Post-18 Options: What parents need to know
Most Universities do not call applicants for interviews. The key exceptions to this are Medicine, Veterinary Science, Dentistry and Oxford and Cambridge. This explains why the application deadline is earlier, reflecting the additional tasks of interviews and testing.
We help to prepare our pupils for interview by providing one test interview inside school and one with an external interviewer.
Some universities will not proceed to the interview stage unless a candidate has been successful in entrance tests. In terms of preparing for entrance tests, it is vital pupils who are applying for a course that require entrance tests prepare fully for these by sitting past papers as a practice. School provides these papers and support fully in preparing for these tests.
For medical courses, most want the UCAT although some ask for BMAT to be taken. Most Cambridge Colleges test whilst at interview and most Oxford Colleges ask for entrance tests to be taken at the end of October or beginning of November. The UCAT is sat at Pearson centres (this is the same testing centres that people take their driving theory tests in), all other tests are taken in school. Individual courses on their page on UCAS will have links to the tests required.
It is worthwhile searching “Scholarships and Bursaries” on University websites as many give additional free money to applicants. Most of these are dependent upon income or academic excellence but other criteria do exist. Sometimes, a University may ask applicants to sit additional entrance tests to be considered for a scholarship or bursary.
With lock down restrictions, few University Open Days have happened in person but they have hosted online events. It is likely more in-person events will happen from now on and this is preferable as students get a real feel of a campus and city. They have to feel the location is right for them and this is as important as reputation or league table.