Advice on University Applications

It’s now officially the time of the year where everything goes to chaos. Applications for the UK, Hong Kong, U.S, Canada and many more are due in the coming weeks. Everyone is busy writing personal statements, adding information to their CV, including supporting documents and having meetings with the higher education counsellors in order to make sure they are on the right track. Below are some tips for the application process that is applicable to everyone

First of all, when writing your personal statement or essay, ensure that you write multiple drafts and make constant changes to it. Starting your personal statement early will allow you to have more chances to receive feedback from your counsellors and thus produce a more polished and detailed personal statement. Waiting until the last few days to write your personal statement is not a good idea because it requires lots more planning than you may think. Essay writing may seem like something that is easy but once you start, you will realise that it's not something you can spend only an hour on and call it a day. 

In your personal statement, don’t forget to mention why you are a good fit for that course and be specific when writing statements for certain schools. For example, if you are applying to HKU for Biochemistry, mention details about the curriculum of HKU and why that appeals to you. Work experience is also a good thing to talk about and may even be necessary for certain courses. UK personal statements are mainly focused on academics so it could be a good idea to talk about your Internal Assessments or your Extended Essay if relevant to the course you are applying to. For US essays, be authentic and make your essay a good representation of who you are as an individual. 

It is also important to take initiative and reach out to your Higher Education Counsellors first because they have a lot of students to take care of and don’t have the time to follow up on you. If you have any questions, don’t be shy to just ask because they are the ones who are knowledgeable in this field and have the ability to help you. Remember, the more often your HECs’ get to look over your essays and personal statements, the better. 

When choosing which universities to apply to, guarantee you do your research to make sure that these universities are the ones for you. Of course it's better to have safety options but you only get one chance to apply to universities so,believe in yourself and try to apply for some aspirational universities. Remember to stay open minded to different options, otherwise your options will be narrowed down. 

Make sure to keep a record of all of your certificates, achievements, transcripts, etc so that you can submit them to universities if they directly ask for them. Stay organised and check your emails regularly to make sure you don’t miss any deadlines and notifications. 

Finally, don’t forget to l enjoy your free time, even if you have a lot of Internal Assessments, Extended Essays and more due as well as all of your applications. It is completely okay to feel stressed as this is a really mentally taxing time for everyone. You are not alone, so take care of yourself both physically and mentally. 

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