Kaykaykay

Sara Lance from Legends of Tomorrow

Rosa Diaz from Brooklyn Nine Nine

Valkyrie from Thor : Ragnarok

Waverly Earp from Wynonna Earp

Toni Topaz from River(fail)dale

Clarke Griffin from The 100

Eleanor Shellstrop from The Good Place

Finishing year 12/ starting year 13, half way through A levels, and now you have to start applying for uni. It is stressful. It does get you worried, but it’s okay once it’s over.

UCAS process

Make an account

Produce application

Send off internally

Send to UCAS

Send to uni

Interview (Maybe)

Acceptances

Choose your uni 

Overall tips

Get it done quickly- Get your application done as soon as possible. When I did mine, it had to be sent back twice, meaning it was at the back of the queue and it took ages to be sent to UCAS. This stressed me out so much, so if possible, submit it to your school as soon as possible. 

Add qualifications you haven’t got yet- As I said, some of mine were sent back, and that was because I only put in the qualifications I had already attained. Make sure you add in the subjects you’re doing now, with the date you’ll finish them, and just don’t put a grade in the box. We were never told that and it wasted a lot of time for me. 

Use your teachers- Your form tutor, and all your subject teachers will be writing you a reference, so talk to them. If you’re planning on doing one of their subjects, tell them, and ask them to say something about how interested you are in the subject. Even if you don’t seem it, most teachers will exaggerate to help you with this. They want you to get into uni. 

Negotiate your predicted grades- If you need your predicted grades higher than what you’re being given, go ask them to increase it. Show your teachers evidence that you deserve a better predicted grade, and I’m sure they will do something to help. 

Ask for help- If there is anything you don’t understand, ask someone. The staff at your school have probably done this every year for a long time, so they know more than you. 

Trust your school- I know when others from different schools have got 4 offers and an interview, and yours hasn’t even gone off to UCAS, you begin to feel as though your school are messing up, but chances are, they know what they’re doing. As I said before, they’re fine, so don’t worry. If they’re taking their time, don’t worry, but also trust them to tell them when they’re doing something wrong. Tell them if they’ve screwed up and trust them to fix it. 

Stress out- I can sit here and tell you to relax, calm down, chill out. It doesn’t work. I can tell you to stop refreshing that UCAS application page every day until it gets sent through, only to do the same with UCAS track. It doesn’t work. If you want to look at it every day, go ahead. If you need to have your moments of panic, that’s okay too. Just remember, everyone else is stressed out too. It’s normal, and it’s okay. You don’t have to hide it because others tell you it’s not such a big deal 

Personal statements

They don’t matter all that much. You’re going to spend up to 2 months stressing about what to write, how to write it, looking at a thesaurus more in that short time than ever in your life. And then you realise it wasn’t that important. But, you will write it a hundred times, cry at 3am, and you will stress, so here are some tips to make it a little easier for you. 

Overwrite- When you do a personal statement, you have a character count, and a line count. (I can’t remember the character count, but I think it’s 47 lines long) Everyone always wants to know if it’s best to write a minimum and fluff it up, or overwrite and take out later. It’s definitely better to overwrite and take out later. If you get everything you want to say, professional and precise, and then you have to start adding words, it’s awful. It’s much better to write loads then take out the irrelevant stuff. 

The golden ratio- I’ve seen loads of people talk about the ratio of academics to extra curricular detail, and it’s often 60:40, so there is a slight majority focused on academics. From what I’ve found, this isn’t that important. In my personal statement, I had about 1 or 2 sentences about hobbies and stuff, and I got into all 5 choices for uni. 

Talking about extracurricular- Be concise and specific. I focused on talking about my work experience, in terms of how it will help my degree, and I talked about specific books/films/documentaries that I read that also would link to my degree. 

