A collection of questions you must know to apply for studying in the UK

There are many people who want to study in the UK, but have many doubts in their minds: should I choose an agent or DIY? When are IELTS results submitted? How to choose a school and major? How else can I improve my undergraduate background? Today, we will summarize the most frequently asked questions when consulting about studying in the UK!

1. How far in advance to start preparing for the application for studying abroad?

School applications in the UK need to be prepared one year in advance. Generally, the application channel for the next academic year is opened from July to November each year, and usually September to November is a mainstream peak stage for UK university applications. For domestic undergraduate (four-year) students, the best preparation time for application is the summer vacation of junior to senior year; For UK undergraduate (three-year) students, they need to start preparing during the summer of their sophomore to junior year. In this way, current students can have enough time to improve their background, brush scores, etc. For working staff, a year in advance can also give them enough time to prepare for the IELTS exam.

Remember that the sooner you apply for a study abroad plan, the better, and the sooner the application materials are prepared, the better, after all, the UK institutions use a "first come, first served" application system, and if the number of popular majors is full, the application channel will be closed early.

2. What is the difference between fall enrollment and spring admission?

Traditionally, most students choose to enter in the fall (September/October), which is basically the same as the start time of universities in China. However, if you miss the fall intake for various reasons (such as taking the college entrance examination, graduate school entrance examination, etc.), you can actually choose the spring (January/February) entrance course of the following year. This can greatly save time and costs, and there is no need to gap for another year! So is there a difference between fall intake and spring admission?

First of all, in terms of teaching quality, teaching resources, assessment methods, recognition and admission requirements, there is no difference between the two. The difference is that not all UK universities offer courses for spring entry. In addition, there are fewer universities that open their majors for spring admission. The application time varies depending on the start time, but it is best for spring students to start in January of the previous year, and for fall students to start applying in September of the previous year. Autumn admission is the mainstream admission time, at this time there are many major choices, and the application competition is relatively large; Spring admission, on the other hand, has restrictions on the choice of majors and schools, but competition is smaller.

3. When will IELTS results be submitted?

IELTS is another of the most important results for international students in addition to the average score. When to submit IELTS should be divided into the following situations:

1. Application for G5/Warwick institutions: Although there is no specific requirement, it is recommended to submit an IELTS score with an overall score of at least 6.5 and a minimum score of 6.0 when applying.
2. To apply for Edinburgh/UM, you clearly need to bring IELTS majors: you must submit it when applying, but you can not meet its official admission requirements first, and then submit it after getting the con offer.
3. Apply for translation majors: IELTS requirements are relatively high, it is recommended to submit an IELTS score that has met the admission requirements when applying.
4. Other cases: You can apply without IELTS scores.

Students who do not want to study in language classes should submit IELTS scores that meet the requirements before the deadline set by the school after receiving the con offer. Generally, schools change their uncon offers around June/July. If the applicant is interested in studying a language course, it is best to submit a maximum IELTS score for applying for a language course by mid-to-late March of the current year. Some schools do not have a clear deadline for language classes, in which case it is recommended to submit an IELTS TRF at least 4 weeks before the start of the language course to allow enough time to apply for CAS and prepare for the visa. The duration of language classes and application deadlines vary from school to school, and the application deadline for language classes will be closed when they are full, so be sure to prepare as soon as possible!

4. Do I need to take GMAT/GRE?

Generally speaking, most universities in the UK do not mandate GMAT/GRE scores, and an IELTS score that meets the requirements is sufficient. But if you are applying to G5 or other TOP universities (such as Warwick, Edinburgh, University of Manchester Business School, etc.), then no matter how high your average score and IELTS are, it is recommended to take a GMAT or GRE score. In particular, some schools' official admission requirements clearly state that a GMAT/GRE score is required, then it is a must. For example, the MBA program of Oxford University officially requires that you must submit GMAT/GRE results when applying. A GMAT score of 650+ is recommended, of course, the higher you can get, the greater the advantage.

If you are applying to a QS top 100 university other than these schools, in the case of average scores and IELTS guaranteed, whether to take the GMAT/GRE is your choice, having this score will definitely help the application, if not, the school will not reject you for this reason.

5. When choosing a school, do you look at a comprehensive row or a special row?

This question has different answers for different people. IEC here suggests that everyone should combine their own situation and rationally analyze what their real purpose of studying abroad is. If you want to make your resume look better through studying abroad and make up for the lack of strong background in the college, then it is recommended to give priority to majors in universities with higher admission requirements that are not so high, or relatively unpopular. If you have a clear plan for your career development, it is clear that you are going to graduate school to have deeper achievements in your major; Or because you want to continue your PhD, then you can prioritise the university's ranking in this specialist field in the UK. In addition, when referring to the ranking, the criteria should be diversified, and more references should be made to other rankings and its ranking scoring indicators, and compare them rationally and comprehensively.

6. Should I choose an intermediary or DIY by myself?

Everyone should also choose an intermediary or DIY according to their actual situation. Students who choose DIY should meet the following requirements:

(1) Be able to spend enough time and effort to collect, identify, and integrate information from various universities

(2) Do a precise and clear positioning for yourself

(3) Ensure the quality of documents

(4) Understand the application opening hours, deadlines, etc

(5) I am already very good on the average score and IELTS, and I no longer need to spend a lot of time brushing scores

If you choose a study abroad institution, you should also keep your eyes open:

(1) Understand whether the intermediary has a qualification certificate

(2) Whether the intermediary fee is outrageous (here is highly recommended for us, it is free to apply!) ）

(3) Whether the intermediary's offer case has a similar background to itself

(4) Whether the intermediary teacher himself has received professional training

(5) Follow-up services after the intermediary submits the application

So, to sum up, if you are a person with strong information integration ability and are also very confident in your results, then it is not impossible to choose DIY! However, if you want to brush the score while understanding the application details of a larger institution, it is easy to have more than enough energy, and it is easy to have a deviation in your positioning, such students still recommend choosing a reliable agent to apply!

Well, these are the most common questions we introduce today when consulting and applying to study in the UK. I hope it can help you prepare for your application. If you still have questions that are not mentioned in this article, welcome to study abroad in Singapore to consult us, as a new star of service in the study abroad industry, led by the head study abroad blogger Nanyang Senior Sophia master's and full award doctorate of Cambridge University, National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, University of Hong Kong and other world-famous universities, deep cultivation in the field of international study for nearly five years, if you have any questions about studying abroad, we can answer your questions!