1. Brighouse Sixth Form College Helping students through the UCAS 2016 application cycle

2. Why choose Higher Education Higher Education Week
Student Support in College
The applicant journey
Key dates and deadlines
Student Finance
How can parents help?
Designed to cover the main areas parents have questions about and provide a greater understanding of the application process for HE.

3. Higher Education Week 2015 Trip to UCAS conference at Hull university
Registered online for UCAS started application
How to choose a university & course?
Understanding the process- from now until results day August 2016
The importance of thorough research
Support with personal statement
Lots of available resources

4. Choosing courses Applying Offers Results Next steps Starting
Uni / College 1 2 3 4 5 6
The steps all applicants will take to get to uni.
Focus on some areas more than others.
1 – Research, what are you looking for and do you have what the universities/colleges are looking for?
2 – Making your application
3 – Receiving offers, or not – Extra, then replying to offers
4 – Qualifications, how do your results get to the uni
5 – Confirmation, Clearing and Adjustment
6 – Starting uni – Enrolment, Finance, Life at Uni
More detail on UCAS.com, and in parents guides if you have given them these.

5. Key features of the UCAS scheme
Only 1 x application each year
Maximum of 5 choices for most applicants:
Medicine, Veterinary Science, Dentistry – max 4
Oxford or Cambridge
Online application and management at ucas.com
Apply and Track
2016 fee - £23
Once the form is in you can’t make many changes
Simultaneous consideration & ‘Invisibility’
There are opportunities for other choices:
Extra, Adjustment & Clearing
We usually just read these bullet points as this slide is fairly self-explanatory. The following web pages can help if you want further information on Extra and Clearing.

6. The process post-application
When applicants have received decisions from ALL of their choices, if they have offers they will be asked to make replies (and given a date in early May to reply by on Track)
If an applicant does not receive any offers they can make an additional choice through the Extra scheme
UCAS will send reminders – but if applicants fail to reply to offers by the date, offers will be automatically declined!
By May students will hold a maximum of 2 offers (others declined)
Firm (if you meet the conditions you will be placed here)
Insurance
Emphasise –
If an applicant does not receive offers at the same time as their friends – this is normal. Each HEI makes offers in different ways and at different rates.
When an applicant goes CF/I uni’s can see what the other choice is asking for
If an applicant goes UF they do not have an insurance choice
Applicants do not have to have an insurance choice if they are certain they would only be interested in 1 of their offers.
Applicants cannot swap between the insurance and firm choices.
The insurance choice disappears once they have been placed with their firm choice.

7. Universities selection tools
Qualifications & Predicted grades
Personal statement
References
Work experience
Admissions tests
Interviews
Portfolios & Auditions
So it’s important to make sure all aspects of your application are the best they can be, and that you have undertaken sufficient research so you know what your universities are looking for.

8. Government sites e.g. GOV.uk, Student Finance England Online research
UCAS.com
Institutions’ sites
Subject specific sites
Unistats
National press
Journals
Social media websites
Government sites e.g. GOV.uk, Student Finance England
Online research
Research is the most important part of the journey – you need to be fully prepared before you start your application, and in order to identify skill gaps in a timely fashion.
Every year so many applicants are unsuccessful for reasons that could have been avoided if they had undertaken better research.
When UCAS interviewed current students in their second year asking them what advice they would give to their 18 year old self, ALL of the students said – ‘do more research!’

9.
This is the main site students will use when initially researching their university options
They will apply-track etc through this site-it will become their new facebook!!
Excellent parents guide to downlaod

10. www.university.which.co.uk Example page for Hudds Uni
Go through what they can find out

11.
Hudds Uni info

12. Resources for Parents

13. or

14. Student Support in college
Higher Education Week
Work in tutorials & also independently
University Open Days-plan sensibly
Tutorial session once a week
UCAS drop-in sessions every lunchtime form September to January
Thursday 22nd October another full day of UCAS support
Work Experience-can do more!

15. The next stage…. AS Results day-Thursday 13 August 2015
UCAS predicted grades-impact upon course choices/tariff
Send application-5 choices/aspirational & realistic
Receive offers Keep up to date with ‘track’
Make a Firm & Insurance choice May 2016
A2 Results day-Thursday 11th August 2016
Clearing if needed

16. Expectations of students
Attend all tutorials
Take advice from experienced tutors/subject staff-use support systems
Be proactive & organised
Draft a personal statement before end of term
Course search in detail/course content
Attend Open Days
Aim to send well before UCAS deadline
College deadline is Mid November at latest

17. How can parents help?

18. How can you support the application process?
Use the Parents section of the UCAS website where you can sign up to the quarterly Parents’ Newsletter
Download Parents’ Guides on UCAS site and Which University-on the Brighouse Website & ed to students
Offer to attend open days – you may have a different perspective & see different things!
Support your son/daughter’s management of their application-help them keep a UCAS filing system
Make sure they read everything they are sent carefully!
Apply for student finance by deadline May 31st 2016 Si

19. How can you support the application process?
Don’t book holidays at key times such as A2 results day
Prepare them for living away from home:
Cost of living/budgeting – paying bills
Independent living skills – cooking & washing
Be there: Comforting, proof reading,
encouraging, testing, practising…………