Each year there are about 400,000 university places available in the UK.  Despite recent increases in tuition fees competition for places remains high, and the universities that are considered by many to be the most desirable naturally gain the highest number of applicants.

Thus the need for students to maximise their chances of getting to the university of their choice remains.  And this means quite simply two things.  While it is obviously always true that students need to work to the best of their abilities to get the grades likely to be required, it is equally true that every year students need to write better and better applications. 

For, just as a course which five years ago might have admitted students with three B grades now requires two As and a B, so an application form which five years ago might have led to an offer, might now lead to the student being not given a place.

In fact each year we are seeing an increasing number of highly able and talented students failing to get to the university of their choice  because their application does not make the most of their potential, their personality, their drive, and their ability to give something back to the university as well as be a good student.

Students now need to be well informed and focused in order to make the right choices and to give themselves the best possible chance of getting a place on the course and at the university that best suits their future aspirations.  They need to know why they want to go to this university, to study this course, and they need to be aware that being at university is a two way process.  The university gives the student opportunities – the student needs to show that he/she will seize those opportunities and give something back in return.

This book seeks to clarify the process of applying for university and contains information and insights that will be useful for all students as they face the university application process.  It outlines each step from the first thought to the completion of the application, and looks at all aspects of the process of selecting and applying for a university place.  This includes carrying out research to find the best suited course/university, understanding the UCAS system, delivering the best possible personal statement, the actual application and the post-application process, funding, and student accommodation, etc.

Cat No: 978 1 86083 810 1