Applying to Higher Education & Pre-Entry Support
Applying to Higher Education (uni, HE college, a conservatoire or HE school) or FE (think non-degree apprenticeships) by yourself can be daunting. But it can also be a chance for a fresh start, new opportunities and freedom. Please let them know that you are a care leaver, care experienced, estranged or a refugee. This is important for three key reasons:
From Day 1 they can offer you more support than they would other students, to take into account your background. Before you even get there, this can be things such as free train/transport tickets (or reimbursements) to visit their open days and buddies to chat to about uni or college life. This can include free bedding, free kitchen goods (pots, pans, etc) and free transport to the location when you start there.
They may offer a contextualised grade offer, e.g., so you may be offered entry to their course with lower grades than would otherwise be allowed.
The college or uni can give you grants, and bursaries specially put aside to support students like us. In some universities, this is as much as £10,000 a year of free money (e.g. University of Sheffield)!
UK - The UCAS Application
UCAS Support for Care Experienced HE Students - see the guide here
UCAS Support for Estranged HE Students - see the guide here
UCAS Apprenticeship support for care experienced students - see guide here
To support estranged applicants, UCAS have developed a personal statement guide with the help of Stand Alone and estranged students. This will help applicants highlight the strengths and skills gained from their personal experience, and may also help flag estrangement to higher education providers.
The CAO Application
Care Leavers Ireland have some useful resources - see here
Estranged Students - see here
Refugee Students - The Irish Refugee Education Fund was established in 2015 with support from the Community Foundation for Ireland to financially assist people in the asylum process in accessing education. Education Support | Irish Refugee Council
Also look at the Student Assistance Fund | Higher Education Authority (hea.ie)
Ask your Student Finance or Uni/College: There are some complexities if you decide to go to university etc in a different nation or country e.g. you're from Ireland but want to go to uni in Wales. Or from England but want to go to uni in Scotland (as a care experienced person, including adoptees, you'd be eligible for more bursary support!)
Should I mention my estrangement or, being a care leaver and/or my care experience in my personal statement? Yes! (If you feel comfortable)
Advice Blog - Personal Statements for Care Leavers
In this guest blog, Sam Turner from Become (with help from current and former care-experienced students) talks through the considerations for care leavers writing their personal statements. Become is the national charity for children in care and young care leavers and run the Propel website for care-experienced learners interested in higher education.
Website: https://www.ucas.com/connect/blogs/should-i-mention-my-care-experience-my-personal-statement
Deciding to go to university is a big step for anyone. It can be confusing and a bit overwhelming. The process can be especially difficult if you’re a care leaver, and you might not know where to turn for help.
That’s why IMO have put together this guide for care leavers who are thinking about applying to university and those who are already students. You’ll find first-hand experiences of what it’s really like to apply to and attend university as a care leaver, and advice and insights directly from care leavers who’ve been through the process themselves.
IMO have also put together a list of organisations who can help you with lots of different aspects of your journey, from finding accommodation to applying for grants. This guide is a work in progress, so if you’d like to share your story, add a resource, or if you think we’ve missed something, drop us a line at hello@imohub.org.uk.
A guide to help Estranged Students write their personal statement
Being an estranged student means you will be studying without the support of your parents due to a breakdown in your relationship. It is likely that you have lived with difficult circumstances at home, and may no longer be in contact with your parents. You may have recently moved out or have been living independently for some time.
Your circumstances may have affected your ability to participate in activities (e.g. after-school clubs or local societies) because of limited resources, or you may have taken a break between finishing school and considering higher education.
Whatever your individual circumstances, you may feel you’ve missed out on opportunities to build an impressive personal statement.
However, through your estrangement you will have probably overcome and survived many personal challenges, and gained a variety of skills and strengths that are highly valued in higher education. Understanding what these are, and talking about them in your personal statement or interview, will help your application stand out and highlight the positive personal step that you are taking in applying to university or college without family support.
UCAS has worked with Stand Alone to develop a guide to help you to think about the skills, experience, and strengths you could write about in your personal statement. Don’t forget to use this alongside UCAS’ personal statement tool to help you structure your ideas.
Anastasia talks about her experience of writing a personal statement as an estranged student (without the support of her parents and provides) and shares some top tips so you can let your skills and qualities shine.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ucasonline/videos/829754677769003/?extid=W9dnGu4C8CgsBgWw
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