Talking about hobbies- Don’t go into detail. They don’t really care what your hobbies, and so no matter what you say, or how little you say, will be more than enough. If you do talk about hobbies, explain what they do to enhance your life (E.g football has made me a team player/ E.g cooking has given me a chance to be independent/ E.g singing has helped to increase my confidence around others) As long as you put something, it’s good enough. 

‘Over-exaggerate’ your achievements- When I say over-exaggerate, I wouldn’t say lie. Don’t say that you got an award in XYZ if you didn’t. First of all, I just don’t like lying, but even if you’re okay with that, you never know when they’ll catch you out. Instead, talk about things that you have done, and just really sell them as important. For example, talk about how you recently (in year 9) played 10 netball matches for your school. Talk about how you tutored some younger students in their GCSEs, whilst doing your AS. (No one needs to know that it was your little sister and her mates) As long as you can back it up, with truth and evidence, you can add it in.

It’s yours. No one else’s- As you see it, it is a personal statement. You should have it how you want it, allowing it to represent you in the way you want it to. If your angle is your love for learning, talk about it. If you want to write, showing what a good personality you are, go for it. Your teachers will give you advice and adjustments. Take them into mind, but remember, they have one structure; who’s to say it’s the only right one? I didn’t take all the advice given, and I was fine. So yes, if something is factually incorrect, or misspelled, take advice, but don’t change everything that makes it personal. 

Predicted grades

What are they?- These are the grades sent by your school to the university, telling them what they expect you to get. From my experience, they are usually higher that what you’re actually predicted. A lot of my subjects sent my ‘predicted grade’ at least one grade higher than what they’d put as my predicted grade on my reports. These help the unis to see which students are the most likely to meet the entry requirements.

They are very important- I really think they might be the most important factor in determining whether you get accepted into in or not. Of course, your personal statement is important too, but a great set of grades will always speak louder than a good personal statement. Therefore, look at your grades. If most of your hope is on your personal statement, I would think again. I was predicted A*AAB and so I got into all my unis despite very little extracurricular or work experience. They are more important than actual grades. The uni wants your money, so as long as you get accepted, I think you’re 90% there. They’re likely to accept you if you miss out on a grade or so in your real exams as you’re already there and they’re already getting their money. 

Get them as high as possible- As I said, predicted grades are very important, so whatever you do, get them high. This can be done in so many ways. Maybe you can negotiate them, maybe you can’t. I already talked about negotiating grades above, so I’ll focus on other ways. My predicted grades were calculated heavily based on how well I did in my trial exams in January, so I knew, more than anything, I had to take these seriously. If your other grades are high, that helps too, but I knew that these were as important as my real exams, so I pushed myself. If you can do that, give your everything for these mocks, you will be rewarded.

Use them as a guide- When you’re applying to uni, you need to know your limits. For example, if you know your predicted grades are CCC, you shouldn’t look at unis with AAB, because that’s highly unlikely to work out. Make sure you therefore can use your predicted grades for this Therefore, if you can, find out what they will be as soon as possible. I was sure mine would be all Bs, so I applied to some unis, and then I found out last minute they were so much higher and I had to change my choices the day before sending off my application. Stressful

They are only a rough guide- While you take them into a guide of what uni you should apply to, don’t stick to it completely. Try a uni with slightly higher grades, and definitely go for lower unis if that’s what you want. My advice was to always choose 3 unis that want your grades, 1 uni a bit higher, and 1 uni a bit lower. That way, you can always aspire for higher but also have something to rely on if you don’t end up doing as well as you’d hoped.

Interviews

Clothes- Your clothes aren’t that important. People always stress out about what they will wear, but honestly, it’s not that important. If you’re dressed moderately smart and neatly, probably what you would wear to sixth form, you’ll be fine. Avoid joggers and hoodies, and I wouldn’t go for anything that looks too ‘clubwear’ but other than that, don’t worry. Most people I know go to interviews in the same clothes they would wear for an open day, so don’t worry. 

