How to apply

How to use APPLY

• You can use APPLY wherever there is access to the internet; it contains full instructions and detailed online help.

 

• Go to the UCAS website - www.ucas.com - where you register online. Look for the word ‘APPLY’ on the UCAS homepage.  Click this and then the link to Apply 2008.

 

•  When you first visit the APPLY section of the UCAS website click ‘REGISTER’ - don’t try to fill in the user name and password at this stage - you need to register first. You will be asked your name and address etc. and will also be asked to choose a password and a memorable phrase. Make sure you choose something you'll easily remember. Then you’ll then be allocated a username. Keep them all safe because you will have to get in touch with UCAS if you forget them. Once you have your user name you can get started!   You will need the school buzzword – see Mr Worthington.

 

• The registration process will validate your email address – you may have to obtain a code from your email account and enter this into the UCAS registration.

 

• Once you have registered you can start to complete the application form – some will already be done for you.

 

• Do not start more than one form - edit the one you’ve started.

 

• The software will check for obvious mistakes (such as impossible dates of birth, or non-existent course codes or universities), but when you come to the section on Personal Statements, we strongly recommend that you type it in Word, use the spell and grammar checker and get at least two other people to read it through, then cut and paste it into the APPLY application.  If you are applying for a school subject, show the first section of your statement, dealing with your interest and motivation in the course, to a relevant member of staff.  When the statement is complete to your satisfaction, show it to your form tutor.  Remember that you, and only you, are responsible for making sure that it is perfect.  Mr Worthington will also help you.

 

• We can view the progress of your form as soon as you have registered, so we will have a good idea where you have got to with the application.

 

• Applications are saved at UCAS, and cannot be saved to disc.

 

• When you have filled in all the sections, and your form is complete you will be asked to click ‘send to referee’. Before you do this, show the form to Mr Worthington, who will check it for errors.  ‘Sending to referee’ does not mean that it has been sent to UCAS, it merely means that it has been submitted to the Mr Worthington for processing. We will send the form to UCAS when we have written and attached our reference.   Be aware that, at peak times, it may take as long as three weeks for the school to write a reference and send the form to UCAS.  You must build this time delay into your application timetable.

 

• Once you have submitted your form to us you cannot make any more changes. If there are things that we feel need changing we will contact you and return the form to you for amendment.

 

• Your reference will be written by your form tutor or your housemaster or mistress or by Dr Blake or Mr Worthington.  If there is something that you think should be included in the reference (for example, to explain poor results at GCSE or AS level) you MUST see the relevant person as soon as your form is complete.  You will be asked to read your reference and to sign to indicate that it is factually correct.

 

• The software can sort out most of your queries, but if there’s anything you’re not sure of see Mr Worthington.

 

 

Common errors:

 

Address

In the address section make sure you put your home address as this is the correspondence address which will be used by UCAS even in the school holidays (unless, due to special circumstances, you want all UCAS correspondence to go to your boarding house).

 

Finance

In the finance section you are asked to put in a Fee Code and the Student Support Arrangements.  The fee code is usually 02.  The exceptions are for those who permanently live outside the European Union, for whom the code is usually 01, and for those making an application to some health related courses such as nursing and physiotherapy (but not medicine or dentistry), for which funding is from the Department of Health.  The fee code is then 05.

The Student Support Arrangement only applies if your fee code is 02.  You must type in the name of the county that will be contributing to your fees.  For most students from Truro School, this will be Cornwall, but if your permanent address is in another county, put in this one.

 

Education

You only need to put in your secondary schools.

Do not put an end date to your education at Truro School - leave it blank (unless you are completing the form post A Level).

 

Nationality

If you have dual nationality you should type one nationality in the Nationality box, and then tick the Dual Nationality box and at that point insert the second nationality.

 

Qualifications

A common problem is to enter your AS and A level subjects incorrectly.  If you have cashed in your AS grades your must enter these exams and grades.  If your did not cash in your AS grades then you cannot enter your grades.  In this case, you enter your three A level subjects and the one AS subject that you dropped in the L6 as being sat at the same time – June of the U6 year.  Please check these very carefully, as they are not checked again by the school and it will jeopardize your application if they are found to be incorrect when the university runs its own checks.

 

Personal Statement

This must be absolutely accurate before it is submitted.  We strongly advise you to type the text into a Word document and then paste it into the form. Make sure it has been read by AT LEAST two other people before you submit the form.  If you are applying for a school subject, it would be sensible to show the first section, which deals with your reasons for applying for this subject and your interests in it, to a relevant member of staff. You should also show the whole statement to your form tutor.

Also:

• Avoid using the tab button - they do not seem to convert properly into the UCAS software.

 

• Avoid inverted commas for the same reason. You could use italics for names of books as an alternative, or an apostrophe.

 

• Ensure there are no unnecessary carriage returns at the top or bottom of your statement.