To year 12 students wishing to study physics or physical sciences at university,
Applying to university nowadays is incredibly competitive, so you have got to make your UCAS application stand out. First and foremost, grades are obviously the overriding factor that decides whether you get an offer or not. However, I’m sure most of you are aware of this already so this blog post is going to detail what I think are other beneficial things that year 12 students can do to make a competitive application. The admission tutors (the people who will be assessing your application and ultimately deciding whether to offer you a place at their university) are usually academics, meaning they have dedicated their career to studying their subject. Therefore, if you are planning on studying an academic degree such as physics or any sort of physical science, they really are not going to care if you captained the school table tennis team in year 7 or spend half an hour a week standing in the canteen as a prefect. This might not be the case if you applying to a more vocational course, but this it certainly is for degrees at universities such as Oxbridge.
So what should you put in your application to show that you are the type of person that they want to teach in their university? You have got to make it clear that you are completely committed and passionate to the subject that you wish to study for the next 3/4 years and attending summer schools, taster courses and doing work experience is good evidence to support this. There is a whole wealth of different schemes and activities that are available out there for year 12 students to get involved in that school will not tell you about, so you have to be proactive to search and apply for them independently. Below are just the ones I know about which I would like to share with you that I have found from my own personal research.
Summer Schools:
I personally think summer schools at universities can show that you are really committed in exploring your subject further and they are a great way of experiencing university life, as well as getting your foot in the door at that university. You also get to meet new, like-minded people who are just as passionate about your subject as yourself. However, there are many that are purely money making schemes, so be wary if they are excessively expensive. Below I have listed and linked all the courses I have been on/I have friends who have been on and recommend them. Please make sure to note any application deadlines that need to be met.
UNIQ
UNIQ is a free summer school at Oxford University for subject specific courses, where you can experience what it is like to study there. The selection criteria is highly competitive and requires filling in a personal statement, which is good practice and could be a starting point for your UCAS PS. If you have good GCSE grades (pretty much all A/A*s), then there is a good chance that you could get in. However, just remember that the only way you definitely won’t get in is if you don’t apply!
Sutton Trust
Sutton Trust also provides free summer schools at a whole range of Russell Group universities (Bristol, Cambridge, Durham, Edinburgh, Imperial, King’s College, Nottingham, St Andrews, and UCL) for a range of subject specific courses. It’s aim is to encourage students from non-privileged backgrounds to apply to university, so if your parents didn’t go to university and you get decent grades, then there is a good chance that you could get in. Again, even if this is not the case, it only takes about 10 mins to fill in their application form online, so you might as well apply.
Headstart
Headstart provide STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) specific summer schools at many universities for year 11 girls and all year 12 students. They generally cost around £300 for a 4 day residential course, but there are bursaries available. I highly recommend these courses if you are wanting to study engineering at university but you don’t really know what it involves, or what discipline you wish to specialise in. The application course is relatively simple; involves filling in an application form and getting a teacher reference. They are completely subsidised if you are lucky enough to have an Arkwright Scholarship.
Talks and Lectures:
Many universities hold lectures for sixth form students where you can learn more about specific subjects
Cambridge offer “Subject Masterclasses” that are a good insight into the work being done into by leading academics at the university, as well as giving advice on how to make a competitive application specifically for that course. Last year they had a small charge of £10 per place and are generally very popular, so be sure to book places as early as possible.
UCL also have lots of free lectures for sixth formers which are free and do not require booking. However, be sure to arrive early to them as they are also very popular.
Other activities
Nuffield Research Placements
Nuffield Research Placements offer placements in STEM at universities, companies and research institutions for year 12 students and you get to work alongside professional scientists, mathemeticians, technologists and engineers. They are usually from 4-6 weeks long and are during your summer holiday between year 12 and 13. You could even be paid around £50 a week to cover the travel expenses to your placement. I wish I could have done one when I was in year 12 as they sound like you really get to explore some of the research and work being carried out in the real world in STEM fields.
NPL Academy
This scheme from the National Physical Laboratory offers “GCSE and A Level students a structured opportunity to get the most out of a week’s worth of work experience at one of the UK’s leading scientific establishments.” Again, I have not been on this scheme as I only heard about it after applications had closed, but it sounds like a fantastic experience. Check the dates on the website as I think they only accept applications for a very short period of time.
I highly advise year 12 students to apply for as many of these activities as possible as it not only enhances your UCAS application, but are also enjoyable experiences. Even if you aren’t going to apply for Oxbridge, check their departmental websites for school outreach events as they are the most proactive/have the most money to spend on these events. There are so many opportunities out there for year 12 students to participate in so please do your own independent research as no one will tell you about them unless you look for them yourself.
Good luck!
Rebecca
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