UCAS 2015

Instructions and information for

current and ex-students

UCAS 2015
All

applications to UK universities are made

online through ucas.com
Applicants are allowed up to 5 choices of
college/university
Applicants to read medicine, dentistry or
veterinary science are only allowed 4. They
may, however, select an academic course as
their fifth choice if they so wish

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The cost is 23 for 2-5 choices or 12 if you only choose 1

No UCAS application can be sent before mid-September.
Applications sent before 15th January will receive
consideration as this is the domestic deadline.
However, even though it is not guaranteed to be
considered, as an overseas applicant you can still submit
your application after this date as long as it is before June
30th
The advice is: the earlier you apply the better
N.B. Oxford and all medicine, dentistry and veterinary
science courses have their own deadline of 15th October.
For Cambridge it is even earlier: 20th September. No
applications will be entertained after these dates

UCAS 2015
All

current and ex HCI students will apply

using the HCI portal
You gain access to this after registering with
UCAS
To register go to ucas.com and click Apply
Then click on Register, apply and track
your application followed by Apply or
track followed by Apply for 2015 courses
Then click on Register

UCAS 2015
After

registering you will be given your

username
Do not lose this. You will use it every time
you log in
You can lose your password as it can be
reset (just email me: chris@hci.edu.sg) but
your username cannot be replaced

UCAS 2015
When

you first log in you will asked how

you are applying
Please select the first radio button Through
my school/college
This instruction applies to all ex-students as
well

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At

the next screen you will be asked for the

HCI buzzword
This years buzzword is: GoHwaChong

UCAS 2015
After

verifying that HCI is your

school/college you will be asked to choose
your tutor/application group
All current students should select their
present CT group
All ex-students (except Humanities) should
select Ex-Students
All Humanities students should select their
personal tutor group

UCAS 2015
The

next screen will give you your personal

ID (which you must not lose as it needs to
be quoted if you need to contact UCAS)
You will also be asked to verify the email
address you have given in the registration
process
After this has been done you will be able to
start your application proper

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A

UCAS application has 8 sections: personal

details, student finance, choices, education,
employment, statement, view all details,
and pay/send
You have to complete all of these
Your CT will check your application for
errors and then add your reference and
predicted grades
When everything is complete he/she will
send your application to UCAS

UCAS 2015
If you are an ex-student you must contact your former
civics tutor (or another teacher if there are good reasons
for this) and ask for a reference
If this referee is a current C2 CT you should write to Mr
Burge (chris@hci.edu.sg) and he will re-assign you to the
appropriate CT group. The teacher concerned will then
process your application along with all his/her current
students
If your referee is not a current C2 CT you should ask for
your reference to be emailed to Mr Burge and he will then
oversee your application and send it off
N.B. As an ex-student the responsibility for the successful
completion of your application process rests firmly with
yourself

UCAS 2015
The

UCAS site contains many tutorial

videos. Please watch them they are very
short and give you a step-by-step guide to
nearly every part of the process
The following slides simply address
information choices and/or details that are
pertinent to you as specifically HCI or
Singaporean/International applicants

UCAS 2015
But

first - ask yourself if you should be

applying at all
If you are a male Singaporean who does not
intend to apply for a PSC scholarship then
you shouldnt apply in this cycle
You should wait until next year or the year
after as UK universities only allow for a 1
year deferral

UCAS 2015
The

only question in the first section

(Personal Details) that needs your careful
thought is the one regarding student
support (i.e. who is going to pay your fees)
Here all male Singaporeans and all other
applicants who will definitely need a
scholarship should choose

UCAS 2015
Everybody

At

else should choose

the bottom of this section (all all others)

please make sure you check the section
completed box and click save. You can undo
this at any time, so dont worry

UCAS 2015
Section

3: Choices
This section is where you add your choices
of course and university
All of the boxes here can be confidently and
accurately filled in if you click on all the
and

UCAS 2015
Your

summary screen will display all your

choices and will also inform you of any
additional tests or requirements that are
necessary as a result of applying for a
particular course and/or university
Please research and comply with these fully.
Failure to do so will result in an invalid
application
Here are the main ones as listed by UCAS:

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Section

4: Education
If you are an HCI IP boy you will need to:
Add HCI
Enter your H1, H2 and H3 subjects
Enter your IP Sec 4 English grade
Enter your other Sec 4 subject grades
If you have an O level (like Chinese) you
should also add it here

UCAS 2015
If

you are an IP girl you will need to:

Add HCI
Enter your H1, H2 and H3 subjects
Add your secondary school
Enter your IP English Sec 4 grade
Enter your other Sec 4 subject grades
If you have an O level (like Chinese) you
should also add it here

UCAS 2015
If

you are a non-IP student you will need

to:
Add HCI
Enter your H1, H2 and H3 subjects
Add your secondary school which (as
explained in the video) can be added
manually
Enter your O level subject grades

