Strengthening Your Application

23 UK universities have seven or above applicants competing for each place. While Our Finding Your Future Support package provides our clients with an individual action plan, we would like to offer some general advice on increasing your chances of being accepted by a prestigious university.

What do we mean by ‘strengthening’?

We define strengthening’ as any activities which you and your referee can use to emphasize

  • (a) your commitment to your chosen subject(s)
  • (b) your academic ability and
  • (c) the skills and attributes you possess that make you suitable for your chosen course.

When can I start this?

UK Year 12 (Year 11 in other school systems) or even UK Year 8 is ideal. However, the final year of school might not be too late as long as you are prepared to leave sending your application until the end of December.

Here are some general rules to get you started

1

SHINING IN YOUR SUBJECT IN SCHOOL

Imagine this

You want to study physics at university in the UK. You will have to write around 3-4 sentences about studying this subject at school in your Personal Statement. You are a good student with a good class grades.

BUT all you’ve done for the last 4 years is attended classes, completed homework and taken tests.

Full stop – that’s it.

This isn’t enough!

Here are some ideas:

  • Always volunteer for any presentations in your class, and plan and deliver them brilliantly.

  • Keep a diary of your presentation topics. If it’s compulsory, you should again record what you presented on

  • If there are any optional visits or trips (or optional anything), go on them and note it in your diary

  • If there are any optional projects linked to your subject – volunteer for them!

  • Does your subject have a club linked to it? Computing club? Science club? Film club (for English or French)? If it does, join it, if not, ask your teacher if you can start one and get some friends to join

  • Are there any opportunities to help teach or mentor younger students at your school? If so, take them, if not suggest this to your teacher

  • Always be enthusiastic in class – you need to stand out from the 300+ students your teacher teaches every week

  • You find out that a famous person/speaker linked to your subject is visiting your city – ask if you can organise a group of your colleagues to listen to them (if no one’s interested, go yourself!) – then ask your teacher if you can deliver a presentation to your class on it

2

EXTRA READING

Why should I do it?

This shows that you have gone beyond the curriculum – something which you must prove for entry to the top universities.

It also shows that you have a real passion for the subject and can demonstrate your intellect when you describe what you’ve leant from a book.

How should I read?

When you read a book write down in a notebook:

  • What fascinated you about it and why

  • What new insights it gave you – how it changed your understanding of a topic or the subject as a whole

  • What it encouraged you to do, e.g. explore a new topic (and how you did this)

Here are a few reading recommendations

Social and Cultural Anthropology- A Very Short Introduction

Social and Cultural Anthropology- A Very Short Introduction

An Anthropologist in Japan - Glimpses of Life in the Field

An Anthropologist in Japan – Glimpses of Life in the Field

Why Humans Have Cultures - Explaining Anthropology

Why Humans Have Cultures – Explaining Anthropology and Social Diversity

Tree of Origin - What Primate Behavior Can Tell Us about Human Social Evolution

Tree of Origin – What Primate Behavior Can Tell Us about Human Social Evolution

Experiencing Architecture

Experiencing Architecture

Modern Architecture: A Critical History

Modern Architecture: A Critical History

The Classical Language of Architecture

The Classical Language of Architecture

Space, Time and Architecture- The Growth of a New Tradition

Space, Time and Architecture- The Growth of a New Tradition

The Story of Art

The Story of Art

A World History of Art

A World History of Art

Ways of Seeing

Ways of Seeing

Lives of the Painters, Sculptors and Architects

Lives of the Painters, Sculptors and Architects

How We Live and Why We Die - The Secret Lives of Cells

How We Live and Why We Die – The Secret Lives of Cells

Genome - The Autobiography Of Species In 23 Chapters

Genome – The Autobiography Of Species In 23 Chapters

Mutants - On the Form, Varieties and Errors of the Human Body

Mutants – On the Form, Varieties and Errors of the Human Body

Endless Forms Most Beautiful - The New Science of Evo Devo and the Making of the Animal Kingdom

Endless Forms Most Beautiful – The New Science of Evo Devo and the Making of the Animal Kingdom

American Icon - Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company

American Icon – Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company

Pour Your Heart Into It - How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

Pour Your Heart Into It – How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

Brick by Brick - How LEGO Rewrote the Rules of Innovation and Conquered the Global Toy Industry

Brick by Brick – How LEGO Rewrote the Rules of Innovation and Conquered the Global Toy Industry

Losing the Signal - The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of Blackberry

Losing the Signal – The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of Blackberry

Nature's Building Blocks - An A-Z Guide to the Elements

Nature’s Building Blocks – An A-Z Guide to the Elements

Why Chemical Reactions Happen

Why Chemical Reactions Happen

Reactions - The Private Life of Atoms

Reactions – The Private Life of Atoms

What is Chemistry

What is Chemistry?

