The "I'm applying to UCAS for 2012 entry" thread

We have teachers assigned to us for the process. If my teacher tells me that the universities I am applying to are very competitive and that I should put a lower insurance down, I will just laugh at him.

I'd hate it if the school was desperate for you to put silly insurances down when it's a blatant waste of a choice.

I think our school's quite quick with early applicants anyway, because I heard our careers teacher got a bit annoyed when one med applicant booked UKCAT for early October and they get sent off before then.
Do you get to read your references before they are sent?

I think we're all fully aware of that.

Depends on the school, many allow you to read it after, some before and some not at all.

Its upto your college to decide this, you should ask them

I guess not then. Our teacher already said he won't show us them.

Is the UCAS status thing really slow? I always hear people complaining about them and I'm one of those impatient typs who'd probably sit with the webpage open refreshing ever 15 mins to see if anything changes. Do you get decisions from the unis first or find out on UCAS?

Our school is mainly going through this in September/October (apart from the meds/oxbridge who'll go through it in July) - Are we late, or are some schools exceptionally early?

I think under the data protection act or something similar you can demand to see it at some point, at least I vaguely remember finding something like this. I was allowed to edit my own reference though so obviously got to see it

The universities communicate their decisions via UCAS - it can take weeks or months. I applied at the beginning of Oct and think I had three offers by Xmas (one was a few weeks after I applied).

Ah so that's why some people were saying that by law we should be able to see it.
That sounds really quick! Do you mind me asking what course it was?

Is your personal statement for all the universities to look at or is it just for each course you apply for???

Neither really, this is fairly normal.

No that's fine, it was Politics.

If you apply early, and they are confident they will want you no matter who applies then they will give you an offer early (in many cases) if not they may hold your application until a later date. Many universities give their offers in waves for this reason, and because it allows them to keep on top of things.

Alright thank you

Thanks.
It's going to be a nerve wracking few months, at least medicine has an early deadline.

Indeed, I think medicine applicants are more likely to be considered as a gathered field though and get their decisions, assuming you get an interview, later. I'm no expert about it though.

I'm still getting my head round the idea that there isn't a year above me. There's no layer of seperation between me and the big wide world anymore. This is the end of school. It's such a strange thing to come to terms with. This is the year I find out whether all this dreaming about being a pharmacist will ever come to anything.

I didn't even realise that :O That's gonna be weird...

I think we're starting this when we go back on Thursday and Friday