UCAS 2015
If

you are an IP student then you should choose

Singapore Integrated Programme Cambridge
GCE Advanced Level from the list displayed
If you are a non-IP student you should choose
Singapore Cambridge GCE Advanced Level (NEW
first award 2006) to enter your H1, H2 and H3
subjects and Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary
Level for you O levels
If you are an IP student who also has an O level
(e.g. Chinese) then you should choose SingaporeCambridge GCE Ordinary Level to enter it

UCAS 2015
Enter all your H1, H2 and H3 subjects
Any subject not found in a drop down menu can be
manually entered
The date for Project Work and any other H1 taken last
year is November 2013
The date for all other subjects (including any H3) is
November 2014
The Awarding organisation for all subjects is SEAB-CI
The Grade for all subjects except Project Work or
Mother Tongue (if it has already been taken) is
Pending

UCAS 2014
If

you are an IP student how do you enter

your Sec 4 grades?
Answer: choose Other (International NonEU Qualifications) from your displayed list
You can then manually enter your subjects,
the date (Nov 2012) and your grades
In the Exam box just enter: IP-Sch
Here is an example:

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IP

students must also enter their Sec 4

English Language (or Language Arts)
qualification
To do this select Singapore-Integrated
Programme-English-Language-Qualification
from the available list and enter the details
Here is what it should look like:

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Do

not omit any subjects you are currently

doing because if you dont enter a subject
no box for a grade prediction in it will
appear on your tutors reference screen.
This has led to problems in the past so
please make sure that GP, PW, your 4 H2
subjects and any H3 you are taking are
successfully captured

UCAS 2015
Section

5: Employment
As a student in full-time education you are
not expected to have had any
If you do enter anything make sure that it is
paid employment
Ex-Students may have something to enter
here. Singaporean males (for example) can
enter their National Service details

UCAS 2015
Personal

statement:
This is a very important section
There is a How-to video for this
Basically you have to show why offering you
a place to read the subject youre applying
for makes very good sense
This is because your universities are
primarily looking for evidence of your
aptitude and interest in your subject choice

UCAS 2015
This

could be because of your academic

performance in it and/or your involvement in it
beyond the curriculum
Or your achievements in relevant areas
Or even your character and goals, which can often
be demonstrated by your CCAs as much as by
your academic pursuits
But whatever information you use should be
presented clearly and unpretentiously
Remember this is the only place where your
voice can be heard, so make it a nice one

UCAS 2015
Section

8: Pay/Send
Payment by credit card is preferred
However, if this is not possible, you can get
a bank draft from any local bank (made
payable to UCAS with your name, CT and
UCAS ID written on the back) for 23 or
12 as is appropriate
You should submit this to the HE Unit as
soon as you can after your application has
been sent to UCAS

UCAS 2015
UK

universities should accept either an English

Language O level or an IP English Language
qualification as proof of your English
proficiency
However, owing to stricter immigration controls
you may be asked to take an IELTS test in
order to satisfy this requirement
If you do then please ask the HE Unit for the
latest advice on this issue

UCAS 2015
A

note on Law:
To practise Law in Singapore you need to
graduate from a recognised university
You can find a list of these at:
https://www.mlaw.gov.sg/content/minlaw/e
n/practising-as-a-lawyer/unis/which-are-theapproved-universities.html

UCAS 2015
A

note on Medicine:
To become a doctor in Singapore you need
to have graduated from a recognised course
You can find a list of these here:
http://www.healthprofessionals.gov.sg/cont
ent/dam/hprof/smc/docs/becoming_register
ed_doctor/Second%20Schedule%20%20Registrable%20Basic%20Medical%20Q
ualifications.pdf

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A

note on university choice:

There is a potentially bewildering number of
degree awarding institutions in the UK. For nearly
all of you, however, there are only 41 that matter.
The rest are, for the most part, "upgraded"
polytechnics or places that specialise in vocational
courses of one type or another. Unless you have
specific information about one of these institutions
or a particular course that is unavailable elsewhere
you are advised NOT to apply to them. There may
be exceptions but you are also unlikely to gain a
scholarship to go to one of these. The 41 are:

UCAS 2015

ENGLAND & WALES:

Oxford
Cambridge
London
Durham
Bristol
Exeter
York
Birmingham
Warwick
Kent
Nottingham
Leeds
Southampton
Sheffield
Manchester
Liverpool
Lancaster
Sussex
Surrey
Reading
Leicester

Loughborough
East Anglia
Essex
Aston
Bath
Swansea
Bradford
Cardiff
Aberystwyth
Keele
Hull
Bangor
SCOTLAND:
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Strathclyde
St Andrews
Stirling
Dundee
Heriot-Watt
Aberdeen

UCAS 2015
Finally:
You

do not need to complete your

application at one go so always save your
work in progress
If you get locked out of your account you
will be allowed back in after 24 hours. If
you need urgent assistance please email
me, Mr Burge: chris@hci.edu.sg

UCAS 2015

GOOD LUCK!