Subject knowledge- Go with knowledge. Make sure you have enough to show that you are interested in the subject. Ensure you know a few basics on the course, and also what’s on your course. Look through the course spec and pick something that you’re really interested in doing so you can talk about it. For example, doing genetics, you could talk about how you’re looking forward to epigenetics and stuff like that. However, my sister was never really asked about anything. She was more asked why she wanted to do the subject and why she picked a specific uni.

You don’t have to be a genius- So many people read up on everything possible in their subject, but that’s not needed. As long as you show you’re interested and you have some basic knowledge, that’s fine. My teacher had an interview for Oxford (Maybe Cambridge) and they asked him a question, which he had know idea on. He simply answered ‘I don’t know. How?’ From that, he got a whole explanation for an hour; showed off his interest, and consequently was given an offer for uni. So don’t worry if you’re not an expert in the subject, just go, do your best, and ask questions.

Personality- This is going to be important. The university already know how smart and intellectual you are, and they already like you. Now they want to see that you’d be a good fit in their school. They want you to show them how much of an asset you as a person will be. So be yourself, but put your best self forward. Don’t be too formal, relax, and be confident.

Offers

Conditional offers- These are (like in the name) offers given to you on the condition that you achieve a certain grade. Now these can often be negotiated. Mine got moved from AAB to BBB just for putting it as my firm choice. Also, as I already said, they care more about your 9 grand than they care about you (as much as they try to deny it) and so even then, these conditional offers may not be so fixed. 

Unconditional offers- These are basically where you get the offer no matter what. Sometimes they will say that you only get an unconditional offer if you accept it as a firm choice. This is such a benefit and while you’re doing your exams, you will wish for this. However, if you’ve got an unconditional, don’t let it ruin your motivation. You still need your grades. 

Accepting offers- Don’t rush into it. I accepted my offers the day I got my last one, but a lot of people waited. One of my friends waited so long, their first choice uni changed her offer from a conditional to an unconditional. Take your time, really think about it. You will spend 3, 4, maybe more years there, so don’t pick somewhere you’re not really interested in. Also, don’t accept an offer just because it’s unconditional. Make sure you want to go there before anything else. 

It’s YOUR choice- Don’t reject an offer because others say it’s not the best. I was told not to accept my offer as I had offers from much ore high status unis, but I knew which one was for me, and if you get like that for a specific uni, stick to it. Trust me. Pick the university you think is best for you. If others complain it’s too far away, or it’s not high up enough on league tables, forget them. This is your choice, and your future; not theirs. (If you don’t like a uni because it’s too far away or low in league tables, that’s fine too, as long as it’s your choice)

Getting rejected- I didn’t get any rejections, but I know how hard that can be. Don’t worry. There will be other unis/ Just apply again, go through extra. Maybe it’s a good thing. Maybe you don’t really want uni. Maybe you needed those rejections to show you that. Or maybe you’ll see how much harder you need to work. Either way, everything will turn out okay. 

What now? Focus on meeting the requirements of your course. Work as hard as you can, getting ready for it. Smash your exams, and take a well earned break. By that time, you’ll be in my position; writing your own UCAS survival guides, waiting for your results. And in that time, I wish you all the best of luck!

Thank you for reading, I hope it’s helped! If you have any questions about UCAS, unis, or anything like that, let me know. Send me an ask, or a private message and I’ll definitely get back to you! Good luck with everything and remember; it will be okay. It always does. Let me know how your applications go!

hi! i’m Venus “Dragon Girl” “aventurine” “Very Gay” “Boxmaster” Girlsnout, and i hate doing this but i’m in a bit of a rough spot! my classmate and i are attempting to get an apartment together so that i can get out of my current house, which i share with my abusive mother and the man who molested me. however, my share of the rent would be around $680/month, and with student loans i can’t currently afford that. my part-time job is forcing me back into the closet, and while i’m looking for another job, i might have a period of time where i’m not working.

so how can you help? well, i’m a musician, set to release a new album of electronic music soon; buying my music would help a lot! if you don’t like that, though, i’ll happily take commissions; you can message me for specifics, but i can give you a custom song for $10/minute! or, if you’re in school, or if you like to write, i can edit your work! my eventual goal is to be a book editor for a publication house, so this is something i’m passionate about; for $4/page i can edit your essay, cover letter, novel, play, and just about anything else! if you’re into witchy stuff, i can give you a 3-card tarot reading over Facetime, Skype, or any other medium for $15!

