Tips for the application process?

Hello! I am a Romanian student who will apply to an English undergraduate course next year. I am applying independently and at school I am probably the only one who wants to apply to university in the UK, so I have nobody to ask about this. I think I'm pretty familiar with UCAS but I don't really know much more than that. What are some tricks that teachers give to UK students when they apply? What do I have to know? After getting an offer, how do I firm it? How do I apply for accommodation? How do I apply for funding (I won't get into that but my specific circumstances might make me eligible)? How long does it take to get an answer? When do you move in? How do you find your classes? Are there any steps that I'm missing? What else is there to know? The entire process seems easy but then I see people talking about different things and suddenly I feel like it's impossible to grasp everything without any help. Please just tell me ANYTHING because I only know very general things. Thank you!

Good evening @vevra,
It's great to hear you are thinking of studying in England.
I will signpost you to a few places that you can read to become better informed about the process and try to answer your questions as well as I can.
First, you must register with the UCAS website, write a personal statement to add to your application and fill out all of the UCAS questions on the application form. Then, you can submit your UCAS application in the same way as the UK students. The application process is relatively similar. However, you have some slightly different questions to answer. It might be a good idea for international students to calculate your tariff points, showing you what your country's grades are equivalent to in terms of the UK grades.
For international students, the application process is found here.
The calculator for tariff points on UCAS can be found here; both UK and international students can use this.
You must check the course and application deadlines for UCAS. Once a deadline has been completed, you will no longer be able to apply, and you will have to wait until the next year when submissions occur. Alternatively, you can enter the university by clearing. More information on clearing can be found here.
I have written a blog with tips for your personal statement, which can be helpful when applying via UCAS. The blog can be found here;
A University of Reading student has written a great blog about transitioning from home to studying abroad; the blog is here.
When applying for accommodation, each university is slightly different. However, it is usually done by applying directly through the university; students tend to apply once they have firmed their university offer. You can find more about applying for accommodation, including a great 10-step guide on how to apply here.
When replying to your UCAS offer, you will choose a firm and a second option. There is more information on how to reply to your offers, and when you need to reply on the UCAS website, the correct webpage can be found here.
At the University of Reading, there are some international scholarships, which you may be eligible for; it's always worth having a look. However, each university will have its own scholarship options, so when you apply to universities, you will want to check these options first.
Additionally, you can see the UCAS guide to international finance options, which might be available for you.
Usually, university answers will start to come through after Christmas/ the new year, and replies will vary in time, but you will usually have received answers by late February.
The move-in dates for accommodation will be the beginning of the term/ semester. Each university has slightly different times, but it is usually the 2nd week of September. For example, the 2024/2025 (this academic year) calendar can be seen here, and students moved into their accommodation around the 20-22nd of september.
When you join a university, there will be an initial starting week called freshers week; this week is focused on settling into your accommodation, getting to know people and the campus, and settling into society. You can see this year's Freshers Fair 2024 and look at the activities that run and what to expect. This helps students to settle into university. You can also do campus tours to learn where everything is at the university.
If you wish to look at the uni of reading from home, you can use the Virtual Tour; this is a good way of looking around campus and seeing the facilities available. Alternatively, you can see the facilities on this webpage.
Additional information you may want to think about is your personal statement; this is the most important part of your application, as it shows the university who you are and why you want to study. It's important to look into how to write your personal statement before you start to ensure you are writing and including the correct things. You can see the UCAS guide for personal statements here.
I hope this information provided will help with your applications, and I wish you the best of luck with your studies.
All the best,
Ella 😀
BSc Ecology

Thank you so much for the information, I will definitely check everything out! Also, your university is actually on my list 😅