is not your form teacher, you are to: 1.Inform your form teacher who your teacher referee is and your form teacher will gather your predicted grades from your subject tutors and pass them to your teacher referee Teacher’s Reference

41. How to ask your teacher to be your UCAS referee Sample format of email 1.Dear Sir/Madam (better still, address them personally eg. Dear Mrs Li) 2.Simple greeting 3.Thank them for their guidance in class or in other aspects of school life (be sincere about this!) 4.Share your higher education plans with them ie. Course, country or reasons for these choices 5.Why you hope that they can be your referee 6.Explain what they need to do, how they can seek help about writing the reference and the deadline for completion 7.***Ask them if they would be able to be your referee*** 41

42. Dear Mrs Li, Merry Christmas! The A levels had gone smoothly for me and I am glad I had given my best in preparing for the exams. Econs Paper 2 had an unexpected question (as you would know!) but I am thankful that you had always made our class discuss economics issues found in the most current news. It was a lifesaver in this case. I hope we will not let you down next Mar! Through your Econs lessons, I have learnt to look at daily issues from the view point of Econs concepts and found them applicable in many instances. Taking H3 Game Theory has further helped me to appreciate the importance of economic considerations even in unexpected situations. I am keen to further my understanding of Economics and I plan to study Economics in the UK. To this end, I would like to ask if you can be my teacher referee and prepare a reference letter for my UCAS application? The reference letter concerns your comments about my aptitude and potential in studying Economics, as well as other non academic pursuits related to my course and future careers. My application together with the reference letter is due when school re-opens in Jan 2017. Would you help by being my teacher referee? If you are agreeable to write my reference I will send you my latest SGC as well as CCA records. Thank you and I wish you a restful year end break! (Sign off) 42 Sample email to teacher

43. Briefing for teachers  Teachers will be briefed on  The role of Form Teachers vs the role of Referees  The types of comments needed in the reference letter  How to upload the reference to your UCAS application  Confidentiality of reference letters 43

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45. DEADLINES  Completed applications, including a reference, should be sent to UCAS by the following dates.  20 September 2016 University of Cambridge^ (1 September 2016 Thursday 5pm ACJC internal deadline^)  ^Applicable to Cambridge applicants wishing to be interviewed in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia or China 45

46. DEADLINES  15 October 2016 (1 October 2016 ACJC internal deadline) - For dentistry, medicine, veterinary science and veterinary medicine and for all courses at the University of Oxford.  15 January 2017 (1 January 2017 ACJC internal deadline) - For all other courses except those above and art and design courses with a 24 March deadline. 46

47. Final notes  Make sure the form is properly presented.  Sending applications to UCAS: you must complete all sections properly, accurately and correctly. You must make sure that all your sections are complete. Once this is done, mark your application as ‘complete’ and submit it. This will then be checked and once processed, will be sent to UCAS together with your teacher’s reference. 47

48. Admissions Tests  Do I need to take any admissions test? It is your responsibility to find out on the universities website, but here are a few common ones  BMAT  UKCAT  LNAT  TSA /STEP for Cambridge courses 48

49. Proof of English language proficiency Q: Do I need to sit for TOEFL to proof my proficiency in the English language? A: Usually ‘No’ because you can proof proficiency in the language through one of these ways 1.O level cert showing your grade in ‘English Language’ – upon receiving an offer from the university, you may be asked to proof your proficiency in Eng Lang. Please scan your O level cert and email it to the university according to their instructions (or you may need to…) 2.A letter from MOE to explain that you have been educated in MOE schools that use English as the medium of instruction – IF NEEDED, you can get this from the MOE Customer Service Centre 49

50. 1.Application Procedures and deadline reminders 2.ACJC Preliminary Oxbridge Application Form 3.General Advice Oxbridge Briefing

51. Depending on the course and College you apply to, an interview may be the only additional assessment. However, in addition you may be asked to: 1.submit additional school/college essays, which may be discussed at interview. 2.take a further test either when you attend for interview or beforehand (either a subject-based test organised by your College or one of the tests outlined in this section). 3.Your College will advise you if you need to send any work in or sit a test and the arrangements for this. OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE

52. http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate  Submit your UCAS application online by 1 September Thursday 5pm (internal deadline; 20 Sept official deadline).  Cambridge Online Preliminary Application (COPA) o online submission University of Cambridge (1 Sep Thu 5pm)

53. http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate  If you want to be interviewed in Singapore in late Oct / early Nov, you need to submit all 3 forms University of Cambridge Application formsInternal Deadlines (ACJC Oxbridge Preliminary Application Form) (1 Aug 2016) UCAS1 Sep 2016 Cambridge Online Preliminary Application (COPA) 20 Sep 2016 Note that changes CANNOT be made to COPA after submission Supplementary Application Questionnaire (SAQ) 22 Oct 2016

