Whilst September is the traditional month for students to start panicking about making their university choices and the UK newspapers are full of articles about making the most of your UCAS application, as a parent it is never too early to start planning to take the stress out of your role in the application process.
Our role as parents is often just to take our student college visiting over the spring break and discuss the merits of self catered rooms vs catered halls, but what else can we do to help the application process go more smoothly?
Having experienced this process with three children in three different countries, I can say for certain that schools differ in the amount of help they offer students during the preparation phase of the application procedure and that our students often prioritise school work with their shorter deadlines, thinking they have months before they need to apply, but here are five things you can do now so that some of the groundwork is ready for them when they do focus on their application in a few months time:
- Start a list of all of their schools and the dates they were there – especially if you are expats, like me, who have done several moves. You will only have to do it later when you are in the middle of something else, so it’s a good place to start. Add any exam results that are relevant.
- Put together an ego list for them with every award they may have won, every sports trophy, stage appearance or achievement with approximate dates. If they are not sports superstars, think about when they have faced an obstacle and overcome it or made a successful transition. They may have forgotten, but these achievements will make them feel good about themselves when they need to say how great they are.
- List the hobbies and interests they have had over their high school career. Note if it is a solo activity, where they have shown independence or if it is a team activity where they can show leadership or collaboration. Add any volunteer roles, work or projects they have undertaken, no matter how insignificant they may appear on the surface.
- If they already know what courses they want to do and where they want to study, download a description of the courses and make a list of the qualities that the admissions tutors may be looking for in an applicant, for example if they are interested in English they will need things like good grades, excellent communications skills, creativity and a proven interest in the subject. Think about how they can demonstrate these and where they may have gaps. Look at possible ways to fill these over the summer holidays by attending workshops or summer schools.
- Finally you could make a list of the skills and attributes that make a good candidate. These may include teamwork, openness to change, communication, organization, time management, leadership skills, motivation, numeracy and a passion for the subject. This is then ready for them to fill in the details of examples (which you have now placed at their fingertips) of when they have demonstrated these skills.
With a little preparation on your part, which you can spread over several weeks as you think of new things to add, you can take some of their panic away when they face their blank form, full of doubt that they are going to convince the admissions tutors to accept them.
