Bureaucracy - Gotta luv it ;) (UCAS - any good?)

Member Name: Redhead23

Product:	UCAS - any good?
Date:	21/02/01 (70 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fast, easy, cheap, well-organised

Disadvantages: Yet another form to fill in, could give the wrong impression if a student isn't honest

.:. *Preface* .:.

Right, so bureaucracy isn't fun, filling in forms is hardly an entertaining pastime and it takes a lot of organisation and discipline to make a system work. Of course we all know it is necessary to organise things, and forms (if they are set up correctly) can assist you with providing exactly the right information that is needed for whatever you apply/sign up for.

But we've all had *bad* experiences with bureaucracy - lost forms, disorganised companies/colleges/schools and so on.
When I signed out of Uni in Switzerland, I had to wait half an hour at the enquiry desk - because they had *mislaid* my card in their student register. When I signed up for college here, I saw the receptionist type in my details correctly, yet half a year (and several phonecalls and complaints) later, they still kept sending my stuff to the wrong address - this only changed after we moved house last August!
Then I got a *nice* letter from my college, telling me to pay my first fee instalment IMMEDIATELY or else... This was funny, because I had paid the whole £3'507 (overseas student fees) in one lump sum two months previously, just like I had told them when I enrolled! And last but not least there's the form that allows you to take 25% off your council tax if you are a full-time student. Now I spent all my savings (from 8 months work) on tuition fees, so I really couldn't afford to pay the full 50% (I live with my boyfriend) - but of course the college didn't manage to handle the council form correctly - all they had to do was put a stamp on and hand it back to me, but they ended up changing my hours (because the course register had some grave errors in it) and sending it back to the council directly - which they weren't supposed to do, it even says it on the form! It took several hour-long sessions at the local council (where most of the staff were temporary relief workers, thus only 2 out of the 10 people dealing wit
h council tax enquiries actually knew what they were doing) and a meeting with the college's financial advisor to sort it out.

.:. UCAS - What is it all about? .:.

Now to the UCAS form - is it just another bureaucratic loophole or a slick solution to cut down on administrative work?
Okay, UCAS stands for *Universities and Colleges Admission Services* and is a system that allows students to apply for up to 6 (4 if you apply for medicine, dentistry or veterinary science) different courses at different Colleges and Universities throughout the country - via a relatively simple, 4-page form.
You pay a one-off fee of £15 if you apply for several courses and/or different Universities or £5 if you only apply for one course at one University, and administration is handled centrally, saving students a lot of time and money because they only have to apply once, no matter how many institutions and courses they apply for. The form is checked by your course tutor (or another reliable referee) who then writes his/her own recommendation and sends it off to UCAS, where it has to arrive by the middle of December.

.:. The UCAS form .:.

- Page 1 -

On this page, you have to give information about your name, address, age, origin, previous secondary education and your chosen courses and Universities as stated in the UCAS directory, a relatively thick brochure that contains codes and information for all available courses and educational institutions.

- Page 2 -

This is where you have to state all your previous qualifications as well as the ones you are in the process of completing, namely A-Levels or GNVQs etc.

- Page 3 -

Here, you can mention any special needs you may have. Also, the page allows you to list all previous (paid) work experience you have had and you have to state any previous criminal convictions you may have had.
Page 3 is also where you write your personal statement, an accoun
t of your previous experience and an explanation on why you think you are suitable for your chosen course(s). As you should also mention your interests and your future plans, this is a great opportunity for the Universities to check your suitability. The way you express and present yourself and whether or not you have a genuine interest/background in the course(s) you selected is just as important as your grades, and can make or break your application - therefore you have to spend a good amount of time and thought on this part of the application.

- Page 4 -

This is a page to be filled in by your referee, who has to be a tutor, headmaster, employer or senior colleague - friends or family won't do. A referee has to check whether the applicant has filled in the form correctly and whether his/her information is correct.
In addition, he/she has to write a statement about the candidate's suitability for the selected course(s), predicted grades (if the candidate still has to finish A-Levels etc.), ability to work independently, communication skills, interests, career plans and other factors that might influence their future.

.:. What are the benefits/downsides of this system? .:.

First off, the system saves both the applying students and the universities a lot of time and money. In Switzerland (where I come from) for example, such a system is not in place as of yet (you have to send in an ADDITIONAL form if you want to study medicine etc.) - mainly because we have very few Unis and a much smaller choice of courses. None the less I would have appreciated this system, as you currently have to apply to EACH University individually (competition is high so you have to apply for more than one course/Uni as a backup), which means filling in several forms (if you apply at different Unis) and paying approximately £40 EACH - so the measly £15 for the UCAS application really shouldn't be worth complaining about.

The form
itself seems very well though-out and gives applicants the chance to *sell* themselves and make a good first impression through the personal statement. This is essential, as not all courses can offer interviews, and it also has the benefit of basing the Uni's first impression of an applicant on their personality, interdisciplinary skills and interests rather than purely on their grades.
Although I am sure many students *lie* in their personal statements and make up work experience, skills and interests to make themselves look more suitable for a course, I do believe that any referee who gives a thing about his/her position will notice the scam and *correct* it in their reference. Lying in your personal statement will therefore shine a very negative light on your application, as the Universities are much more likely to believe your referee's assessment of your personality and skills than your own, should they contradict each other.

Many people have complained about how *complicated* the UCAS form is, but I seriously don't understand what they mean. For a start, if you ever want to WORK in your life and if you are serious about going to University, then the ability to work independently (without anyone telling you what exactly to put in each box) and to understand and fill in forms is ESSENTIAL - so why not start before it's too late?
Apart from that, UCAS provide a large amount of useful guidance material, in leaflet/brochure form as well as on their website, http://www.ucas.co.uk where you can look up the rules and guidelines for each section of the form.

Once they have received your application you receive a confirmation and UCAS forward copies of your application to your chosen Universities, and after up to four weeks they will send you your personal application number which allows you to track the state of your application via their website. There is also an option to fill in an electronic form, should you have problems
filling it in manually.

.:. Summary .:.

I would say the UCAS system is a very effective, affordable and efficient way of dealing with the overwhelming amount of administrative work connected with the application process. The process saves everybody time and money and makes sure that candidates provide all the information necessary for a successful application.

The personal statement gives applicants a chance to emphasise their qualities, so applications are not treated solely on their grades, and the reference guarantees that a candidate hasn't just made up everything he/she has written in the form and personal statement - usually, referees demand to see your exam results and qualifications before they agree to write a recommendation.

All in all, the system saves a lot of people a lot of hassle and filling in the form is a good exercise in independent working - an essential quality for anyone planning to go on to higher education!

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