54.  University of Cambridge  Application fee for COPA is £30  If you are selected for interview outside Cambridge, you must pay an overseas interview fee of £130 Oxbridge Briefing

55. COPA  Read the guide for filling in COPA. http://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applyin g/copa SAQ  Read the guide for filling in the SAQ. http://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applyin g/saq  Shortly after submitting your UCAS application, you will be asked via email to complete an online Supplementary Application Questionnaire (SAQ). In order to make a valid application to the University of Cambridge, you must submit your SAQ by the deadline, 22 October 2016. University of Cambridge

56. Q: Do I need to submit a high school transcript? A: No. (Singapore-Cambridge GCE O levels are equivalent to IGCSEs) Q: How do I obtain my UMS results / Percentage Uniform Marks? A: Singapore applicants do not need to submit UMS / PUM Q: Do I need to take the IELTS? A: Not likely. If you are asked to take IELTS, please forward the email from your College to Ms So 56 University of Cambridge FAQs for COPA

57. Personal Statements for Cambridge Academic/subject-focused: use 3/4 of space available Confirm commitment and suitability for the course Indicate your subject focus, wider reading, interests, personality Describe any work experience Extra-curricular activities: 1/4 space The Statement provides discussion points for the interview. -Why this course? -What sparked your interest? -How have you developed and extended that interest? -Extra-curricular pursuits? -Career aspirations?

58. Admissions tests BMAT for Medicine and Veterinary Medicine (sat in school in early November) Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) Cambridge Law Test Other subject tests College tests (if interview in Cambridge) STEP for Mathematics – taken at the same time as A Levels

59. Interviews Most Singapore applicants will be interviewed in Singapore in late October/early November; only a few applicants (e.g. for Architecture) will be expected to come to Cambridge in early to mid December If in Cambridge, between one and three interviews at a college, each lasting 20-45 minutes, with one or two interviewers Conducted by academics Academic and subject-focused

60. How to prepare for interview Read around, but also read in depth Get used to talking about your subject Get used to talking to unfamiliar adults Revise what you already know Be prepared to discuss things you don’t know

61. What are we looking for Genuine passion for the subject Appropriateness of the course, for your background and career aims Fluency of existing knowledge Enthusiasm for complex and challenging ideas Clarity of thought and analytical ability Intellectual flexibility Wider interests

62. COPA and Supplementary Application Questionnaire (SAQ) Completed online by 20 th September COPA asks for details of exam performance, some further personal information and the opportunity to write a Cambridge-specific personal statement If you have completed a COPA, you only need to provide your UCAS ID number, and your COPA ID number in your SAQ

63. The application timeline Choose course and College COPA/UCAS application Submit by 20 th September Winter Pool Choose ‘firm’ and ‘insurance’ choices Exam results/ confirmation (all offers must be met by 31 August) Written work/ tests Start university Complete online SAQ Interview (plus tests in some subjects) (late October in Singapore)

64.  University of Oxford http://www.ox.ac.uk/admission s  Submit your UCAS application online by 1 October 5pm (internal deadline) to ensure that it is sent by 15 October (official deadline).  Refer to the Application calendar on the website. Candidates must check to see if there is a written test for their subject, and ensure that they have registered, where required (for details see course pages).course pages Oxbridge Briefing

65. ACJC Oxford Preliminary Application Form Fill in the online ACJC Oxford Preliminary Application Form http://tinyurl.com/ACJC-prelim-oxbridge-form by 1 August 2016.http://tinyurl.com/ACJC-prelim-oxbridge-form This form will be available from 24 May to 1 August 2016. FAQ Refer to LMS for FAQs on admissions, interviews etc. compiled by Professor Carol Black from the University of Cambridge. Oxbridge Briefing

66. GENERAL ADVICE  Ensure your chosen course is one where you have studied the appropriate subjects, and you are able to demonstrate “solid knowledge base and suitable experience of relevant analytical approaches and techniques.” (Cambridge Tutor for Admissions)  Explore the subject outside the classroom, including a range of ambitious reading or working through a good body of relevant analytical material. Prospective medics and vets are recommended to gain some practical understanding of their fields. Oxbridge Briefing

67. GENERAL ADVICE  Prepare for interviews by making opportunities to discuss academic subjects with another person. More information on interview preparation at a later stage. Pls inform the school (your referee and Ms So Zhao Ying) if you are shortlisted for interviews.  When you have accepted a place at a UK university, do update your teacher referee and thank them for their help. Oxbridge Briefing

68. ALL THE BEST FOR YOUR EXAMINATIONS!