Code - The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software

Code – The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software

New Turing Omnibus

New Turing Omnibus

Computer Science - An Overview

Computer Science – An Overview

What Is Mathematics. An Elementary Approach to Ideas and Methods

What Is Mathematics? An Elementary Approach to Ideas and Methods

Capitalism and Freedom - Fortieth Anniversary Edition

Capitalism and Freedom – Fortieth Anniversary Edition

Economics - The User's Guide

Economics – The User’s Guide

The Bottom Billion - Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It

The Bottom Billion – Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It

The Worldly Philosophers - The Lives, Times, and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers

The Worldly Philosophers – The Lives, Times, and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers

Flying Buttresses, Entropy, and O-Rings - The World of an Engineer

Flying Buttresses, Entropy, and O-Rings – The World of an Engineer

Remaking the World

Remaking the World

Structures - Or Why Things Don't Fall Down

Structures – Or Why Things Don’t Fall Down

The Existential Pleasures of Engineering

The Existential Pleasures of Engineering

In Defence of History

In Defence of History

The Historian's Craft

The Historian’s Craft

The Idea of History - With Lectures 1926-1928

The Idea of History – With Lectures 1926-1928

What is History? - The George Macaulay Trevelyan Lectures Delivered In The University of Cambridge

What is History? – The George Macaulay Trevelyan Lectures Delivered In The University of Cambridge

The Invention of Nature - The Adventures of Alexander von Humboldt, the Lost Hero of Science

The Invention of Nature – The Adventures of Alexander von Humboldt, the Lost Hero of Science

The Shock of the Anthropocene - The Earth, History and Us

The Shock of the Anthropocene – The Earth, History and Us

Eruptions that Shook the World

Eruptions that Shook the World

The Dictionary of Human Geography

The Dictionary of Human Geography

Bad Pharma - How Medicine is Broken, and How We Can Fix It

Bad Pharma – How Medicine is Broken, and How We Can Fix It

The Emperor of All Maladies - A Biography of Cancer

The Emperor of All Maladies – A Biography of Cancer

The Rise And Fall Of Modern Medicine

The Rise And Fall Of Modern Medicine

Being Mortal - Illness, Medicine and What Matters in the End

Being Mortal – Illness, Medicine and What Matters in the End

How Language Works - How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning and Languages Live or Die

How Language Works – How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning and Languages Live or Die

Linguistics- A Complete Introduction - Teach Yourself

Linguistics- A Complete Introduction – Teach Yourself

The Architecture of Language

The Architecture of Language

The Language Instinct - How the Mind Creates Language

The Language Instinct – How the Mind Creates Language

An Introduction to Roman Law

An Introduction to Roman Law

Is Eating People Wrong? - Great Legal Cases and How they Shaped the World

Is Eating People Wrong? – Great Legal Cases and How they Shaped the World

Just Law

Just Law

Legal Method

Legal Method

Why We Buy - The Science of Shopping

Why We Buy – The Science of Shopping

Brand New - The Shape of Brands to Come

Brand New – The Shape of Brands to Come

Competitive Advantage - Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance

Competitive Advantage – Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance

Storynomics - Story-Driven Marketing in the Post-Advertising World

Storynomics – Story-Driven Marketing in the Post-Advertising World

Alex's Adventures in Numberland

Alex’s Adventures in Numberland

The History of Mathematics - A Very Short Introduction

The History of Mathematics – A Very Short Introduction

The Unfinished Game - Pascal, Fermat, and the Seventeenth-Century Letter that Made the World Modern

The Unfinished Game – Pascal, Fermat, and the Seventeenth-Century Letter that Made the World Modern

What Is Mathematics? An Elementary Approach to Ideas and Methods

What Is Mathematics? An Elementary Approach to Ideas and Methods

How to Read a Film - The World of Movies, Media, Multimedia - Language, History, Theory

How to Read a Film – The World of Movies, Media, Multimedia – Language, History, Theory

Media Control - The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda

Media Control – The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda

Media Studies - A Reader

Media Studies – A Reader

The Cinema Book

The Cinema Book

Think - A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy

Think – A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy

Meditations and Other Metaphysical Writings

Meditations and Other Metaphysical Writings

An Introduction to Formal Logic

An Introduction to Formal Logic

Paradoxes

Paradoxes

Hyperspace - A Scientific Odyssey through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the Tenth Dimension

Hyperspace – A Scientific Odyssey through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the Tenth Dimension

