Applying to University

Paulina Lewandowska

International Officer

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Session overview:

• Choosing your course
• Choosing your university
• Why Essex?
• UCAS and personal statement

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Choosing your course

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Choosing your course - slide 1 of 4

Choosing your course

• Choose your course FIRST
• Over 40,000 to choose from
• Familiar or new subject?
• Career plans?
• Interesting enough for you for 3+ years?
• YOUR decision

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Choosing your course- slide 2 of 4

Types of courses

• BA, BSc, LLB, BEng etc.
• Single or joint honours
• Theory or practical
• 3 – 5 years
• Sandwich degrees
• Study abroad
• Placement year

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Choosing your course - slide 3 of 4

Do your research

•  Course title 
•  Flexibility
•  Academic content
•  Teaching methods
•  Assessment methods

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�Choosing your course - slide 4 of 4�

Entry Requirements

• Differ per course and university
• What qualifications are required?
• What grades do you need?
• Any subject requirements?
• Work experience
• Interview
• Testing

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How to select courses

in the UK?

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How to select courses in the UK?�

Business vs Business Management

• Business focuses on structural organisational skills
• It encompasses various subjects related to business, such as economics, finance, marketing, and HR.
• Skills: analytical thinking, problem-solving, critical reasoning, and the ability to understand complex business environments.
• Careers: business analyst, business consultant, market researcher

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• Business Management focuses on employees
• Helps to develop skills and strategies required to effectively lead and oversee a business or organisation
• Skills: decision-making, strategic planning, communication, team management, and project management
• Careers: project managers, operations managers, human resource managers

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Business/Business Administration

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Business Management

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How to select courses in the UK?�

Psychology vs Psychoanalytic Studies

• Psychology focuses on the ways people think, act, react, and interact. It’s a study of human (and animal) behaviour.
• Why are social relationships so important? How does our cultural background affect thinking, motivations, personality, interpersonal behaviours and group processes?
• Careers: clinical and educational psychology, HR, market research, sport and exercise psychology, people-focussed careers

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• Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies focus on mind, emotions, motivation, psychopathology, psychotherapy
• How do we become who we are? Is emotion as strong a driver as reason? What explains our stranger compulsions and desires?
• Careers: therapeutic services, psychoanalytic therapy, social care, NHS mental health work

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Psychology

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Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies

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How to select courses in the UK?�

Sports Therapy vs Sport and Exercise Science

• Sports Therapy focuses on movement and prevention, assessment and rehabilitation of sports injuries
• At least 200 placement hours
• Careers: sports therapist for a sports team, independent private practitioner, healthcare

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• Sport and Exercise Science focuses on understanding the role of physiology, psychology, biomechanics and nutrition in sports and exercise science.
• Practically-focused degree
• Careers: fitness instruction, personal training, healthcare, coaching and performance analysis

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Sports Therapy

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Sport and Exercise Science

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How to select courses in the UK?�

Politics vs International Relations

• Politics focuses on national affairs, domestic policies, and the philosophical background behind political theories, concepts and ideologies
• Why should we obey the law? Why don’t democratic countries go to war with each other? Why don’t young people vote? Why do oil-rich countries have worse human rights records?

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• IR focus on political issues and foreign affairs affecting the world today. It’s an interdisciplinary subject, touching on history, economics, sociology and politics. 
• Why do international conflicts arise? Why are other parts of the world largely peaceful? What is the role of the UN and other international organisations? What is globalisation and how does it impact us?

• Careers: international development, politics, the civil service, management, journalism, police, armed forces, commerce, business, finance, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), teaching, research

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Politics

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International Relations

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Choosing your university

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Choosing your university - slide 1 of 2

Choosing your University

• Choose your university SECOND
• City or campus
• Size & location
• Stay at home or move away
• Accommodation
• Reputation
• Scholarships/bursaries
• Employability
• Academic and social facilities

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Choosing your university - slide 2 of 2

Visit us! 

• Attend our flagship Open Days
• Campus and accommodation tours 
• Virtual subject talks, tasters and tours 
• Chat with current students and academics
• Regional sessions with your country representatives (international students)
• Information webinars
• Essex virtual Open Day for all

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Why Essex?

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Life at Essex

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• Cost effective

• Ranked 30^th in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2024)
• 32nd in the UK (Complete University Guide)
• Top 25 in UK for research quality (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022)
• Top 10 for Social Sciences in the UK (THE 2023)
• 47^th for Law and 65^th for Social Sciences (THE World University rankings by Subject 2023)
• 28th in England for Overall Student Satisfaction (NSS 2023)
• Interdisciplinary approach to teaching
• Wide range of subjects

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Why Essex?

