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How to Make Your University Application Stand Out

Date Posted: 26th January

Categories: ResultsSixth Form

Your senior year of sixth form involves a lot of hard work, whether it’s with exams or thinking about the future and whether you wish to pursue higher education. It’s essential to make your university application stand out to give you the best chance of attending your favoured university with the best course for your career goals. Showing passion and drive will demonstrate your commitment to working hard and give you a better chance of success.

At Wycliffe, we understand that applying for universities and impressing an admissions committee can be stressful, and it’s our aim to make the admissions process less daunting by preparing you with the best application possible. Find out how to make your university application stand out.

Research your course

You should start by researching the course of your chosen subject and weigh the differences between each university. This will help you create a tailored application for each university that will look better to admissions teams.

Applicants researching the chosen course in-depth demonstrate that they are interested in that specific university. This helps admissions tutors distinguish those that want to attend the university for its course and opportunities and those that aren’t as interested.

Wycliffe girl studying in class

Apply early

It is a good idea to apply early, as universities see a lot of student applications and receive thousands of applications, so getting yours in before others increases your chances of success.

Now let’s look at things to include in your UCAS application to give you the best possible chance of success.

What do university admissions officers want to see?

An excellent personal statement

A well-written personal statement will allow you to promote yourself as an ideal candidate explaining your experience and why you want to study the chosen course. This should be easier if you choose the right course. It would help if you aimed to be passionate and enthusiastic, demonstrating any extra reading and research you have gathered as part of the process.

Personal statements can make or break a university application. Ensuring this is the best quality will put you ahead of other prospective students and make a good impression.

Volunteering

Volunteering is something that everyone should experience during their life. Not only is volunteering gratifying and fulfilling, but it also demonstrates excellent qualities as part of your university application. This is a great way to score up to 50 extra UCAS points in your application.  An excellent course to consider if you’d like to use this to your advantage is the Level 3 Certificate of Personal Effectiveness course.

Engage in extra-curricular activities

Extra-curricular activities are a great way to show commitment outside of just your studies and that you have passions and personal interests that make you more unique.

Some pupils also have a part-time job which can enhance their application. This will show an individual demonstrates maturity and responsibility and is even more determined to work on the side of succeeding academically.

Wycliffe hockey player

Get work experience

Having some work experience or community service in your desired subject is impressive to admissions officers. It portrays you as a willing student who has also learned various transferable life skills.

Every university application will have detail about a candidate’s academic background. Still, only a handful will demonstrate that they have gone above and beyond to locate the necessary work experience for the course. Whilst good grades are hugely important as an entry requirement, it’s no doubt that proving you have just a short history of work experience can increase your odds significantly.

The main difference between education and work is that work-related tasks are mainly laid out in advance, giving students planning time where they can approach things at their own pace. However, situations sometimes occur in the working environment where more teamwork and leadership roles are required. Priorities can change quickly, and urgent asks can cause stress, needing to be dealt with immediately. Going the extra mile by having this experience is a great way to appeal to an admissions team.

You have strong exam results

Exam and test scores are a significant indicator of your focus and commitment to work, showing your dedication and determination to succeed in your academic subjects. Good grades are necessary for any university course, whether it’s an honours program, A levels, or other advanced courses.

When looking into your chosen university course, keep the entry requirements in mind as a goal and strive to do the best you can to achieve them.

How Wycliffe can help your child’s university application stand out

Wycliffe helps students develop essential skills such as responsibility, leadership and teamwork, as well as assisting them in building a solid academic background. We aim to give students an outstanding school experience while setting them up for the adult world and future success.

Wycliffe sixth form uniform pupils outside walking

Our sixth form curriculum

Wycliffe Sixth Form has an extensive curriculum, with over 28 courses consisting of A Levels, BTECs and the Extended Project Qualification. Throughout a student’s time with us, we provide value-added opportunities to continue their growth and development into adulthood. Find out more about Wycliffe Sixth Form here.

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