tag:theconversation.com,2011:/id/topics/ucas-11877/articlesUCAS – The Conversation2020-07-13T14:11:03Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1425342020-07-13T14:11:03Z2020-07-13T14:11:03ZWhy young people still want to go to university, even though it’ll be very different to usual<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347090/original/file-20200713-38-1uixh61.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=108%2C0%2C6466%2C4386&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/happy-cute-young-woman-student-backpack-1100943833">F8 studio/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Applications to universities in the UK <a href="https://www.ucas.com/corporate/news-and-key-documents/news/university-applications-rise-during-lockdown">have increased</a> during the COVID-19 lockdown. <a href="https://www.ucas.com/">UCAS</a>, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, has reported a 1.6% increase from last year, and over 40% of all UK 18-year-olds have now applied to university. </p>
<p>This rise may come as a surprise. The university experience for those starting in autumn 2020 will be very different. Some teaching will <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-52753913">take place online</a>. Freshers’ week may turn into weeks or even months: universities may look to avoid crowding by spreading out events and reducing attendee numbers. Student unions will be planning events that are both in person and virtual.</p>
<p>However, there are a number of reasons why young people may be choosing to apply to university for next year, including an uncertain job market and a lack of other opportunities. Furthermore, my <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0309877X.2017.1323194">research</a> shows that the things that really matter to new university students are feeling like they belong, the academic staff they work with, and how teaching is delivered. Even under changed circumstances, universities can still meet these needs. </p>
<h2>Choosing education</h2>
<p>In recent years, students have been increasingly likely to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/aug/13/clearing-choice-university-applicants-students-wait-alevel-grades">choose clearing</a> – when applicants are matched to unfilled places – as their entry point to the application cycle. The reasons for this move towards later applications include concerns about tuition fees and uncertainty about making future choices before school studies are completed. Now, though, there may be additional reasons.</p>
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<p>There is evidence to suggest that during recessions, <a href="https://theconversation.com/four-ways-economic-crises-can-change-things-for-the-better-138751">education becomes a choice</a> for many school leavers who are facing unemployment. The economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic is a long way from being fully understood, but the daily news reports about large and trusted high-street retailers <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jul/09/boots-john-lewis-cut-5300-jobs-close-stores-chemist-optician">cutting jobs and closing stores</a> send a strong message to school leavers that the job market may be difficult. </p>
<p>Similarly, dreams of travelling the world on a gap year to Australia, New Zealand and other destinations are looking unlikely, with travel limited or discouraged and borders closed. The choice for many students will be to look for education options to improve future employment prospects, and hope they can ride out the recession with the safety net of a place in full time education. </p>
<p>There is also a risk that students who put off applying until 2021 will be competing for places with A-level students whose results are not impacted by the government decision to abandon exams and <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-cancellation-of-gcses-as-and-a-levels-in-2020/coronavirus-covid-19-cancellation-of-gcses-as-and-a-levels-in-2020">give predicted grades</a>.</p>
<h2>Rite of passage</h2>
<p>Moving away from home for university is a rite of passage for many young people. Popular TV show <a href="https://www.channel4.com/programmes/fresh-meat">Fresh Meat</a> shows students seeking not just education but the “full student experience”. For many, this means living in student accommodation, face-to-face interactions with tutors and peers, and joining clubs and societies. </p>
<p>For students starting in 2020, the whole experience will be new. Most will never have been to university, so their experience will be shaped by the communication and perceptions they have before they arrive. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347097/original/file-20200713-50-11agrs4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/347097/original/file-20200713-50-11agrs4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347097/original/file-20200713-50-11agrs4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347097/original/file-20200713-50-11agrs4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347097/original/file-20200713-50-11agrs4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347097/original/file-20200713-50-11agrs4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/347097/original/file-20200713-50-11agrs4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Research shows that students value a sense of belonging in their university community.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-multi-ethnic-young-friends-eating-546880441">Nejron Photo/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>My <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0309877X.2017.1323194">own research</a> on the transition from school to university shows that for students, they are more satisfied with their university experience when they feel like they belong and have developed a good sense of who they are within their social and academic contexts on their journey to becoming a graduate. </p>
<p>“Being, belonging and becoming” are central ideas that make a difference to the student experience. The establishment of online communities to augment face-to-face interactions will be extremely important to students who are in transition from school to university. This enables them to form social connections with peers and tutors. These online communities can be a source of information and provide an opportunity for affiliation and belonging. </p>
