UCAS confusion!

Hey everyone, I'm totally new to this site so please bare with me for a bit!

Basically, I'm super confused with my ucas application. I have only one university that I want to apply to, but for 2015 entry. I haven't a clue what 'clearing' is and I don't have any guidance because I didn't go to college due to ill health.
The uni I'm applying for is an art and design school (NUA if anyone has heard of it!) And I have been told to apply regardless of not having any a levels because my portfolio and potential in art is more important.

Basically, I am terrified that I'm going to miss my application opportunity and stuff everything up for myself!! I haven't even started on my portfolio yet because I'm scared I won't be good enough for them. Can you give me any help or advice on what to do?! Thanks so much :smile:

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Reply 1

cathyhelen

Original post by Jamila

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Hello, clearing is for anyone who has already applied to university and who has also been rejected from all of the universities that they applied for or if someone does not want to go to their Firm/Insurance choice and they have rejected the offer. Clearing is basically a list of all of the universities that are offering different courses to those people who still want to go to university but they did not get an offer for whatever reason.

There is plenty of time if you are applying for 2015. I applied for September 2014 but I was not able to send my UCAS application off until quite late last year because of the delays (not me) and thankfully it was sent off before Christmas. :smile:

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 2

Jamila

Ahh okay! That makes sense now! Thank you very much :smile:

))))

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Reply 3

cathyhelen

Original post by Jamila

Ahh okay! That makes sense now! Thank you very much :smile:

))))

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Your welcome :smile:

Have you started your UCAS application online?

Reply 4

username1221364

Original post by Jamila

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Applications for 2015 don't open until mid September. You have time. :smile:

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Reply 5

mynameisntdoug

You do have ages man, but it doesn't hurt to be ahead. I didn't realize how much of a mess it was until October, when our deadlines were due for January which flew by, and the teachers handling references and UCAS were really slow.

Your portfolio might take a while, so do worry about that. I don't want to burden you with concerns, but I had to develop a portfolio for my music course, but despite being accepted for it - I could have done so much better if I started thinking about it from an earlier date.

24 March 2015 - Applications for some art and design courses should arrive at UCAS by 18:00 (UK time) today. (Others have a 15 January deadline – check course details to confirm the correct deadline.) The reference has to be completed before your application can be sent to us.

You might not have the January deadline for your Art course, it may be March instead, so check the course details with your options.

Reply 6

Jamila

I've made a start on my application, yes, but I was worried I was starting at the wrong time so I have it saved. I'm starting work on my portfolio this week, the only trouble is that art supplies are so fricking expensive!! :angry:

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Reply 7

carrotstar

Original post by Jamila

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Well done you for being so ahead of yourself! The main things you can do at the moment are to make sure there isn't anywhere else you want to apply to, and start to think about what to put on a personal statement. If you need any guidance at any point, feel free to contact me. I went through this process last autumn, and am now waiting for results day to find out if I've got a place, so it's all fresh in my mind!
If you know that you want to study a specific course, you can search on ucas for the course, look at the course code, and see where other places teach the same course. This means that assessment, content and teaching should be similar, and you can use this to search for a back up just in case you don't meet the first course's requirements. This is a good idea if you think you'll be disappointed if you don't get an offer from your first choice.
I can also go through finance, accommodation (if you're staying away from home), and anything else you can think of with you. Just let me know!

Hope that helps! :smile:

Reply 8

Jamila

Oh thank you so much!! That's so kind of you, I really appreciate it :awesome:

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Reply 9

carrotstar

Original post by Jamila

Oh thank you so much!! That's so kind of you, I really appreciate it :awesome:

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Oh, and with this site, if you see a comment you want to reply to, the author will see it if you either click on the orange " button, and it will appear in the 'quick reply' box at the bottom, or click on the orange reply button under the comment and it will quote that person, so they'll get a notification like you did when I quoted you. It just guarantees they see your reply. :smile:

Reply 10

She-Ra

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by Jamila

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Hiya

You've had some awesome support from our community, they are such a welcoming bunch!

You might want to have a look at, and use our personal statement builder. You don't need to worry about clearing right now!

Definitely worth planning your portfolio and taking some time of over the summer to select your best bits. I'm sure you will be more than good enough, now is the time to reflect on all the brilliant skills you have and start building confidence. That way you'll feel a lot more positive about going into the application process.

All the key dates are here:

http://www.ucas.com/apply/key-dates

You might find some of articles contributed by the TSR community helpful too....

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/ten_steps_to_applying_to_university

Good Luck! :tongue:

Reply 11

Jamila

Ahh you're so helpful, thank you <3

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Reply 12

KerryMV

Original post by Jamila

Ahh you're so helpful, thank you <3

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You've already had oodles of good advice here. I applied as a mature student to NUA and start in Sept. I'd also never gone through the UCAS process but found the video on the ucas website for mature applicants really useful and it does give you a step by step which is really easy to follow once you get going.

I also went along to have a chat with the uni (I emailed and we worked out a convenient time between us) and that was really useful too. I think this was about Oct time

My interview was in Feb this year, so not long after the closing date. As other's have said it's never too early to start thinking about your portfolio and your personal statement.

Good luck

Reply 13

Jamila

Original post by KerryMV

Ahh okay thank you! That makes a lot more sense :yes:

Could I ask though, how did you set out your portfolio? I haven't started yet because I'm afraid I'm going to ruin it! I've no idea what to use as a theme or anything :frown:

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Reply 14

KerryMV

Original post by Jamila

Ahh okay thank you! That makes a lot more sense :yes:

Could I ask though, how did you set out your portfolio? I haven't started yet because I'm afraid I'm going to ruin it! I've no idea what to use as a theme or anything :frown:

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Each uni will have its own guide lines so do take a look at the specific uni sites but I used a A3 portfolio box and surface mounted my images onto white mountboard.

The images I chose had no set theme but I do mainly photograph people and do self portraits, so there was that in common and that also gave it a flow

It's just about showing work that you feel shows you at your best. My uni stated between 10-20 images and I took 20 but in hindsight I would have taken 10-12 (I had the most work on display in my interview group! everyone else took no more than 12)

I took ALL my images out of the plastic sleeves when laying my work on the table for the tutors to browse.

begin your portfolio with your strongest piece and end on your second strongest. Also think about the images you use, why you like them, how you shot them etc because they may ask you to talk through about a few of them. In my interview I had to pick one picture which was my favourite and chat to the tutor about it as he asked questions. It was all very relaxed.

At the end of the day they aren't expecting you to be the finished article, they just want to see your enthusiasm for the subject and your potential. :smile: