“Before you apply to a university, consider why and what you want to study there. Many students get pulled into the admissions mania without looking beyond the years that will follow,” an admissions expert from the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League University in the US, once told a group of Omani school students.
Are you or yours currently a school student planning to apply to well-reputed higher education institutions in Oman or around the world? That is awesome and nerve-wracking at the same time! Indeed, there is no guarantee that one will be accepted, and even if a student does get into a university and plans to apply for a scholarship competitively, an acceptance letter would always be subject to approval from the concerned authorities. Besides, several school leavers must pursue a preparatory course before they can start their higher undergraduate studies.
However, applying to institutions constitutes a great learning experience and school students are encouraged to do so regardless of the challenges, ideally when they are in grade 10 or year 11 or at the start of their final school year. To make the application process a little less daunting, admissions experts from reputed universities, including those belonging to the Ivy League and Russell Group, once shared their valuable insights.
First of all, although students should make sure they are expected to achieve the entry and language requirements set by institutions, especially the highly selective or hard-to-get-into ones, they should always try their luck. Nobody will ever get an offer if they do not try and apply. Besides, institutions usually only ask for a deposit fee once they deem a student eligible to join.
“Choosing a university should be as much about what suits your personal situation and learning styles as it is about picking a course that is a right fit by looking at the modules and courses one will be taught, as there is more to a degree than just its name or title. It is also important to consider the student experience. For example, do you want a big city or a small one? Do you want to live on campus? Is the cost of living a deal-breaker? These questions can be answered by looking at websites and participating in online information sessions,” the London and Pennsylvania-based admissions experts advised.
The experts also explained that in any admission language, ‘holistic’ and ‘a good fit’ are key concepts. Holistic admission is the process often used by selective universities to decide who will get accepted into their institution. It means not just looking at test scores, grades and what a student has done in extracurricular activities but also at who they are. All pieces of a student’s application are essential to admissions tutors as they try to understand someone’s overall performance, starting from grade 9 onwards, and usually look at performance trends over time, results across all subjects, and academic choices, including how much students challenged themselves.
This holistic admission process also determines a student’s ‘fit’ with the university, like how comfortable clothing fits. “What you chose to get involved in at school says a lot about who you are as a person, which relates to your future fit with an institution. Your extracurricular activities, what you did when you were not in class, can help an admissions counsellor understand your interests and passions. Are you an athlete, musician, maker, artist, poet, or programmer? Did you dedicate your time to serving your community or to support your family? Remember, the only bad extracurricular activity is no activity at all.” Students should also know the facts about admissions tests and personal statements. In some countries, admissions tutors will use the personal statement as the deciding factor on the application, which is a student’s chance to differentiate themselves from other applicants, and to highlight their intrinsic passion for the chosen course, not primarily the university. The admissions experts also underlined that it is important to ask school teachers to write a reference before one graduates.
All in all, school students need to ensure that all aspects of a college or university application are completed timely, proofread, and in order, as an incomplete application can delay a decision and may reduce one’s chances of being accepted.
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