<p>My research also found that students value working with academics and how teaching is delivered. Students reported that teaching from experts in their field both in practice and research made the teaching authentic, especially when assessment was tailored towards knowledge and skills required in employment. </p>
<p>In 2020, this will be achieved through the content created for students that will be delivered both in person and virtually. Students are likely to have access to more resources this year than ever before. They will be able to access these materials in their own time and at their own pace, giving greater flexibility to how they access their studies.</p>
<p>This rise in applications provides a glimmer of hope for universities at a time when their efforts are focused on ensuring that university campuses are COVID-safe. At the same time, they must reassure prospective students that their experience will still be valuable.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142534/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Catherine Carroll-Meehan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Even under changed circumstances, universities can still provide students with the things they find important.Catherine Carroll-Meehan, Head of School of Education and Sociology (EDSOC), University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1118702019-02-27T11:56:44Z2019-02-27T11:56:44ZThe gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students at ‘top’ universities has increased – here’s why<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260679/original/file-20190225-26174-1uff3x1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pexels</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Having a student body that is representative of wider society has been high on many universities’ agendas for quite some time. Yet recent <a href="https://www.tes.com/news/disadvantage-gap-top-universities-widens">UCAS data</a> shows the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students, particularly those studying at “top” Russell Group universities, has recently widened.</p>
<p>The picture is mixed across higher education as a whole. The number of Scottish students from deprived areas <a href="https://www.ucas.com/file/197261/download?token=yGrM_eUZ">increased in 2018</a>, as did the number of <a href="https://www.ucas.com/file/197261/download?token=yGrM_eUZ">black students</a>. </p>
<p>Yet the widening of the gap at elite institutions is concerning – particularly given the dominance of Russell Group universities in key areas of public life such as <a href="https://www.suttontrust.com/research-paper/parliamentary-privilege-the-mps-2017-education-background/">politics</a> and the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-35641061">legal system</a>. </p>
<p>It would be unreasonable to suggest this gap in educational attainment is the sole responsibility of universities. After all, educational inequality takes root <a href="https://blogs.savethechildren.org.uk/2018/09/mind-the-gap-getting-our-children-ready-for-school/">before children even begin primary school</a>. And universities are making efforts to address the gap. Most university websites provide details of widening participation schemes and bursaries. But how effective are these schemes? And are there factors that they are failing to take into account?</p>
<h2>The problem with aspirations</h2>
<p>A cursory glance at schemes designed to widen participation in education at university level reveals an oft-repeated phrase: “<a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/outreach/activities/">raising aspirations</a>”. This seems intuitive enough - if young people lack confidence and opportunities, it follows that they will be less ambitious than their more advantaged peers. </p>
<p>Yet researchers have questioned the usefulness of <a href="https://theconversation.com/low-aspirations-dont-explain-why-white-working-class-children-fall-behind-43933">raising aspirations</a> in expanding access to higher education. A <a href="https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/influence-parents-places-and-poverty-educational-attitudes-and-aspirations">2011 report</a> published by the Joseph Rowntree foundation found that “it is not correct to characterise deprived neighbourhoods as places where aspirations are always low”. The fact is that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds have plenty of aspirations for the future but lack the resources to achieve them. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260681/original/file-20190225-26156-1lcv6os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260681/original/file-20190225-26156-1lcv6os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260681/original/file-20190225-26156-1lcv6os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260681/original/file-20190225-26156-1lcv6os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260681/original/file-20190225-26156-1lcv6os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260681/original/file-20190225-26156-1lcv6os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260681/original/file-20190225-26156-1lcv6os.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Rich, white students still fare best at university.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pexels</span></span>
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<p>Although well meaning, a narrow focus on aspiration risks framing disadvantaged students as somehow lacking and blaming difficult circumstances on <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01411926.2010.481358">their own aspirational deficits</a>. There is also the risk of assuming that academic paths are <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1468-2273.2007.00355.x">always the right ones</a>, and that vocational or manual jobs are less aspirational. Most fundamentally, a focus on aspiration can prevent a reckoning with systemic <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01411926.2010.481358">social and economic inequalities</a> that limit young people’s options and which cannot be easily overcome by individuals.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/should-universities-lower-entry-grades-for-disadvantaged-students-97142">Should universities lower entry grades for disadvantaged students?</a>
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</em>
</p>
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<h2>Systemic barriers</h2>