Just Six Numbers - The Deep Forces That Shape the Universe

Just Six Numbers – The Deep Forces That Shape the Universe

QED - The Strange Theory of Light and Matter

QED – The Strange Theory of Light and Matter

The First Three Minutes - A Modern View Of The Origin Of The Universe

The First Three Minutes – A Modern View Of The Origin Of The Universe

An Introduction to Political Philosophy

An Introduction to Political Philosophy

Democracy and Its Critics

Democracy and Its Critics

International Relations - A Very Short Introduction

International Relations – A Very Short Introduction

States and Social Revolutions - A Comparative Analysis of France, Russia, and China

States and Social Revolutions – A Comparative Analysis of France, Russia, and China

Consciousness Explained

Consciousness Explained

Madness Explained - Psychosis and Human Nature

Madness Explained – Psychosis and Human Nature

Phantoms in the Brain - Human Nature and the Architecture of the Mind

Phantoms in the Brain – Human Nature and the Architecture of the Mind

50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology - Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior

50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology – Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior

Criminal Justice - A Very Short Introduction

Criminal Justice – A Very Short Introduction

Criminology 1

Criminology 1

Essential Concepts in Sociology

Essential Concepts in Sociology

Faces - Imprisoned Women and Their Struggle with the Criminal Justice System

Faces – Imprisoned Women and Their Struggle with the Criminal Justice System

Few of these books are big heavy textbooks. Most are very interesting, some are even funny.

Believe it or not, many of these are from Oxford and Cambridge reading lists. They are designed to get you excited about a subject and find out what areas you enjoy most.

Occasionally, some students discover they don’t like a subject when they start reading about it in depth – this can be painful, but it is much better than finding this out at university.

Comprehensive reading lists for each subject are included in our Find Your Future support package.

3

WORK EXPERIENCE

Why should I do it?

Again, it demonstrates commitment to and understanding of a subject and can help you stand out from other applicants.

It also shows that you possess important generic skills such as team working, adaptability, problem solving, communication skills, initiative, working under pressure and to tight deadlines.

Is it important for all subjects?

We would say many but not all. It depends what you do and what you learn from it.

For medicine, dentistry, veterinary science and architecture it is nearly always essential. For engineering, business related degrees, media studies and biomedical sciences it can be make a significant different to your chances of being accepted by top universities.

Even if you are applying for non-vocational subjects such as maths or sociology, work experience can demonstrate the vital generic skills but it is very unlikely that it will make a critical difference to your application.

How long does it need to be for?

We would say for at least a week. This could be in one block during a vacation or spread over a longer period.

Does it need to be paid?

No. Unpaid internships and volunteer work are equally valuable.

What type of experience is best for my subject?

  • Shadowing an architect

  • Construction projects

  • Conservation of old buildings
  • Anything linked to arts and crafts
  • Volunteer at an art museum

  • Any laboratory experience

  • Horticulture/agriculture/aquiculture

  • Any experience at all with any business

  • Marketing or fundraising for an NGO

Please note: chemistry placements are very hard to get in any country and have relatively little impact on your application.

  • Pharmacy/pharmaceutical manufacture

  • Any laboratory experience

  • Software design

  • Fixing hardware

  • Any experience in a business which significantly uses information technology

  • Teaching on computing camps

  • Cultural museums (anthropology)

  • Social work

  • Market research

  • NGOs working with under privileged groups in society

  • Helping with an election campaign (local or national)

  • Banks

  • Stock exchange

  • Business advisors

  • Anything linked to your national bank/treasury

  • Shadowing an engineer

  • Anything in construction projects (civil engineering)

  • Anything at any airport (aeronautical engineering)

  • Anything at a manufacturing business

  • Installation of electro-mechanical devices

  • Anything linked to the repair and maintenance of machinery

  • Conservation related volunteering

  • Rural tourism

  • Mountain guiding

  • Involvement in local/national environmental pressure groups

  • Shadowing doctors or other healthcare professionals

  • Volunteering for the Red Cross, a hospice, with handicapped children or adults, old people

  • Pathology laboratory experience

  • A pharmacy

  • Volunteering in a museum or acting as a guide in your town or city

  • Involvement in any archaeological digs

  • Conservation of old buildings

  • Hotel work where you are using your languages

  • Any tourism experience at all where you are using your languages

  • Translation work

  • Shadowing a lawyer

  • Working in a court

  • Any work relating to insurance or assurance (pensions)

  • Banking

  • Stock exchange (with a focus on trading)

  • TV production company

  • Newspaper

  • Anything linked to advertising

  • Being an ‘extra’ on a movie set

  • Doing anything on a movie set

Please note: physics placements are very, very hard to get in any country and have relatively little impact on your application.

