What do I need to prepare for UK university applications as a homeschooler?

Homeschooler's university application checklist — UK edition

Applying to universities in the UK, on the one hand, can feel quite different from the American experience, but on the other hand, share many parallels with applying to US schools.

Below, we'll cover the most important elements that make up for your UK university application (via the UCAS):

• Credential/transcript
• Reference
• Personal statement

Credential/transcript

While the application system in the UK is different than the American one, it is important to note that from a homeschooler's perspective, there are few things that you need to go out of your way in order to put yourself in a strong position as an applicant that otherwise would be table stakes for traditionally schooled applicants.

Namely, UK universities also do not look favorably toward transcripts that are homemade by yourself or your parents. It is important that you can demonstrate you have the requisite level of education in a number of subjects relevant to the degree programme(s) you're applying to. Luckily, there are a few options for you to consider that fit perfectly with the homeschooling mode. Let's dive in:

1. Taking the International A Levels

   As a homeschooler, you do not typically have access to the traditional A Levels/Sixth Form curriculum and test-taking opportunities. However, International A Levels comes to the rescue!

   This qualification is provided by three independent exam boards, Cambridge Assessment International Education (CIE), Pearson Edexcel, or OxfordAQA. All three providers are rigorous, but there is some difference in what they cover for each subject each year, so it is a good idea to choose one provider and stick with it. CIE and Pearson Edexcel have a wider range of subjects on offer compared to OxfordAQA, but of course that can change as OxfordAQA further develops its offering.

   Plenty of International A-Levels materials can be found online to help you prepare for your exams, so we will not dive into this topic further. In a future post, we will share more about how to prepare for International A Levels as a homeschooler.

   As a homeschooler, you would be considered as a "Private Candidate," which means you would be entered into examinations through a school approved by one of the exam boards mentioned above, whilst not being an enrolled student there. Reach out to approved schools by your chosen exam board early to see if they can accommodate you as a Private Candidate.

   One more thing to note is that you should be choosing your International A Levels subjects strategically. Think about what degree programmes you want to apply to at which universities in the UK, look at what their admissions pages say are the academic entry requirements, and plan out your International A Levels journey by reverse engineering the criteria that you need to meet in order to succeed in your applications.

2. Taking AP exams and the SAT

   This option is a bit unconventional if you're based in the UK, as typically AP exams and the SAT concerns students who are American and/or applying to US universities.

   But in our experience, homeschooled university applicants have much to gain from taking these standardized exams, especially if you're also interested in applying to schools in the US concurrently, as you would anyway be required to satisfy the standardized test score portion of your American university application.

   While the SAT and AP subject exams are a little different from International A Levels, there is a healthy level of overlap, and the materials covered are just as rigorous. So if you are considering applying to universities in both the US and UK, this is something to consider.

   Some things to consider:

   • You want to choose AP subjects that are relevant to the degree programme you are applying to in the UK
   • Make sure you take five or more AP exams and score well on them — top-ranked schools like Oxbridge, Imperial, and the LSE typically want to see scores of 5/5 across five AP subjects (yes, it's hard work, but it'll be worth it! 💪)

3. Taking an entrance exam provided/approved by the university you're applying to

   While not every university in the UK provisions such entrance exams, many do.

   University admissions tutors are well-aware that not every undergraduate applicant comes from traditioanl educational paths. Some might be mature students, some might have had hardship growing up and did not have access to formal education, while others opted to homeschool, like you!

   As a result, many universities actually have entrance exams, either created by them, or offered by a university-approved exam body, that you can take part in.

   Reach out to the universities you are interested in applying to and peruse their admissions websites to see if this route is an option for you.

4. Obtaining a foundation level diploma offered by an accredited university in the UK

   Some UK universities now offer "Foundation" programmes, designed to get students up to snuff in terms of academic readiness so that they can take a stab at applying to undergraduate level courses after a year.

   A simple Google search will give you answers on where such foundatioanl level diploma programmes are offered.

Now that we have transcript and credential pre-requisites out of the way, let's look at other elements of a UCAS application. First, we'll cover the reference provider element, and move onto the topic of writing a personal statement.

Reference provider

The topic of finding a suitable reference provider that can comment on your academic potential and beyond is often a head scratcher for homeschooled applicants.

Unless you are homeschooling via an online school or tutors, it can be challenging to find a suitable individual to act as a referee for your UCAS application.

The silver lining is that compared to the US, where many schools ask for three letters of recommendation (two from teachers and one from your school counselor), UK universities require just one referee.

This referee can either be someone who knows you academically, or in cases where you have worked, a current or previous employer. For further information you can also read what UCAS has to say about finding a referee.

