Applying to different programmes

I'm an international student on a gap year and applying to university for 2017 entry with 4 A-levels and 1 AS-level, and I should be getting A*A*AAa (ideally; could be more or less depending on how results day goes...)

I have two questions:

1) What's the best way about going about writing a personal statement if I'm applying to different courses? I'll be applying to engineering programmes to 4 schools, but mathematics to 1. Should I just dismiss the idea completely? I don't want to waste a choice, but I also don't want my PS to come across half-arsed.

Yes. Decide what you really want to do and make a properly targeted application, otherwise you look either uncommitted or ignorant of what the courses are about.

2) Must I declare all the exams I'm sitting on my gap year?
Yes. Not to do so is fraudulent and taken very seriously.

I won't be with a college or anything, but I might sit A2 Biology, A-level Additional Further Maths and STEP privately, along with a few American standardised tests - the SAT/ACT and the SAT II subject tests in Maths (2), Physics and Chemistry. Might my choices make a conditional offer on those even if I've met the entry requirements to the courses I'm applying to?
Yes, they well might. If you don't need to sit these exams, the only safe way to avoid the risk is not to sit them.

(Really wouldn't want to have a conditional on any STEP papers...)

Thank you.

See bold above.

Wait what? Since when were you on a gap year?, Uhhh I think it's best if you do, so Unis have an idea of your workload/know you're not slacking off


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Thank you very much, exactly what I needed to know.

Any co-curriculars I've done over the year should be mentioned in my PS, correct?



I have to take one now for a few reasons. I had a hunch that the UCAS required you to mention it anyway.

See bold above.

What if the OP (or anyone in a similar situation) decided that they wanted to take an extra A level independently after they had sent their UCAS application? I understand that the rules say you have to declare every qualification you've done or are doing, but I'm less clear on how they define 'doing' - after all, most people taking A levels independently don't actually register or formalise the situation until a month or two before the exam.

What if the OP (or anyone in a similar situation) decided that they wanted to take an extra A level independently after they had sent their UCAS application? I understand that the rules say you have to declare every qualification you've done or are doing, but I'm less clear on how they define 'doing' - after all, most people taking A levels independently don't actually register or formalise the situation until a month or two before the exam.

So it's fine to not declare them initially but as soon as it's official and an applicant takes another qualification they must contact ucas and their choices to make them aware. If that happens universities can amend offers to add in conditions for the additional qualifications.

Can an unconditional offer be changed to conditional in this way? Or grade requirements increase?

In theory yes.

Whether it would actually happen would depend on a whole bunch of factors though.