When should I begin applying for UCAS?

I am sixteen years old and from Surrey. I am wondering when to begin applying for UCAS as I have heard from some I ought to apply in May but others say later. I would really appriciate help with this.

I am sixteen years old and from Surrey. I am wondering when to begin applying for UCAS as I have heard from some I ought to apply in May but others say later. I would really appriciate help with this.

I am sixteen years old and from Surrey. I am wondering when to begin applying for UCAS as I have heard from some I ought to apply in May but others say later. I would really appriciate help with this.

I am sixteen years old and from Surrey. I am wondering when to begin applying for UCAS as I have heard from some I ought to apply in May but others say later. I would really appriciate help with this.

Unless you are applying for Medicine/Dentistry/Vet and/or you are applying to Oxford or Cambridge, there is is no point in applying in September.

1) Unis do not 'run out of offers' - if you apply in Dec you have exactly the same chance of an offer (UCAS insists on this).

2) You are not 'more likely to get an offer because they think you are really keen'. See point 1.

3) Your ideas about subjects and Unis may change once you start your final A level year. You will be more realistic about your likely grades and have thought more about why you want to do a particular subject.

4) Ignore any 'school deadline' - schools like to get UCAS applications out of the way in the belief that it helps you then concentrate on A levels. It doesnt. It just make you stress out every time your phone pings with a message, and since some Sept/Oct applicants will still wait until May for an offer that's getting on for EIGHT months of loony stress levels.

5) Best advice? Finalise your PS over the autumn half-term. Spend the next couple of weeks thinking very carefully about your 5 choices (see How to avoid 5 rejections : https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/content.php?r=20445-how-to-avoid-getting-five-university-rejections) and tweeking those choices if necessary. Then push the big UCAS button in December.