Having had many stressful/frustrating moments since signing up to UCAS, I feel it is now my responsibiity to share to anyone who is even just considering applying to university the top most frustrating problems I had, and how to avoid/overcome them.
5. This one may be considered a bit contrary to what people are always told, but honestly I cannot imagine the trouble I would have had, had I not done it. When signing up to UCAS and university accommodation websites, etc, you will have to sign up to COUNTLESS things and be expected to remember not only passwords and usernames, but customer reference numbers and other security things. My contrary advice is to write it ALL down in one document, put it on the cloud (Dropbox or GoogleDrive) and, for the love of God name it something sensible. The thing is, the cloud is a relatively safe environment for things like that. It's not totally secure, but I feel the benefits of having your details somewhere outweigh the risks of your cloud account getting broken into. Don't write them down on paper because, if you're anything like me, you will almost definitely lose them.
4. This one applies to people who have had to change course AFTER they get their results. In my case, it happened because I was offered a place on another, similar course. The UCAS page, Track, where your offer is, will tell you you have a new offer, but will it let you accept it? No.There is not even a button or a helplink. My advice is, if this happens to you as it did to me, search through the UCAS website for a general phone number (I will post a link below) and call them. You will have to remember your security details, such as that reallyobscure question they asked months ago, and your date of birth, that sort of thing.
3. Just because a university is, almost by definition, a place that contains clever people who know what they are talking about, doesn't mean their website will be much help. Expect to find ID cards, accomodation, optional modules, phone numbers and email addresses completely hidden away in very obscure places or even with completely different links that you have to contact a second-year for. Honestly, I now feel like a fully fledged cyber-stalker. My tip- get a document on your computer, SAVE IT TO DROPBOX, and paste into it every single link you find that may be useful. Trust me, it will be your bible.
2. This one is ESSENTIAL. You may have been accepted in to the university, but you haven't finished yet. Oh, no. You have to apply for accomodation, ID card, sign up to your university's computer system, enrol online, book your accommodation arrival time, buy text books, choose optional modules, the list feels endless. So write a list of EVERYTHING you have to do, and make damn well sure you cross each item off only when it has been fully completed. I kept forgetting everything I had to do, so this idea should really be second-nature!
1. This is, in my opinion, the most important thing. For me, it meant the difference between receiving an accommodation offer relatively pain-free and having to spend days in misery, trying to sort out private accommodation. And it also applies to anything that you sign up to or apply for or buy. When the confirmation screen comes up and says something along the lines of thank you for applying/ buying. Your customer reference number is 1234abc, keep this safe in case you need to contact someone, screenshot the screen, save any numbers or codes in your phone or beloved dropbox, and save any confirmation emails. A six digit number saved in the notes application of my phone virtually saved my life when I had my accommodation crisis, so write anything down that could help you if you have an issue with something like accommodation. Trust me.
So, there you go. Those were my five most frustrating problems and how to overcome them, I just thought it would be good to post it somewhere in the hope that someone takes my advice and avoids the absolute disaster that I had.
I am currently on my way to Ikea for a quick university shop!
I'll post again soon,
Mir
No comments:
Post a Comment