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Faculties

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Accounting, Finance and Banking. Business and Management. Criminology. Economics. Human Resource Management. Linguistics. Marketing. MBA. Modern Languages. Politics and International Relations. Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies. Sociology. Tourism Management. Translation and Interpreting. 

HUMANITIES

Acting, Producing and Stage Management. American (US) Studies. Art History. Childhood Studies. Creative Writing. Drama. English Language. European Studies. Film Studies. Global Studies. History. Hospitality and Events Management. Human Rights. Journalism. Latin American Studies. Law. Liberal Arts. Literature. Philosophy. 

SCIENCE AND HEALTH

Actuarial Science. Biochemistry. Biological Sciences. Biomedical Science. Computational Finance. Computer Science. Data Analytics. Electronic Engineering and Communications. Genetics. Health. Marine Biology. Mathematics. Nursing. Occupational Therapy. Oral Health Science. Physiotherapy. Psychology. Robotics. Social Work. Speech and Language Therapy. Sports and Exercise. Sports Therapy.

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Location of campuses

Our location

• 3 campuses: Colchester, Southend and Loughton

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• All within easy reach of London and gateway to Europe – 6 airports within 2 hours

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• Colchester: UK’s oldest recorded town

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• Essex: Some of the UK’s best weather

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• Mix of beaches, city, towns and cute villages, and beautiful Essex countryside

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Student Life at Essex

Student life

• 28^th in England for overall student positivity according to the results of the National Student Survey (NSS 2023)

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• 19,000+ students

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• 160+ Sports clubs and societies

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• Large vibrant campus community with theatres, cinema, Essex Sport arena, 20+ restaurants and bars, gym, climbing wall

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• Live on campus with guaranteed accommodation

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• 3^rd for spend on services and facilities per student (Complete University Guide 2024)

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International outlook

Global community

• We are the world in one place!

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• 15^th for international outlook in THE World University Rankings 2023

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• Over 140 nationalities represented in Colchester

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• Around 40% of our students are from outside UK

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• Study, live and work with people from all over the world

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• Wide range of cultural activities and societies on campus

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UCAS and UK Admissions

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Application form

�What is a personal statement?�

What is a personal statement?

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• Most important part of your application
• 47 lines or 4000 characters maximum
• Your only chance to personalise your application
• Explain why you are applying
• Your one statement goes to all five of your choices - make it relevant to all

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What should I include? – Slide 1 of 2

What should I include?

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• 70% about the course
• Why you have chosen the course
• Academic experience & current studies
• Work or voluntary experience
• Skills
• Career aspirations

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What should I include? – Slide 2 of 2

What should I include?

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• 30% about YOU including…
• Hobbies and interests
• Part-time work
• Skills
• Gap years
• What you hope to get out of university

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Easy as ABC – Slide 1

A

B

C

ACTIVITY

BENEFIT

COURSE

Think about what makes you special - what are your achievements?

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How has your previous experiences brought you to your decision and make you a good candidate

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Always try to make the link between the Activity, how this has benefited you and the course you have chosen

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Easy as ABC – Slide 2

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A

B

C

Drama Production

BSc Psychology

Activity

What skills have you developed?

How will these skills benefit you during your course?

Team work

Confidence/Articulation

Commitment/Reliable

Time Management/Multi-tasking

Presentation/Public speaking

Creativity

Communication skills

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Easy as ABC – Slide 3

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Sports Team Captain

LLB Law

Activity

What skills have you developed?

How will these skills benefit you during your course?

Leadership/Management

Communication skills

Problem solving/Logic/Influencing

Organisational skills/Multi-tasking

Team work

Strategy/Planning

Working under pressure

A

B

C

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UCAS – slide 8 of 8 

Key Dates – 2024 entry

• 5 September 2023: Applicants can send applications to UCAS
• 16 October 2023: Deadline for applications to Oxford, Cambridge and most courses in medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine/science
• 31 January 2024: ‘Equal consideration deadline’ - applications received by this date must be considered fairly by all UK universities.

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It is still possible to apply to most UK universities after the January deadline

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europe@essex.ac.uk

www.facebook.com/Uniofessex

�@Uni_of_Essex 

�@uniessex

Thank you

essex.ac.uk

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