Hi guys! How is everyone doing? It is week 10 now, almost the end of the semester. I can’t believe that time flies so fast. I’m gonna finish my second year undergraduate studies next month. Meeting my long-lost course mates and lecturers in AP 3 and 4 has just been like yesterday.
Well, today I wanna share my experience in applying to University of Surrey. Choosing to study in University of Surrey has been one of the most correct decisions I have made, I am sure that you guys will fall in love with our scenic campus, peaceful Guilford town, and the friendly people here from every corner of the world.
Right, let’s get to the point. For undergraduate applicants, we have to apply for a undergraduate degree via The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). It is a UK-based organisation whose main role is to operate the application process for British universities. So first of all, you have to fill in five universities that you would like to apply. You have 5 choices in case that some universities reject you, but normally they will accept your application as long as you meet their academic requirement. Looking for universities that you think you would enjoy studying in is an important step, since you have to consider many factors, since you might end up studying for three to four year in that university. Some factors include the location (in England, Scotland or Wales), the environment (urban/busy or rural), and the teaching standard (by the way, University of Surrey has received a prestigious Gold award in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) in 2017, meaning that our teaching is exceptional).
Applying via UCAS could be a complicated and time-consuming process, since you have to upload a lot of documents, and you might come across some special terms that you don’t understand. Therefore, like some other applicants, I found an education agent to help me with my application. From what I knew, there are official education agents in Malaysia, such as IDP Education, AUG Education and JM Education group, which are working in partnership with our uni. The agents are experts in giving you advice on choosing universities, assisting you in application process, guiding you to apply for student visa required in the UK, and also giving you lots of information before your departure to the UK. I went to the pre-departure event in Kuala Lumpur organized by Isabelle two years ago, it was informative and beneficial, since she gave us an idea about what to do when we landed in the UK, for example, where to buy a SIM card, how to buy train tickets, what to bring to the UK and more. In addition, our committee of Malaysia Society would share their experience in Guildford, so you can ask them questions about campus life and experience of living in Guildford etc. Therefore, I would suggest the applicants to consult an education agent before you start your application, more importantly, this service is free of charge!
In the application form, you are required to upload some documents, such as scanned copies of your passport, SPM/ STPM/UEC result slip or certificate, English level evidence and personal statement. The result slip and English level evidence (usually ILETS result, or SPM 1119 English result) is to prove that you fulfil the entry requirement and English level requirement. Depending on your degree, course and academic performance, you may receive scholarship from our uni. I received the Surrey Prestige Scholarship, a 2000 pounds entry scholarship in the form of tuition fee waiver in year 1. More information about scholarships for international students offered by our uni, feel free to click the link below:
https://www.surrey.ac.uk/international/scholarships-and-fees
Another important document is personal statement, I would say the personal statement is another determining factor on whether you could be accepted by your preferred/desired university. Well, I have a lot to say about personal statement, I think I’ll just stop here and continue talking about personal statement in my next blog. Anyway, I hope that my experience may somehow give you an idea about applying universities in the UK. And…see you next week!
Bye!
