At MDA College, we help many of our students to apply to university in the UK. But remember, applying to university is not easy. Before you speak to us about your application, please think about these questions:
What do I want to study?
There are hundreds of different subjects you can study in the UK, and each course will ask for different skills. It is a good idea to not just do the most popular subjects, as these will be very competitive. You need to enjoy the course you will study.
Where do I want to study?
It is important to choose a university and city you will enjoy. Smaller universities usually are better for making friends and getting individual help, while big universities can be great for varied courses. You should decide what is important to you.
Why do I want to go to university?
Each university will want to know why you want to study there. You may even need to choose a specific course or a certain module in order to get the job you want after you graduate.
It can take a long time to apply to university in the UK, especially if you need to improve your English language skills.
If you are on our International Foundation Year, your university application will be part of your course. You will use an online system called UCAS to apply, in the same way British students apply to university.
If you are on our English language or IELTS Preparation courses, you need to give several months to applying to university. You will usually need to provide:
- your certificates and academic transcripts from your own country, translated into English.
- proof of your English language skills (usually an IELTS certificate within the last 2 years)
- 2 references (one will be from MDA College, the other will be from your high school or previous university)
- a personal statement.
Writing your personal statement
The secret to a good personal statement is that it should be personal. It needs to be about you.
Make sure you tell the university why you want to study there and why you want to study this course. You need to persuade them that you will be a good student!
Do include information about what you studied at high school or university, why you enjoyed it and information on what you hope to do in the future.
If you are not sure how to start, ask to speak to our Operations and Academic Director, Daniela, who will be able to help you.