There’s really only two episodes worth watching, episode one, and episode thirteen. Everything in between was a jumbled mess and didn’t make any sense whatsoever. They did nearly every single character dirty in the SERIES FINALE, but we have to take it and roll with it. But I’m here to bitch about it so ignore my previous statements.

I’m so incredibly heartbroken that after so much build up, it ended like that. I really honestly do not care about anything ship related, I kinda do it for the meme, but the fact that Lance had gotten everything he wanted was then ripped out of his hands in that short amount of time makes me so angry. All series long, it felt like they just shat all over him. I’m relieved he’s happy but after everything? Nuhuh honey, do better.

And Allura? Baby what the FUCK! She was single handedly the biggest driving force for the series, arguably one of the strongest characters, and in my mind, the strongest female/colored character in the entire series, and all she got was a season of hardships. She was manipulated, overworked, pushed over, only for her to die in the very end? Go back to the goddamn drawing board, I’m sorry but that isn’t okay.

And the canon lgbt “rep” just,,,, what the fuck. As a gay man, seeing my favorite character, another gay man, get married to some random guy I had never seen in the entirety of the show was so incredibly heartbraking. I’m glad Shiro’s story ended happy, but it’s so hard to see his progression as the strongest character who has multiple issues that aren’t addressed in most media, with him being asian, mentally ill, physically handicapped, and lgbt, only for him to be forced on someone completely unimportant to the story was so offputting I wanted to cry. I cried when I found out Shiro was canonically gay because that’s my favorite character and I can relate to him on more levels than any other character I’ve ever seen.

And Keith….ohhhh my baby since day one… basically not a fucking story after. He pushed him self harder than anybody for the whole series and his ending is more work? Sit your fucking ass down.

I’m so happy for Hunk, Romelle, Coran, and the Holts but everyone else deserved so much better than what they got. I’m so incredibly dissatisfied with what happened. You can do better. A series finale should not let so many people down. Nearly every single post I’ve seen about Voltron in the past seven hours has said the exact same thing: Do better.

The quality of this show is incredible. The voice actors are amazing at what they do. The animation is like none I’ve ever seen. The soundtrack was astonishing. But the story? You have the right idea, but everything you write in terms of character development and affairs could be so much better. You cannot force representation and you cannot force the demise of representation. It’s unnatural and disgusting.

Let me start this off by saying i know exactly how this is gonna make me sound: Like one of those Shippers who is butthurt over their ship not being canon but i got some things i gotta say so listen up. first of:

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

6 seasons of “Keith and Shiro have a deep and meaningful relationship” and then they talk to each other once? fucking once?  

In my opinion, someone put the breaks on Shiro and Keiths  relationship after the season 6,(Regardless of whether you see them as platonic or romantic), or to be more specific after the reaction to season 6. because honestly, after the first episode of S7 and where kith saves Shiro, they barely talk and Shiro was sidelined for most of the season. 

I don’t know what happened. was season six meant to be the crescendo of their relationship? and it was meant to drop off after that but they wen’t too far? or did they have something else planned and had to changed the plan due to the fall out for season six? i don’t know. i’m just speculating here, i’m mad, it’s 2am, i’m writing this steam of Consciousnesses style. 

i explained this to my sister (Who got up to use the bathroom at the wrong time) who has never seen the show and she agrees that for two charters who are as close as Keith and Shiro to just suddenly stop appearing to be that close makes it seem like something fishing is going on. 

