Sutton trust US program

heey! is it okay to write about it without using semicolons, as if writing essays?

im abit sacred cause i meet the requirements but my grades were terrible as i got only 5s and a couple 6s, i have alot of extracriculars tho

What are your extracurriculars?

Hi! Sutton Trust Alum here!

I was part of Cohort 11 of the programme, applied on a whim, and I can safely say that was the best decision I've ever made! As I write this, I am most of the way through my first semester at a US university, and I could not be happier! I could never have even dreamed of such an opportunity without the amazing work of the Sutton Trust Programme.

Having both gone through and then worked on the Programme as a graduate, I have always been in awe of how amazing the experience truly is! The programme is so much more than just an academic program like UNIQ, it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that truly made me grow and change as a person, as well as allowed me to develop skills that I use all the time in university life! The support network of both peers and the Sutton Trust team is the perfect springboard towards higher education in general, as even those who attended UK universities from my cohort still thank the programme for the skills they learned and the connections they made throughout their time! It is also extremely fun; I've literally made friends for life in both the UK and the US, and have so many amazing memories... and my cohort didn't even get the US trip! (I did go on this last year working on the programme, and it is truly an unmissable opportunity!)

As for application tips, I would really recommend that you tune in to the upcoming applicant webinars on the YouTube channel in the next few weeks, as both staff and alum will give detailed advice on filling it out. It really is less scary than it looks! My biggest piece of advice would be to take your time. I literally started my application the first day they opened, and submitted it with 11 hours to go! This amount of time is a little excessive, but the application is so much about getting to know you, and the more of yourself you can show through your answers, the better your application will be! As for the video interviews, I watched a lot of the ones available on YouTube, but please be cautious that some of these do not meet the application guidelines and you have no idea if these applicants were successful. It's a great tool for getting a creative sense of the kind of things you could do with your video (everything from a retro Draw My Life to a Powerpoint presentation to a mini personal documentary to just a sit down chat with the camera) and the kind of content you may want to include, but aside from that, trust your own skills! The programme staff don't want to admit another person, they want to admit you at the end of the day, so make sure your application is as 100% you as possible. This process is modelled on the real Common Application process for US universities that you would go through on Part 2, so it is also a super helpful training exercise for that!

I hope this helped. If you'd like more information, you can reply to this comment and I'll try to answer anything I can!

Good luck!

Hi! Regarding this, it's totally okay for this to be lengthy right now, but eventually these will shorten to 150 characters on the real common application, so don't feel pressured to write masses! Just describe as fully and as succinctly as you can. For example:

Drama Club Co-Leader
Co-led a drama club for 45 students; tutored students one-on-one and in small groups; created weekly club plans; organised 2 performance evenings for 100 parents.

Pro-tip: quantities are also very helpful where applicable, as they show tangible impact!

Good luck!

Hi, can we say more than 2 reasons on why this university would suit me? as they have underlined to give 2 reasons

Is this for the video interview? If so, it's totally fine to give more than 2, as long as you give at least 2 and they are specific. The only real thing to worry about is keeping the video to 5 minutes. As long as you're not over that, you're golden!

Hope this helped!

mine is 5 min and 14 seconds 😭

That's fine! As long as its not too far over the 5 mins mark (30sec+), you should be fine.

I haven't done my video yet and honestly I don't know how and feel like they are indeed assessed on quality unlike what they said... if they want to see my face in 144p sure but I don't think it paints a great picture.

I haven't done my video yet and honestly I don't know how and feel like they are indeed assessed on quality unlike what they said... if they want to see my face in 144p sure but I don't think it paints a great picture.

Any tips on making the essay shorter. I have so much to write but I can't fir it into 150 words

Hi! I can assure you that the Sutton Trust team aren't assessing the quality of your video! It isn't a video-editing programme so all they really care about is that you're showing them who you are through your video. Because US admissions are holistic, this helps to make the application process for the programme as holistic as possible by giving you an opportunity to show your personality!

If you're worried about this section, it was actually covered in the webinar I mentioned previously - it has a whole section about video interview tips from both staff and an alum of the programme. This was actually my favorite part of the whole application as it was really an opportunity to have fun and showcase a more personal side of myself, so please don't stress about it too much! Have fun, be creative and just focus on showing them who you are! You'll do great!

As a person also trying too do this im also very scared due to my grades being below than their wanted (only one 9, one 8, three 7, a 6 and a 5) Im not sure if my extra curriculems/video and essays will save me however i really just wanna get in.

Well, it's almost time. I did my video interview early today in glittering 4k30fps and I'm about to send the application in, but I'm still not so sure about how much "detail" is needed for the extracurriculars... I've pasted my answers to my 9 extracurriculars into Word and it's come up to around 2,800 words, or about 300 on average (some had about 500, others 200). Is that too much?

Well, it's almost time. I did my video interview early today in glittering 4k30fps and I'm about to send the application in, but I'm still not so sure about how much "detail" is needed for the extracurriculars... I've pasted my answers to my 9 extracurriculars into Word and it's come up to around 2,800 words, or about 300 on average (some had about 500, others 200). Is that too much?