  • The research department of any company

  • Laboratory work in a university physics department or research facility (in your country or elsewhere)

  • Engineering – especially materials, electronic or aerospace

  • Observatory voluntary work

  • Helping with an election campaign (local or national)

  • Shadowing a politician

  • Involvement in a pressure group in which you are trying to influence public opinion

  • Any form of teaching

  • Any work with young children

  • Hospital psychiatry department

  • Any work with mentally disabled adults or children

  • Any work with old people

  • Market research

What should I do while I’m on the placement?

A good answer would be anything.

At one end of the spectrum, ‘shadowing’ someone can very useful especially for medicine, veterinary science and law. It is vital that you keep a diary each day and record:

  • The actions the person did

  • The skills/knowledge they used

  • How they dealt with clients, patients, subordinates etc

  • What the shadowing taught you about their job/their profession

Any practical activities you can do, no matter how simple, are usually very useful. Again, keep a dairy and record both what you learnt from doing them and what you learnt about the profession in general.

Obviously, being given responsibility or assisting with important events (such as helping at a conference or a product launch) can look very good in your Personal Statement but, as always, you need to be able to say what you learnt from it.

Do I need a letter or a certificate to prove I did it?

No. UK universities will assume you are telling the truth about your work experience.

However, making something up is very dangerous. With interviews becoming more common, you might be asked detailed questions on the organisation you worked with and what you learnt from it.

Would work experience abroad be useful?

Definitely. If it’s in an English-speaking country you will also improve your communication skills and cultural awareness.

Albion International Study is an official representative for The Training Partnership Ltd. which organises internships in South Devon in the UK.

4

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

We’re talking about quite a broad meaning of ‘extracurricular’. Here are just a few of the activities that fit our definition:

  • Being head of your class

  • Being in a school sports team

  • Helping organise any school activity, from your High School Prom to collecting litter

  • Drama or debating club

  • School newspaper

  • Film, computer, photography or maths club

  • Being a member of any club or group at or linked to your school

  • Supporting any pressure group linked to your school

  • Involvement in any NGOs

If you find out your school doesn’t offer much in the direction of extracurricular activities, be a leader, have initiative and create one yourself!

One more thing

The myth is that the more extracurricular activities you have done, the greater the chance to receive offers.

The reality is that extracurricular activities strengthen an application if they can be related to the course you wish to study.

Are they worth doing then?

Definitely! But please forget about doing lots of activities just to try and impress admissions tutors.

  • Do them because you enjoy them (or even better, are passionate about them)

  • Do them because you believe in making a difference in your school and community

  • Do them to stretch yourself and place yourself firmly outside your comfort zone

  • Drama or debating club

  • School newspaper

  • Film, computer, photography or maths club

  • Being a member of any club or group at or linked to your school

  • Supporting any pressure group linked to your school

  • Involvement in any NGOs

If you do them for these reasons, you are likely to be able to write an effective section about them in your personal statement.

Skills and qualities that most admission tutors look for

Aim to develop 2 or 3 of these (linked to your course) for 1 to 3 extracurricular activities.

  • Communication

  • Problem solving

  • Organisation/planning skills

  • Time management/working to tight deadlines

  • Responsability

  • Initiative

  • Diplomacy/social skills (often linked to representing your colleagues to teachers)

  • Determination

  • Self-discipline

  • Self-confidence

  • Patience

  • Willingness to learn and adapt

  • Presentation/public speaking

  • Listening to and responding to the needs of others

  • Leadership

  • Numeracy (often linked to handling money)

5

COMPETITIONS

Generally, British universities love academic competitions.

Why?

One reason would be that they are less common in the UK – we don’t have a real equivalent of the local and regional Olympiad in academic subjects.

The Oxford and Cambridge admissions tutors we’ve met openly admit they can be decisive in applications. They also show commitment to a subject and ‘going beyond the curriculum’ along with all the usual generic skills such as performing under pressure and (in some cases) team work.

There is also nothing wrong – and a lot right – in admitting that you are a competitive person and thoroughly enjoy these events.

Which ones?

It depends on what subject you are applying for.

With the academic subjects, especially maths and the sciences, the Olympiads or similar national contests,are the one to go for, especially if you are applying to Oxbridge or other elite universities. Success in the English national obviously helps to demonstrate your ability in this language.

On-line completions, such as Codeforces can be strengthen Computer Science applications.

Other academic competitions are also useful. English Public speaking and debating competitions can strengthen any applicant’s application.

Drama competitions have made a critical difference to students applying for both drama(theatre) studies and film studies.