The UCAS system

kevogy

the ucas system is the system used in england for third level education

can anyone explain breifly how it works for irish lads?
One lad i know went over to england befort the results even came out, he went around to various colleges and looked at courses finally he chose Sport science and health and all he had to do was show his junior cert results!

is this the way it works for every course? or how does it work for irish students?

if i cant get into repeat is it worth trying in england?

eVeNtInE

This post has been deleted.

arthistory

I applied to UCAS last September. You have to write a personal statement saying why you want the course. Then depending on what you want to do, there might be an interview. Then you get a letter saying what you need to get in your exams to get in or if you are really lucky and again depending on the course, you might get an unconditional offer (probably what the lad you know got, they based it on the "qualifications" he already had and his personal statement). or a letter saying unsuccessful! if you are repeating, then definately apply to UCAS as well as CAO.

arthistory

oh and the fees are cheaper if you go to a college in Scotland, fees more expensive for the rest of UK

tootyflutty

I applied this year, and didn't get it but due to a technicality over music grades and interveiw dates, but I was using it as a back up so didn't matter as I got my first choice anyway.
If you apply through UCAS to the Scottish colleges you get a grant that you do not have to start paying back until you start earning over a certain amount of money, around 20,000.
You must write your personal statement, (why you want the course and why you would be the right candidate for it), your expected grades, and you must have a statement either from principal or career guidance teacher.
If you get a chance to go the Higher Options seminar this year, don't spend your time looking for all the freebies, talk to the UK colleges, and the UCAS people, they should help make the process a little bit easer to understand.
From what others have told me, if you do get a conditional offer, they are very high. One friend got told she needed 2 A's in honours and at least 3 B's in hounours. Your talking high points here, and that was for a course that wasn't particularly high points over here. Another friend doing physcology needed 3 A's in honours and the rest higher then a B3 in honours.
But if your serious I would apply. It's cheap and not terribly difficult, and if you decide it's not for you next summer, sure it's no big waste!
Good luck with the process!!

Oh and if you apply for Art or to a Music Conservatory it's a little different. For art you have to your portfolio, and cannot add more colleges after a certain date like the usual UCAS. And for the conservatories there is a completely different system called CUKAS which must be applied to before the end of this summer.

theowen

Anyone know about applying for medicine? I know there's an apptitute test just unsure of the date and that:)