<p>Students involved in Widening Participation schemes are a diverse group – including adult learners, minority ethnic groups, care leavers, and students with disabilities. This shows how obstacles to university can vary. </p>
<p>However, key themes pop up again and again. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-43857750">Money</a> is among the most obvious. The scrapping of maintenance grants in favour of repayable loans in 2016 means that poor students now face a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/aug/06/restore-grant-system-for-poor-students-urges-russell-group-chief">higher debt burden</a> than their more privileged counterparts, who are more likely to receive financial assistance from family members. </p>
<p>Then there are geographic factors: disadvantaged students in London are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/feb/01/disadvantaged-pupils-achieve-lower-grades-in-north-than-in-london">more likely</a> to attend university than their northern counterparts. Disadvantaged students also <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/feb/01/disadvantaged-pupils-achieve-lower-grades-in-north-than-in-london">receive less guidance and support</a> in school regarding higher education and careers. None of these factors relate to aspiration, but all can profoundly impact the opportunities available to disadvantaged students. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260682/original/file-20190225-26168-1bk6chp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260682/original/file-20190225-26168-1bk6chp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260682/original/file-20190225-26168-1bk6chp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260682/original/file-20190225-26168-1bk6chp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260682/original/file-20190225-26168-1bk6chp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260682/original/file-20190225-26168-1bk6chp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260682/original/file-20190225-26168-1bk6chp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=572&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Students from disadvantaged backgrounds report struggling to afford textbooks and food on campus.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pexels</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>There are also cultural barriers. Universities with a predominantly middle-class student intake can exclude students who do not fit that category, consciously or otherwise. When I worked with students in Leeds participating in the now-defunct <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11839774">Aimhigher scheme</a>, a common question was whether they would be mocked for their <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/oxford-cambridge-david-lammy-diversity-north-class-race-not-welcome-a8011101.html">accents</a>. </p>
<p>Working-class students describe being labelled as a “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/sep/11/bame-working-class-imposter-university-freshers-tips">box-ticking exercise</a>” by middle-class peers and being made to feel ashamed for the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2014/mar/25/working-class-students-russell-group-universities-unwelcome">way they dress</a>. These feelings of <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/working-class-northern-woman-university-london-kings-social-classes-trapped-a8193636.html">not fitting in</a> can be harder to pin down than concrete barriers such as debt or a lack of career guidance, but may also contribute to the <a href="https://fullfact.org/education/are-more-working-class-students-dropping-out-university/">higher drop-out rate</a> among students from disadvantaged backgrounds. </p>
<h2>Institutional change</h2>
<p>Focusing on individual aspiration rather than systemic barriers to higher education can lead to the burden of change being <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/10671048/Working-class-children-must-learn-to-be-middle-class-to-get-on-in-life-government-advisor-says.html">placed onto disadvantaged students</a> rather than institutions themselves. But for widening participation to be effective, universities must consider how their own institutional cultures can <a href="https://chucl.com/">change to accommodate</a> a more diverse student body. </p>
<p>In academic terms this might mean expanding the curriculum to include <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/feb/06/swansea-university-announces-decolonised-english-course">previously neglected perspectives</a>. Practically it might mean offering accommodation to some students without asking for a <a href="http://www.thestandalonepledge.org.uk/menu/accommodation">guarantor</a>. Or institutions might offer a <a href="http://www.lmh.ox.ac.uk/prospective-students/foundation-year/lmh-foundation-year-students/what-foundation-year">free foundation year</a> for students from disadvantaged backgrounds who do not have the required grades but show academic potential. </p>
<p>Where institutions will not change willingly, pressure must be brought. This was highlighted in the recent threat of <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/university-student-library-bans-pay-halls-rent-academic-sanctions-accommodation-liverpool-a8731451.html">legal action</a> against universities imposing <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ucl-likely-have-breached-consumer-law-academic-sanctions-threat-against-rent-strikers">academic sanctions</a> upon students who fall into rent arrears – a policy which would further disadvantage poor students.</p>
<p>Ultimately though, when it comes to widening participation there is no magic bullet. And many universities are genuinely committed to expanding access. But while campus visits and “aspiration-raising” activities are no doubt useful, universities should be aware that the primary barriers to higher education do not always lie with disadvantaged students. Instead deep-rooted economic and social inequalities can play a major role. And these are barriers that can only be addressed through social and institutional change.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/111870/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Francesca Roe does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Educational inequality in the UK takes root before children even begin primary school.Francesca Roe, Research and Evaluation Officer, University of LeedsLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/708702017-01-05T12:07:29Z2017-01-05T12:07:29ZFive top tips for an outstanding UCAS form<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/151706/original/image-20170104-29222-1bk3nmm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pexels</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As the <a href="https://www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/apply-and-track/key-dates/2016">final UCAS deadline looms</a> in mid-January, it’s understandable to worry that you don’t have time to complete a quality application that will bag you that place on the course of your dreams. But fear not, because here are some tips for putting together a successful, stand out application. </p>
