It’s coming to that time of year where you are putting the final touches to your application. Depending on your school’s deadlines you may have already sent it off already (congratulations!) or you might still be writing your personal statement (don’t panic – you’ve got till the deadline of January 15th ). No matter where you are in the stages of your application, you will soon become familiar with the 5 points below. It’s what I like to call trackerholic anonymous – where you await replies and potential offers from university. For me, it got a little out of hand checking Track up to 6 times a day but it doesn’t have to be like that. Here are some of the things I learnt throughout the process.
- Try not to keep checking – this is easier said than done. You will receive emails notifying you about changes on your Track account (which 9 out of 10 means a university has responded!). This is one of the most exciting emails you will receive and it’s an indicator to go and check your account.
- You will have a response, no matter if it’s positive or negative – the great thing about the UCAS application process is that the universities have to reply, no matter whether they are accepting or rejecting you. They won’t leave you guessing as to where you stand with them.
- Don’t expect a confirmation email from the universities you have applied to – this is where I started to panic, some of my friends were getting confirmation emails from where they had applied and I didn’t receive any. It actually turns out that they were applying to completely different universities, and the places I had applied to just didn’t send out confirmation emails. Simple as that.
- Don’t compare yourself to friends – some of my friends were lucky enough to get offers back from a few universities the following week, but for me it took 2 weeks until my first offer was received and they gradually started to come in over the following months. Each university is different so don’t worry, you will receive a reply eventually.
- Be realistic – I was checking Track an hour after I had sent off my application. Realistically the university wouldn’t have had time to have a look at it, so don’t go expecting offers immediately. Go get a hot drink, sit back and wait patiently
Worcester Student Life 