Can I stop my school checking my UCAS application?

TSR George

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(edited 9 years ago)

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Reply 1

Carnationlilyrose

Original post by Jatyization

Hello, I was wandering if schools check students' UCAS applications and if so, is there anyway i can stop certain members of staff at my school checking my UCAS application, I have certain reasons as to why i want to do this and would like some advice. Does it depend on who i give my password to? Or is it something to do with a buzzword? :s-smilie:

Soory if this sounds odd but for me it is important and it is my first time using UCAS, help would be appreciated so thanks in advance. :smile:

Your school will check your application because it is the school's responsibility to ensure that your stated grades are correct. It also needs to attach your reference to it or the whole thing will not be sent. It is usually the job of the form tutor to start the process and the head of sixth form, the head teacher or someone designated on their behalf will be the ones who actually send it. If you don't give your password to the school to attach the reference, it will not be sent off.

Reply 2

Comeback

If you don't want a certain subject teacher to see your application, don't worry, they won't unless they are also your head of year/referee.

At my school each subject teacher contributes a statement to the referee who compiles the reference before the head of year sends it off.

The only way they would want to check is if you did anything dodgy e.g. ask your referee to block your teachers from reading it or something :smile:

Reply 3

Carnationlilyrose

Original post by Jatyization

That seems to be a problem because the main person i don't want to see it is my head of 6th form. So what shall i do? Can't I just get my referee to write my reference and send it off after that by myself. There must be something i can do. :frown:

No, you can't. If the school is sending it out under its name, then it goes through its system. If you don't want that to happen, then you could make a private application, but the school won't give you a reference and admissions tutors will smell a rat and ask themselves why you are unable to furnish a school reference, since you would have to supply a private one from someone who isn't teaching you..

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 4

joker12345

Sure, you could if your form tutor was willing to be your referee if you applied as a private student. Chances are they won't. Tbh, it's going to look really dodgy if you do it without going through school.

Reply 5

Carnationlilyrose

Original post by Jatyization

So is there no way a private or independent application can have a reference from my form tutor? Or can't i just apply through the school and ask my referee to send it off as soon she is done with writing her reference for me without handing it over to the head of 6th form. There must be some other way...

I think it highly unlikely that any tutor would agree to such a thing even if it were possible. There are very precise systems in place for sending off such important things as Ucas applications and no teacher will subvert the system. In any case, the power to send applications is only held by two or three people in a school. That's the way the system works. You had better make up your differences with the head of sixth form, whatever they may be, and accept that this is a process carried out by professional people for the benefit of (almost) adults.

Reply 6

06shawm

Original post by Jatyization

The only person i want to check it is my form tutor who will also be my referee and myself obviously. :confused:

Sorry if this sounds odd but for me it is important and it is my first time using UCAS, help would be appreciated so thanks in advance.

The only thing you can stop your sixth form seeing on UCAS is whether you get offers/rejections from your university choices.

Reply 7

Carnationlilyrose

Original post by Jatyization

Okay, so i don't understand why the form tutor will not be willing to be my referee if i was an independent candidate because this is what it states on their website:

"Either ask a tutor, trainer or employer if they'd be happy to do it – if yes, add their email and phone number to the reference page, then click 'Ask referee to complete reference'. First we'll email them with a link and password to the reference page of your application, then we'll ask them to confirm their identity before writing it. (If for any reason they decline we'll let you know.)"

So does this look like a solution to my problem? Trust me, I don't trust that head of 6th form one bit! I would prefer him to stay out of my application due to previous circumstances.

That's for a private application. For a teacher at the school where you are a pupil to go behind the back of the head of sixth and the head teacher would be career suicide and they won't do it. You need to sort out your differences with the head of sixth, whose job is to get you into university whatever you appear to think.

Reply 8

Carnationlilyrose

Original post by Jatyization

Yes exactly, that is what i am planning on doing. I would want a private application with this form tutor as my referee for this private application. Would that work? It is a given option for UCAS right?

As I have said, your tutor would not do it. In any case, your reference would have to contain comments on all your other subjects from all your other teachers and they won't do it either. If you put through a private application when you are still at school, it simply shrieks that you are a difficult student and to be avoided with a twenty foot pole.

Reply 9

joker12345

Original post by Jatyization

If your question is whether UCAS allow it, yes. It would work, IF your teacher agreed, which as carnationroselily said, they probably wouldn't as it would be career suicide.

Reply 10

Carnationlilyrose

Original post by Jatyization

So me applying via independent application will be frowned upon? Sorry about so many questions but this is quite alarming :frown:

Yes, because it tells admissions tutors that your teachers at school aren't backing your application for reasons they can only guess at. If you had already left school some time ago, then it would be the usual thing to put in a private application but if you are still at school, they are going to want to hear from the teachers who are currently teaching you what kind of student you are and if you can't get your current teachers to speak up for you, I'm sure you can imagine what message that sends.

Reply 11

joker12345

Original post by carnationlilyrose

Well, the tutor COULD technically just write their own reference and indicate performance based on grades/previous reports. And I doubt the university will necessarily have all the information to know whether you're attending school or say, sitting exams privately through them, so I'm not sure discrimination because of that is necessarily likely.
But I agree that it's really, REALLY unlikely that the tutor would agree to it.

Reply 12

Carnationlilyrose

Original post by joker12345

The dates of school attendance will show that he is still at school. Trust me on this. I've been a sixth form tutor for 26 years, and it is not going to happen.

Reply 13

Carnationlilyrose

Original post by Jatyization

I do understand that, thanks for all the advice you have given. But i am not clear, the form tutor will be willing to write my application reference if i was to apply as a private candidate and it would be written using information from all my subjects teachers, so the universities will be hearing from the teachers themselves. So why would it be frowned upon if they are receiving this information.

Sorry if i am making this complicated

Well, as I have said, no teacher would do this because it's career suicide, but what it says is that the head of the school, who is the person who is responsible for stating that the application is correct, is not prepared to do so in your case. It suggests that you are untrustworthy, or such a pain in the ass that they want nothing to do with you.

Reply 14

jaang

Original post by Jatyization

The only person i want to check it is my form tutor who will also be my referee and myself obviously. :confused:

Sorry if this sounds odd but for me it is important and it is my first time using UCAS, help would be appreciated so thanks in advance.

Such senior members of staff are not gonna read through your application as they simply do not have capacity. It will be checked by your form tutor who will cross check grades and make sure all is in order, your head of sixth form or a designated deputy will simply click a button. Raising some sort of prevention order will raise suspicions and then your application will be read and read by god knows how many tutors

Reply 15

Mallika

In addition to what everyone's said, I don't really see a problem with your head of year seeing your application. He will mostly be checking that everything on the application is correct. He doesn't write the reference and even if he could change the reference I'm sure he wouldn't risk his job by writing something negative. Unless your tutor is lying about you in the reference, there's nothing to worry about

Reply 16

Slowbro93

Original post by Jatyization

So i guess there is now way?

Sadly not. Just sort out your differences as others have already suggested.

Reply 17

Comeback

I'd just like to add that even if for some strange reason your head of year hates you (I'm sure they don't!), it would never be in their interest to damage your application by changing it. Not only would it be unprofessional and therefore career jeopardizing, but it would also mean it's more likely they'll have to support you through a reapplying process again :wink:

Reply 18

username457532

Original post by Jatyization

So i guess there is now way?

Why don't you want your head of sixth checking your application? And don't just say 'personal circumstances', because we can't help you with your problem if we don't really know what it is.