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Some tips for international students applying to UK universities

18th January 2018 Posted by: Duncan Chisholm - Editor

APPLYING to a UK university as an international student certainly isn't easy, but it probably not as hard as all those tales you've heard make it sound.

We thought we'd put together some of the best advice we found from different institutions in the UK who look after international students, to try and help. 

Read your course description carefully

UCAS handle international student applications in the UK, and this is one of the first pieces of advice they give international students. If you think about it, this is great advice because it works in two different important ways, both of which have implications for your success at UK university. 

Firstly, by carefully checking exactly what you'll learn at your chosen university as an international student, you're making sure that all your hard-earned money is being spent on something which will be valuable to you.

 

"Do the skills and knowledge you're going to learn on the course match the skills and knowledge you'll need to build a successful career in the role you're thinking of applying for after university? How does the course content compare to other universities' programmes for international students?"

 

There are plenty ways of assessing this, but perhaps start with two: do the skills and knowledge you're going to learn on the course match the skills and knowledge you'll need to build a successful career in the role you're thinking of applying for after university? How does the course content compare to other universities' programmes for international students?

Secondly, by making sure you know exactly what you'll be studying, you're actually making sure you're the right international student for each particular course or university: so don't ever be afraid to ask your university as many questions as you like. 

What you need to cover in your Personal Statement

There's three major areas you need to cover in your Personal Statement as an international student, according to UCAS: you need to make it clear why you want to study in the UK, which English language courses or tests you've taken and why you want to be an international student rather than study in your own country.  

But while you're writing your personal statement it's important to be yourself, show you have evaluated your experiences so far in education and extra-curricular activities and make sure your statement doesn't simply read as a box-ticking exercise, according to the University of Oxford

 

"Try to avoid writing your personal statement as though you are ticking things off a list. There is no checklist of required achievements, and tutors will not just scan what you have written to look for key words or phrases." 

 

 

International students are not alone in finding Personal Statements tough: there's lots and lots of discussion among UK-based prospective students about just how to perfect their statements.

Try to take a look at the individual course requirements, and individual university advice too, before you start. This will give a good idea of what these institutions are looking for from international students.  

Be yourself

Whatever you do, make sure you're giving a good account of who you really are: but don't embellish and even lie on your application. Think of it this way: try to make sure you could talk freely in an interview with anyone who is reading your application. That way, you know that what you're trying to communicate is really accurate. 

The truth is that universities are looking for a diverse mix of people to join them and study. Here's the perspective of Harvard College:

 

"The reality of the matter is that Harvard admits very different students. Not only would this place be boring if we were all the same kind of person, it also wouldn’t be a great place to exchange ideas."

 

UK site The Student Room provide amazing resources for students, including personal statement builders which help students make sure they've got everything they can about how great a prospective student they are going to be. So it's a case of making sure the universities you apply to know who you are and that they can see how you'd fit in well with their institution. 

Keep things in perspective

Overall, throughout the completion of your application, it's important to get rest and try to keep stress to a minimum. Try to get as much time away from your application as you can: perhaps break down your application into time slots so that you can take a break. 

The Student Room have published great advice on this: 'Get on with other things - anything you like. Just don’t go near your statement. Give it a whole week and then open up the document again and read through it with fresh eyes.' So time away from your application is not only important for your health, but it's likely to help you make the best application possible. 'Rest in order to do better?' you ask. Well, yes. 

 

"Get on with other things - anything you like. Just don’t go near your statement. Give it a whole week and then open up the document again and read through it with fresh eyes. You’ll gain a whole new perspective on what you’ve written and will be well placed to make more changes, if needed." 

 

Start early and you'll have plenty of time to get your application right. Then you can spend the time learning as much as you can about UK culture and all the amazing experiences you're going to have when you arrive, not to mention the opportunities out there for international students who have taken the not inconsiderable leap and decided to study abroad. 

 


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