More than good grades: how your child can craft a compelling university application
29 January 2025: The deadline for most undergraduate course applications in the UK. While many students have been considering their applications, UCAS data shows the second-highest increase in applications to UK universities since records began. With increasing competition for places, how can your child showcase to admissions officers why they deserve to be offered a place?
6 December 2024
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Prioritise a course over a university
For many young people, choosing a university based on reputation alone can be tempting. However, students should instead focus on selecting a course they enjoy that aligns with their interests. A good course fit can lead to a more positive university experience, increased engagement and, ultimately, better outcomes for your child. Understanding the nuances of their course will enable your child to better tailor their application to showcase their motivation and enthusiasm for the course, helping them to stand out amidst other applicants.Research and research more
Choosing a university to study at is a huge decision for your child. After all, they will spend the next three to four years in residence. From reading entry requirements to exploring individual modules and department’s research strengths to Open Day visits, we actively encourage all of our students at Oxford International College Brighton to undertake comprehensive research when they are applying to university. Not only does this help them make an informed decision about which course and institution will best suit them, but it also helps them link their experience and perspectives to their prospective course in their personal statements. To show understanding, they need to develop understanding, and research is an essential element of this process.League tables don’t always tell the full story
While league tables can often be perceived as definitive guides, they represent subjective rankings and may prioritise factors that aren’t relevant to your child’s goals and needs. They can be a useful starting point for research, but, in my opinion, nothing beats visiting a campus, speaking with students and professors, and exploring the local area of the university. This will give your child the best indication of whether a course will suit them—and what they might need to highlight in their application.Related reading
- What do recent exam results mean for international families?
- Emerging trends in international schools
- USA dominates new list of global universities that qualify graduates for UK’s High Potential Individual visa
- Supporting international students’ wellbeing at university
Take a holistic approach
Most universities in the United Kingdom require a minimum of five GCSEs including English and Mathematics. It is important to understand the entry requirements for your child’s preferred universities to ensure that they are on target to achieve the grades they need. However, admissions teams will also consider a wide range of factors to ensure that your child will thrive at their institution. These could include experiences, attributes, personal qualities, life experiences and super curricular activities. While your child may be predicted higher grades than the entry requirements, it is helpful to remind them that they need to focus on developing a well-rounded application that emphasises more than academic attainment to stand out from other applicants.Focus on relevance
For UK university applications, students should emphasise their recent, relevant experiences to demonstrate their deep interest in their chosen subject. Extracurricular achievements or accomplishments that are not directly related to the course should be minimised, even if they are significant. While these are wonderful things that make your child a well-rounded student, spaces on some courses are limited, so your child should focus on wider exploration and reflection. Often, students who have great personal statements haven’t done lots of different activities but they show different ways of experiencing their subject and reflect on how this deepens their interest in their subject. Attending lectures, exhibitions and even reading articles provide ideal opportunities to develop their knowledge and demonstrate their curiosity about new perspectives on taught subject material. Our students are immersed in opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills beyond the curriculum through our Supercurricular Programme, but you can help your child expand their learning outside the classroom. Together, you may wish to research and identify upcoming events related to their interest — for example plays for English enthusiasts — or you may know a specialist in their preferred field that you can introduce them to. Doing so will not only enhance their intellectual curiosity but it will give them more opportunities to showcase their academic passions outside of their classroom learning. Some universities, such as Oxbridge, require students to participate in an admissions interview. Preparing for this interview requires students to articulate their interest in their chosen subject through a reflective and intellectual conversation. You can emulate this process at home, regardless of what university your child is applying to. Reflecting on their learning and extracurricular activities together will help your child when they progress to writing their personal statement as they will have already defined the content they want to include.Choose authenticity over perfection
While hiring an application tutor is becoming increasingly common, university admissions officers want to understand why your child wants to study a course. The best way for them to demonstrate this? To write their own application. This will evidence their personality and enthusiasm for a subject. Admissions officers are well-equipped to identify an application that sounds like it was written on behalf of a student; personal statements that are seen to be professionally written may be deemed inauthentic and untrustworthy. At Oxford International College Brighton, our students benefit from tutors who ensure their applications are written in a way that will attract the interest of an admissions officer but reflects their age and abilities.Crafting a compelling personal statement goes beyond demonstrating that your child can achieve the grades required by a university—although, these are, of course, important. It relies on showcasing a deep interest in their chosen subject, exploring beyond their classroom learning, and reflecting on their experiences to inform their understanding.
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