The days when universities routinely interviewed applicants have long gone. That opportunity to demonstrate to an academic or to a small panel just why a place should be yours has been replaced by an automated process largely devoid of face to-face contact.
It was never easy to get into university but today, with applications at an all-time high and record-breaking GCSE and A-level results, prospective undergraduates have precious little opportunity to sell themselves beyond their Ucas forms.
In the past six years, the number of people wanting to go into higher education has risen by almost 30%. The number of applicants has jumped by more than 8% in the past 12 months alone, with a cap on intake in England creating unprecedented demand as more than 615,000 wannabe students sought places on courses.
Back in 2003, fewer than 477,000 people were looking to get a degree. The government’s drive to get half of all school-leavers into higher education by 2010 has led to rising pressure on the applications system.
With candidates able to apply for up to five universities each, admissions offices were swamped with more than 2.2m applications. Interest in Oxford and Cambridge was up by 12.5% and 8% respectively. The number of entry forms flooding into Liverpool rose by 7% and was up by 9% at Sheffield.
And it wasn’t just the research-intensive Russell Group universities that were being inundated. Applications rocketed by 37% at Birmingham City University and by 32% at Bedfordshire, while the numbers wanting to go to Aberystwyth on the west coast of Wales rose by 15%.
This year 56,000 people vied for 7,500 places at the University of Manchester, the most applied-to institution in the country. Competition is fiercest, though, at the LSE, the UK’s most oversubscribed seat of learning, with more than 14 people after each place.
Break the analysis down by course, and it shows sometimes 50 students chasing every place. Last year 1,674 people wanting to take English at Bristol competed for just 62 places, and 414 chased 12 places to study English and drama. A significant proportion of them would have been predicted to get straight As at A-level.
With the sheer weight of demand so high, some teenagers can be left bruised by the whole process. Anecdotal evidence suggests that universities are feeling the pressure as the government seeks to reach its holy grail of 50% participation.
In one case, a prospective student at an English and history open day at Durham University came away with the impression that anyone with fewer than six A* grades at GCSE need not bother to apply (she had four A* grades and six As). At Leeds, a sixth-form pupil was told that the history department considered the personal statements virtually worthless as they could be written by parents or teachers, while the English department at the same university assured candidates these provided a vital insight into their suitability for the course.
Durham claims it does not operate cut-off points for achievement at GCSE and Leeds insists personal statements are considered. The confused messages from the open days, however, meant at least two fewer applications for the universities in question.
With more than one in five GCSE exams graded A* or A this August and one in eight candidates achieving three straight As at A-level, how can universities be sure they are selecting the right people?
Professor Michael Arthur, vice-chancellor of the University of Leeds and chairman of the Russell Group, says universities are up to the challenge. “There is fierce competition for places at Russell Group universities, and for many courses all candidates have three or even four As at A-level.
“Inevitably, it is challenging to choose between such excellent candidates. But, while A-levels are a good source of information about potential and academic ability, our admissions tutors are skilled at reviewing a wide range of factors and take qualifications within a broader context of achievement.”
However, some universities admit that it can be difficult to choose.
Barry Taylor, director of communications at Bristol University, says: “It would be naive to say we could have total confidence that every decision is right because there are so many good people, and it is entirely possible that some people who do not receive an offer are as good as those who do receive an offer.”
Elizabeth Lister, director of student recruitment and admissions at the University of Edinburgh, believes admission processes today are more transparent than they used to be.
“We do not think that we are taking the wrong students, but there are so many right students,” says Lister. “We have very difficult decisions to make.”
Would a lottery system be fairer, she wonders, once the top candidates have been identified? “There comes a point where they are all the same,” she says.
In order to ensure fair access, the university already takes into account the context of academic achievement — such as the record of the applicant’s school or if he or she is the first in their family to attend university.
The new A* grade at A-level and the extended essay being introduced next year may help identify the finest brains, but some leading institutions have indicated that they would treat the A* with caution, as critics say some schools will be able to provide intensive preparation for pupils.
Admissions policies vary from institution to institution and even between departments. The University of Manchester interviews for courses in physics, dentistry and maths but not in English, history or Latin. Edinburgh interviews for veterinary medicine and some education courses, and it holds auditions for music. Bristol interviews for medicine but not for English, although it used to.
Oxford and Cambridge are now the only universities that routinely interview candidates. While about 14% of institutions hold admissions tests for some subjects, for most students it is their application form that determines whether or not they receive an offer.
The cap on numbers in England has added to the pressure, making places already harder to come by for 2010. Nearly 200 students who narrowly missed the A-level grades needed to secure conditional places at Exeter have already been offered places by the university next autumn.
Entry criteria for popular courses are also rising. At the University of Bedfordshire, for example, the number of Ucas points required for sports studies has increased to 200 points for 2010, up from 160 while Birmingham City University has increased the tariff on all its business degrees.
Dr Tim Westlake, director of student recruitment and admissions at the University of Manchester, says: “I know there are many people with better grades than previous years who have not got in this year.
“Next year, students will compete with a [bigger] pool of applicants who already have the grades to come to us. It is going to be more competitive next September.”
How to get ahead in the race for a place
1) Do your homework. Not just at school, but homework for the course you want to study and your choice of institution. Make sure you have the basic requirements needed, says Dr Tim Westlake, director of student recruitment and admissions at the University of Manchester. “On average, 10% of people apply to us who were always going to get rejected,” he says. “In terms of GCSEs, if you need a B for maths and have a C, do not apply. People need to make sure they are not wasting an application.” University websites are packed with information about the qualifications required for a successful application. Read them and see if you tick all of the boxes.
2) Make your personal statement count. It is your shop window, says Dr Hywel Davies, head of admissions at Aberystwyth University. “We do see some brief personal statements,” he says. “I always think it is a shame that people have not been advised to use that space properly.” If your course does not offer interviews — and most don’t — the personal statement is your only chance to make your case for a place. Choose your words carefully — but don’t choose them off the internet. All applications are checked.
3) Go the extra mile. Think about what you might put in that personal statement in the year before you write it. What can you say to stand out from the crowd? “What admission tutors are looking for is that academic spark,” says Barry Taylor, director of communications at the University of Bristol. “If you want to study English at a leading university, you will need to have discovered some favourite authors and have some ideas about these authors. You may well be so committed you may run a book club or have written some material of your own.” Get some relevant work experience. It might be unpaid, but payback will come when you get an offer of a place.
4) Check what you write and apply early. Make use of a spellchecker or a dictionary. Pay attention to grammar and do several drafts of your Ucas form.
5) Consider sitting an entrance scholarship. It can be a means to an unconditional offer for high-flying students. Aberystwyth University, for example, makes 350 offers a year in this way.
6) Pick up the phone. If you think you have missed your grades, find an alternative course and make contact with the head of department or admissions tutor before clearing begins. Sell yourself on the phone. They can look up your application and, if you don’t get your first choice, you might find your previous contact saves a lot of grief when 100,000 others are chasing the few remaining places. “If people can be flexible, a plan B, or plan C will hold them in good stead,” says Hywel Davies at Aberystwyth.
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