<h2>1. Check your own understanding</h2>
<p>Hopefully, you have done your background work on your course by attending open days, reading blogs and poring over prospectuses. But even if this is the case, do you really understand the course you are applying for? </p>
<p>Go back through the <a href="https://www.ucas.com/">UCAS entry profile</a> and double check that the course you have selected meets your needs and does what you think it does. Students who have misconceptions about the content of a course often reflect this in their application which does not make for a good start.</p>
<h2>2. Get the fine tooth comb out</h2>
<p>No eye rolling, I know you have probably been told this a million times, and I’m going to say it again … this document could effectively change your life – and proof reading and drafting is essential. </p>
<p>Ensure you check everything on your form, from your personal details to your course code, everything needs to be perfect. Admissions tutors will be eagle eyed when it comes to grammatical and spelling errors, so check it once, check it twice, and then check it again. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/151707/original/image-20170104-29222-1xxeuhz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/151707/original/image-20170104-29222-1xxeuhz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151707/original/image-20170104-29222-1xxeuhz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151707/original/image-20170104-29222-1xxeuhz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151707/original/image-20170104-29222-1xxeuhz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151707/original/image-20170104-29222-1xxeuhz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151707/original/image-20170104-29222-1xxeuhz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Your university application may well open doors for you, so make sure it’s perfect.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pexels</span></span>
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<h2>3. Make up your mind</h2>
<p>Your personal statement is the most substantial aspect of your application. This is where you really get to show your potential university who you are. It’s therefore essential that your statement does that, evidences you as a future scholar who oozes enthusiasm for their chosen subject and course. </p>
<p>The most crucial thing admissions tutors will look for in your personal statement is a strong rationale as to why you want a place on their course. If you’re applying to multiple institutions this can be a tricky ask. So this is why it’s best to keep your course choices consistent – because applying for four primary education courses and then an engineering degree isn’t going to make things easy for you.</p>
<h2>4. Make it personal</h2>
<p>The personal statement should also do what it says on the tin – it should be personal to you. This is your opportunity to shine in terms of talking about your academic and personal achievements. It can be easy to fall into lazy language when you’re doing this. If admissions tutors had a pound for every time they read the word “passion” in a personal statement, they’d probably be living on a tropical island by now. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/151708/original/image-20170104-18641-1fbru4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/151708/original/image-20170104-18641-1fbru4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151708/original/image-20170104-18641-1fbru4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151708/original/image-20170104-18641-1fbru4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151708/original/image-20170104-18641-1fbru4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151708/original/image-20170104-18641-1fbru4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151708/original/image-20170104-18641-1fbru4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Draw on all your experience to make your application as unique as you are.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pexels.</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Put the effort into your explanation. Talk concisely about your achievements, then show the impact they have had on you. So, rather than “I am a passionate member of the local outdoor pursuits club”, try “being a member of the local outdoor pursuits club has helped me hone my leadership, problem solving and collaboration skills”. See the difference? </p>
<p><a href="http://www.poynter.org/2006/fifty-writing-tools-quick-list/76067/">Work hard with your language</a>. You want to grab the attention of your reader and avoiding generic statements such as “I have always had a passion for …” is your first step in doing that. You should also talk about specific aspects of a subject that fuel your interest, and the more you can evidence this, the better chance of acceptance you have. </p>
<h2>5. Two pairs of eyes</h2>