It. doesn’t. Make. SENSE.

call me butthurt shipper whose mad that her ship didn’t become canon all you want, but lets take the ship part out shall we? picture two charters who are good friends, best friends, like family to each other. now for, lets say, 6 seasons, you see how they rely on each other, how they support each other, how they care for each other, help each other, save each other, believe in each other. and then they suddenly, without reason, pretty much stop talking. they’re still around each other, but they don’t interact much, not even glancing in the other direction. wouldn’t you think something was up with that? wouldn’t you wan’t to know why?

If you still don’t see my point fucking fight me.

Was only about work.

Even the carnival bit was about them discussing about not working versus them finally unwinding together to have fun and talk about anything that didn’t have to do with Voltron or Haggar.

They had no personal conversation between themselves outside of what their positions were as both Leaders of Voltron and Atlas.

Throughout this entire season, Shiro and Keith did not once talk like best friends or showed any indication of their past bond unless it was related to their mission.

They acted like coworkers who were from two different departments only brought together to discuss business only when it mattered to their company.

I felt so disconnected from their lack of personal interaction given the major development between s6-s7 that it makes it feel like I’m watching a different reality where they never met on earth and became friends but rather came together to fight Honerva in the Voltron Coalition and had to work with one another to help each other’s team prevail.

Shiro and Keith didn’t even single each other out in conversations like they usually do in big moments of battle.

Keith addressed Atlas with indirect “Hey ATLAS needs backup team” or “ATLAS we need help!”

Versus past seasons and even s7 where Keith would address the main base or issue with “SHIRO we need help” or “SHIRO do you copy?”

And Shiro did the exact same with his generalization of Voltron by not referring to Keith but to the team as a whole with simple “Voltron needs our help!” Or “Paladins do you hear us? It’s Atlas!”

Versus how it used to be with Shiro clearly singling Keith out in Voltron with “Keith, do you guys hear me?” Or “Keith, this is Shiro do Voltron copy?!”

There was none of that personal “we’re best friends” type of dialogue that was so unique to Sheith and made their characters so estranged from one another.

They acted like two CEOs leaders working together for the first time and not like long time best friends willing to do whatever it took to keep each other, and their teams, safe.

It’s disheartening to see how apparently my interpretation of their friendship wasn’t meant to be as deep as I thought it should have been given the evidence of their bond in the previous seasons.

It’s like they chucked all their development out the window and only left Shiro and Keith to act like distant friends who only met up after light years apart.

Well at least Keith was in Shiro’s wedding–cut off and practically hidden but ya know they ARE best friends.

Even Alfor related Lance’s worth to his love for Allura.

So glad we were lied to about Lance getting any development. Cool that he wasn’t independent all season, just chilled in Allura’s shadow.

Also he died? No word on that.

That Altean broadsword? Completely useless.

They could’ve made Sheith canon, or had Klance become a thing (3 gays instead of 1), or brought Adam back and had them reconcile. These are relationships that had at least some buildup, and carry weight.

Remember when lance confessed to allura and it didn’t feel completely out of place?

I loved when shiro found Adam and then Adam proposed to shiro and they got married in the end

THE FIGHT SCENES!! ALL OF THEM!!

Allura is such a great character I love how she just lived her life as a strong beatiful empress

Klance became canon!! KLANCE IS CANON KING!!!

Remember when lotor actually came back for real? That scene was great!

Keith and lance on the black lion 0 feet apart, staring into eachother’s eyes as Keith said soft things about lance shit that actually happened

I love how lance stayed a pilot forever and don’t become something he never even said he wanted to be

Allura is a strong independent woman who didn’t need a man, so beautiful and alive

Baby lotor was adorable I loved how lotor was alive and all

Human lance was amazing and made complete sense

Adam had a name and everything!!

All the loose ends were tied up!! It felt like everything was resolved!!! A proper ending!!!!!!!!