After what seems like years, I am here again. One would think that because of my being away so long I have been extremely busy, but that hasn't been the case. In fact I have just been doing a whole lot of boring admin type stuff, most of which is linked to university.
Which also happens to be the topic of this post.
First and foremost, I have been accepted into my course of choice at my university of choice which is super duper exiting and I could hardly breathe when I got the news. I almost had dig up my asthma pump which I probably haven't used in at least a century. So now I have been planning various aspects of how I will prepare for university and how and when to do everything that needs to be done.
The above has inspired me to make this post a mini guide for uni applications in the hope that it may give someone the help and information that I had to google or speak to people for. It's tough enough that in your last year of high school you have to stress about exams, let alone university applications, so having information makes it that much simpler.
To make this as easy as possible I will put everything into steps. That way, the order of things and how you need to do them will be clearer- hopefully.
Before you can even think about anything, pause and ask yourself whether you do actually want to go to university. After all, university isn't for everyone. And I don't mean that in the hipster, "I live in the moment" sort of way, I mean it in the sense that we are not all academic and some people would be better off furthering their education in some other way. Also, you might want to take a gap year- I did. I will do another post in the future about gap year taking and how to work your way around it.
Another thing to remember, is that university applications sort of start in grade 11 because you use those final marks for applications. Having good grade 11 marks means that you can get provisional/conditional acceptance which means you already have your foot in the door. (This is in terms of South African universities.)
So here are some steps to follow, assuming that you have asked yourself question 1 and you would like to do the university thing.
1. Find out what you would like to do one day, what are your interests what are you good at what subjects have you been taking and enjoying and use that information to find a university course that correlates. Speak to your teachers (believe it or not they're there to help), google it, go to open days, all that kind of stuff.
2. See which universities offer that course or a course similar to it, also see other courses that you might like so that you have a second choice. Look at other things about the university, where it's located, how big lectures/classes are, extramural activities, is it campus or city- all that kind of stuff which is also important to a great uni experience.
3. Get info on when applications start and the sort of information you'll need to apply. I believe that you should do the application yourself, and if you need help, sure, ask for it, but doing it yourself means that you're taking the whole journey and it's a great way to see whether you actually are cut out for university.
4. Do things as soon as possible because universities can often be slow at processing things and that way you have enough time to check on how your application is going and call if you need any other info.
5. People say that you should apply to as many universities as possible but I think not too many- especially if you are confident with your level of work. Fewer applications means less paperwork, lower application costs and an easier choice when you have to choose your final one. I applied to three and they were all universities that I would've been happy to go to if only one of them had worked out.
6. Once you have applied, check up on your applications every now and again just to see how things are going and if you need to do anything else- again, call the university if you really must know.
7. Once you've done the hard part, now comes the even harder part: thinking about finances, and where you will be living. If you choose to live in res, you would have applied along with your actual university application (make sure that you have the correct forms because sometimes they are located in different places or they are sent to you separately.)
8. In terms of finances, (which you may not have to worry about if you or your parents are rich and willing to sponsor,) speak to your parents or guardian(or someone older and wiser- sound of music reference) as to how you will fund your university tuition. Some obvious options might be:
- financial aid, which is offered by the university
- bursaries and scholarships which are awarded by companies, indie people or the university and these are usually awarded on the basis of financial need and academic/sporting/cultural ability.
- student loans from the bank
My advice for all of these is: do as much research as possible as early as possible. Also know what the various funding options will cover.
9. This is possibly the hardest part but this is the part where you wait. Check your applications regularly- not religiously, just enough. If you have the chance speak to people who are actually in university during this time. Don't stress yourself out either, save that for finals.
So, that is just some information on how to go about university applications. Sure it's not everything you need to know, but it's just a way to process everything in a way that makes sense and makes the process slightly less daunting.
I hope that this has been somewhat helpful to someone and if not, oh well. Just have as much fun as you can with it, and if all else fails, just think of all the sophisticated, smart, cultured and attractive university boys/girls that you will have access to... In 4th year maybe.
So just take it step by step and good luck. That's all, Bye! :) x
