UCAS Calendar: Year 12

• Autumn – Spring Term: Year 12 receive an introduction to how to research degree courses and universities and regular opportunities to do so through our tutorial programme.  Unifrog is a good place to start; log-ins are provided to both current KTS students and their parents. The UCAS undergraduate search tool usually goes live in May with courses open for entry in September following graduation from KTS. Year 12 are encouraged throughout the year to reflect on and log their achievements and skills to date, in readiness for writing their personal statement in support of their university applications.  The Aim Higher programme supports those students who are researching applications to highly-selective degree courses and universities.
• UCAS Convention: Each year in June, Year 12 visits a local UCAS convention, where UCAS experts, university and college representatives, and industry professionals are available to discuss post-18 options.
• Induction to Year 13: Year 12s are guided through the process of registering with UCAS during their induction to Year 13 at the end of June, in readiness for making their university applications.  They receive information, advice and guidance on how to craft their personal statements from the Sixth Form team. Year 12s are encouraged to begin working on their personal statements over the Summer vacation and return to Year 13 with a first draft to show their tutor.  Year 12s are encouraged to register for and attend university open days.

UCAS Calendar: Year 13

• Progress Day: students should bring a first draft of their UCAS statement to their one-to-one appointment with their tutor on their first day back at school.
• Mock interviews: students are guided through the process of writing a CV and covering letter before meeting for a mock interview with a local professional.
• 15 October: UCAS deadline for the University of Oxford and Cambridge and for most courses in Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, and Dentistry. The Aim Higher programme supports those students who are researching applications to highly-selective degree courses and universities, which includes an interview workshop in October / November in readiness for university applications. Unifrog includes a search tool to help you select which Oxbridge college to apply to; log-ins are provided to both current KTS students and their parents.
• 26 January: all other students work towards the 26 January UCAS deadline for all other undergraduate courses. Students will work with their tutors to finalise their personal statements and complete their UCAS application, before meeting with either Mrs Hopkins, Mr Raymen or Ms Thompson to review and submit their application. The sooner students make appointments, the better the Sixth Form team will be able to support them, so they are encouraged not to leave their applications to the last minute.
• Late applications up until 30 June: once the 26 January deadline has passed, universities are not required to accept or give ‘equal consideration’ to any late applications. Nonetheless, students who make a late decision to apply to university can still submit an application up until 30 June. Thereafter, students will be entered directly into Clearing, the process universities and colleges use to fill any places they still have on their courses.
• February: UCAS Extra is another chance to gain a place at university. Students who used all five choices on their original application but did not receive a single offer can add another choice using Extra. This is a good opportunity to find the right course without going through the stress of entering clearing.
• March: Student Finance evening for students and parents, in which the Sixth Form team provide information, advice and guidance on applying to Student Finance England for tuition fee and maintenance loans and budgeting whilst at university.
• Early May / early June: UCAS reply deadline, depending on when students received all decisions from their universities. Once students have received decisions from all five of their universities, they will then be asked to reply to their offers:
  • Firm acceptance of their first choice university: if it’s an unconditional offer, the place is theirs. If it’s conditional, the place is theirs providing they make the grades in the Summer. So just in case, they can pick a second offer as a back up…
  • Insurance acceptance of their second choice university: students should choose something with a lower offer, albeit somewhere they’d still be happy to go. That way if their results are lower than expected in the summer, they might still meet the conditions at their insurance choice.
  • Decline any other – or all – offers. If students decide they don’t want to take up any of their offers, or if they don’t receive any offers, they can apply to more courses one-by-one through UCAS Extra.
• August: students holding conditional offers for university will have their places confirmed on A Level results day in mid-August. UCAS offers excellent advice on preparing for A Level results day. Students who miss out on the exam grades they needed to meet their conditional offer:
  • Might nonetheless get a place on either their firm or their insurance choice following a review of their application by the universities
  • Might be offered an alternative course by the university.
  • Might not get a place at either their firm or insurance choice, but can search through Clearing to see that courses still have vacancies. 66,865 students were placed through Clearing in the 2017 cycle.

Personal Statements