One important thing to note here is that under any circumstance, you should not be asking for a reference from someone who is related to you, such as a parent or a sibling. You want to present a trustworthy application to the university admissions officers, and even if there is a chance that you can "fake it till you make it," this is not one of those instances where it's worth taking such risks.

Personal statement

Last but not least, let's talk about the personal statement.

Writing a good personal statement for your university application is important. This is the place for you to show, in your own voice, how you stand out in a crowd of applicants, and why you are interested in pursuing the degree programme(s) that you are applying to.

Note: Unlike with the Common App in the US, where you can technically submit personalized personal statements for each university you apply to, with the UCAS in the UK, you can only submit one essay for all courses you apply to.

This means if you are by any chance applying to degree programmes that differ in subjects covered, you want to make it such that you personal statement is relevant for all programmes you apply to.

However, since applying to degree programmes in different subjects require different pre-requisites (if you're applying to a STEM course, for instance, you're expected to demonstrate sufficient knowledge in relevant subjects), it is unlikely that you'll have the right pre-requisites for vastly differing programmes offered by the schools you're interested in applying to.

So in a sense, this conundrum is partially mitigated due to the structural setup of UK university admissions processes.

Now let's talk about what to look out for when you write your personal statement for UK unviersity applications:

1. Highlight your achievements that are relevant to the programmes you're applying to

   Make sure that your personal statement clearly outlines you academic and/or professional achievements that are relevant to the programme(s) you are applying to. For instance, if you are applying to an Economics degree programme, highlight courses and exams you have taken in the field of Economics.

2. Emphasize your interest in a subject, and make sure to provide a compelling "why"

   Having done well academically of course is applaudable, and is the first step in grabbing the attention of an admissions tutor, but that's not enough. You also have to impress upon them that you're deeply interested in the subject you are hoping to study at the undergraduate level.

   Make sure you explain clearly your "why." It could be through a personal experience that inspired you to pursue a specific subject, or a unique insight that demonstrates the value of studying said subject.

   Remember, it's important to come off as authentic, so make sure to stay away from the generic tropes like "I want to study medicine because I want to save people's lives."

3. DO NOT, under any circumstance, use ChatGPT or plagiarize others

   With the advent of LLMs (large language models) and Gen AI (generative AI), it might be tempting to simply prompt your ChatGPT to produce a draft of your personal statement.

   Our advice is simple: don't.

   LLMs are trained on corpuses of data that tend to be conducive to producing average levels of writing and generic tropes, which are the complete opposite of what you're hoping to deliver in your personal statement.

   So it is best practice to stay away from what seems like a good hack, but will ultimately end up doing you a disservice.

   Same can be said about plagiarizing.

   First of all, your personal statement may be checked against a plagiarizing software, which would immediately sound the alarm bell in the admissions tutor's mind if you're detected to have plagiarized.

   Furthermore, plagiarizing necessarily means you're copying other people's ideas and writing, which again, goes against the goals of being authentic here.

   It is better to avoid the path of lease resistance and do the hard work of producing an original piece of writing, even if it takes longer, and your first draft might require significant rework.

4. Use concise language and watch out for grammatical and spelling errors

   It goes without saying here, but make sure you produce a personal statement that is spell-checked, doesn't unnecessarily use long-winded sentence structures to sound smart, and reads well grammatically and otherwise.

5. Make it sound like you

   Important to re-emphasize that you should strive to make your personal statement authentic and sound like you.

6. Start early, seek feedback, and revise repeatedly

   Writing a quality personal statement for your UK university application is not easy work, but it also doesn't have to be paralyzing.

   Start early, share your drafts with trusted family and friends, and make sure you take the time to make edits, rewrite, and continuously improve your statement until you're happy with the output.

   If you are looking for extra help and guidance on writing a killer personal statement, our university counselors are also there for you. We have read and helped revise hundreds of personal statements for both UK and US university applicants, and have gone through admissions processes ourselves at leading British and American institutions, so we might be able to help 😊

Conclusion

And that's a wrap!

In this article, we covered the three important elements you need to take into consideration if you are interested in applying to UK universities as a homeschooler: 1) transcripts/credentials to demonstrate academic ability, 2) reference provider to comment on your academic potential, and 3) personal statement to help you stand out qualitatively.

Following the recommendations we provided above will put you way ahead of other university applicants in the UK. Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean that you are guaranteed a spot at your dream school. Some schools and specific degree programmes require further testing and interviews, but that's a topic for another day.

In a future post, we will talk more in detail about further testing and interviews at schools such as Oxbridge and the LSE, and share some personal experiences from our team and extended network on gaining admissions to these institutions as non-traditionally educated applicants. Stay tuned!