<p>Your application should now be a glowing reflection of who you are and your hopes and ambitions for your academic career. This can make some people reluctant to share it with even their closest family and friends. But unfortunately, this is a must. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/151709/original/image-20170104-18662-1g9xsnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/151709/original/image-20170104-18662-1g9xsnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151709/original/image-20170104-18662-1g9xsnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151709/original/image-20170104-18662-1g9xsnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151709/original/image-20170104-18662-1g9xsnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151709/original/image-20170104-18662-1g9xsnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/151709/original/image-20170104-18662-1g9xsnf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Make your application into a family affair – a second pair of eyes is important.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pexels.</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Think how many times you check a social media update before you post it to the world, this is a million times more important. Do you really want to hit submit before having it checked? Have at least one other person read over your application, they could pick up on a missed word, incorrect spelling or fantastic achievement you have overlooked. The more input you can get the better, so if you’re up for sharing get as many people as you can to take a look at your final draft before you submit it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/70870/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Wright does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Your personal statement is one of the most crucial elements of your UCAS application. Here’s the best way to go about writing it.Sarah Wright, Senior Lecturer in Education, Edge Hill UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/639672016-12-20T14:16:37Z2016-12-20T14:16:37ZThe gap between rich and poor students going to university has reached record levels<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150343/original/image-20161215-26065-rc617q.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Working class students are turning their backs on a university education.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pexels</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The news that <a href="http://home.bt.com/news/uk-news/record-gap-between-rich-and-poor-students-winning-university-places-11364121540221">Bristol university plans to lower entry grades</a> for disadvantaged students living in the city, comes as <a href="https://www.ucas.com/corporate/news-and-key-documents/news/record-numbers-18-year-olds-accepted-university-year-ucas-report-shows">new figures</a> show the gap between rich and poor children winning degree places has reached record levels. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.ucas.com/corporate/news-and-key-documents/news/record-numbers-18-year-olds-accepted-university-year-ucas-report-shows">The new UCAS statistics</a> show that children who receive free school meals – a key measure of poverty – are less than half as likely to enter higher education, which makes it the biggest gap in recent years.</p>
<p>The report also reveals that students from lower income backgrounds – mainly white working-class young men – are less likely to even apply to university. And that this may well be down to the fact that a lot of these young people live in areas where <a href="https://www.ucas.com/corporate/news-and-key-documents/news/record-numbers-18-year-olds-accepted-university-year-ucas-report-shows">going to university isn’t the norm</a>.</p>
<p>But although the <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/record-gap-social-mobility-rich-and-poor-students-going-university-vince-cable-theresa-may-gender-a7475256.html">headlines focus</a> on young white working-class men, it seems that young white working-class women are also <a href="https://www.ucas.com/corporate/news-and-key-documents/news/ucas-data-reveals-numbers-men-and-women-placed-over-150-higher#">underrepresented in certain sectors of higher education</a> and in higher education overall.</p>
<h2>The education problem</h2>
<p>These figures also leave aside the fact that these young people’s withdrawal from education can often be pinpointed to much earlier <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmeduc/142/14204.htm">negative experiences in the classroom</a>. So it may well be that these young people never intended to go to university in the first place – regardless of the lack of grades to get them there.</p>
<p>And so these figures may well exaggerate the extent to which the white working-classes are “missing” from higher education. Because after all, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2015.1102865">university isn’t the only form of higher education</a>. And indeed going to university isn’t the only way to succeed in life.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150344/original/image-20161215-26027-1ij1o9a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150344/original/image-20161215-26027-1ij1o9a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150344/original/image-20161215-26027-1ij1o9a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150344/original/image-20161215-26027-1ij1o9a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150344/original/image-20161215-26027-1ij1o9a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150344/original/image-20161215-26027-1ij1o9a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150344/original/image-20161215-26027-1ij1o9a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Among poorer white children, just a quarter of boys and a third of girls achieve the benchmark of five good GCSEs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Higher education is often believed to offer golden rivets for social cohesion and silver bullets in the heart of inequalities and disadvantage. Academic research also often operates within the <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0305764X.2015.1102865">same cultures of valuation</a> that produce these myths and tends to accept the terms of the dominant view – of higher education as something that is worth aspiring to. </p>
<p>Academic research on higher education can appear <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2015.1102865">nostalgic about the past</a>, or it sacrifices understanding of <a href="http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/18685/1/bis-13-1244-things-we-know-and-dont-know-about-the-wider-benefits-of-higher-education.pdf">what higher education actually is</a>. It is overly concerned with an idealised version of what higher education “might” or “ought” to be. It also pays insufficient attention to what education actually does in the here and now – and that is primarily to give people opportunities to develop skills, knowledge and experience.</p>
<h2>Lack of aspiration?</h2>
<p>The absence of white working-class young people from the seminar rooms and lecture theatres of our universities is often taken as a sign of their “lack of aspiration”. This belief is in turn reflected in political rhetoric and policy initiatives. </p>
