13 February 2025
Mrs Janet Travis, Director of Higher Education and Careers
All Woldingham students’ university applications are now in, for both UK and overseas institutions and offers have been rushing in from top universities. Twenty two students have received all their UCAS offers, however, it’s still early days in the process and many more offers are yet to come.
This year’s top universities for the number of applications from our students are Exeter, Newcastle and UCL. Several students have applied to universities further afield - in Italy, Hong Kong, USA, Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and Canada. Upper Sixth students have applied for a wide range of subjects including architecture, economics, physiotherapy, fine art, politics, English, philosophy, nutritional science, acting, music, psychology, product design, film, business, marine biology, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, medicine, dentistry and neuroscience.
Many students have been invited to offer holder days, which provide a great opportunity to find out more about the course and to look around accommodation (parents are often invited too). We recommend students attend these events to help them to make an informed decision about which universities to accept as their firm and insurance choices. Students holding all five university offers should not rush into replying to confirm their first and insurance places; no firm decisions should be made until their performance in the upcoming mock exams has been analysed. Most replies to offers need to be made by June 5th, although this date will depend on when the last offer is made.
Most students will be applying for student finance; applications open in March. Students can apply for a tuition fee loan or a maintenance support loan, or both, at student finance for undergraduates overview GOV.UK. I am always happy to answer any questions about student finance.
Well done to all our Upper Sixth students on their hard work on their applications. The process is demanding and students can find it difficult to choose a final subject and reduce their list of universities down to five. With this in mind, we recommend our Lower Sixth students visit the universities they are considering applying to, whether on a formal open day (in June, September or October) or independently with family. Lower Sixth is the time to prepare for additional entrance tests, complete any necessary work experience, and super-curricular and extra-curricular activities to bolster personal statements. We will hold our Higher Education Conference in school in June to register Lower Sixth students with UCAS and hear from a range of guest speakers offering application advice.