<p>But for well over a decade now, there have been a number of <a href="https://www.offa.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Literature-review-of-research-into-WP-to-HE.pdf">policy interventions</a> to help get more white working-class young people into education. And yet the statistics, flawed as they may be, remain stubbornly impervious to change. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150342/original/image-20161215-26062-bmkmqj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150342/original/image-20161215-26062-bmkmqj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150342/original/image-20161215-26062-bmkmqj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150342/original/image-20161215-26062-bmkmqj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150342/original/image-20161215-26062-bmkmqj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150342/original/image-20161215-26062-bmkmqj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150342/original/image-20161215-26062-bmkmqj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The gulf between rich and poor children winning degree places has reached record levels.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pexels.</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>That being the case, it would seem a change in thinking is now overdue. Perhaps it is time to ask where the deficiencies lie – with the (non)applicants to higher education, or with higher education itself? After all, when middle-class students decide against higher education, their aspirations, or whether they are aspirational at all, is seldom called into question. </p>
<h2>Low pay, high debt</h2>
<p>To understand what’s really going on, we need to work out why higher education is so unappealing to some young people. Especially given that <a href="http://www.aviva.com/media/news/item/uk-generation-regret-over-a-third-of-millennials-who-went-to-university-regret-doing-so-as-they-struggle-with-debts-and-squeezed-finances-17653/">a recent study</a> revealed that over a third of millennials who went to university regret doing so – most likely because of a perceived future of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/19/degree-graduates-low-pay-high-debt-students">low pay and high debt</a>. Lack of aspiration is not the culprit here. </p>
<p>It is clear then that understanding white working-class “non-participation” is key to a differentiated, not diminished, sense of what higher education can and does do. And asking questions about what, rather than who, is missing from higher education is similarly long overdue.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/63967/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Yvonne Downs does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Working-class students are put off by a perceived future of low pay and high debt.Yvonne Downs, Research Fellow in Financial Ethics and Governance, University of HuddersfieldLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/498222015-10-28T05:31:24Z2015-10-28T05:31:24ZWill name-blind UCAS forms make university admissions fairer?<p>David Cameron has announced that applicants’ <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/26/david-cameron-conservatives-party-of-equality">names will be removed from UCAS forms</a> from 2017 in an effort to combat ethnic inequalities in admissions to top universities. The prime minister’s announcement comes <a href="http://bit.ly/1RaCU2j">in response to evidence</a> that British ethnic minority applicants to highly selective universities are less likely to be offered places than white British applicants.</p>
<p>My own <a href="http://bit.ly/1RaCU2j">research on admission to Russell Group universities</a>, for example, found that offer rates were between seven and 16 percentage points lower for applicants from British ethnic minority backgrounds than for white British applicants after taking into account their A-level grades and the popularity of the courses applied for. Other studies also suggest that applicants from <a href="http://bit.ly/1RaCU2j">lower social class backgrounds, disadvantaged neighbourhoods and state schools</a> are less likely to be offered places by top universities than applicants with similar qualifications from more advantaged backgrounds.</p>
<h2>Unconscious bias</h2>
<p>As Cameron <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/26/david-cameron-conservatives-party-of-equality">points out</a>, the reasons for these disparities in university offer rates “are complex, but unconscious bias is clearly a risk”. According to the <a href="http://www.ecu.ac.uk/guidance-resources/employment-and-careers/staff-recruitment/unconscious-bias/">Equality Challenge Unit</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Unconscious bias happens by our brains making incredibly quick judgements and assessments of people and situations without us realising. Our biases are influenced by our background, cultural environment and personal experiences. We may not even be aware of these views and opinions, or be aware of their full impact and implications.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Evidence from experiments carried out in the US suggests that unconscious bias can be triggered by names alone. One study showed that identical emails from prospective postgraduate students were more likely to receive a response from US college professors if the <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/apl-0000022.pdf">sender’s name indicated they were white</a> rather than African American, Hispanic, Indian or Chinese. In another study, identical applications for jobs as laboratory managers in US universities were rated more positively when the candidate had a <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/109/41/16474.abstract">male name rather than a female one</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/99875/original/image-20151027-5001-11gx3u0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/99875/original/image-20151027-5001-11gx3u0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99875/original/image-20151027-5001-11gx3u0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99875/original/image-20151027-5001-11gx3u0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99875/original/image-20151027-5001-11gx3u0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99875/original/image-20151027-5001-11gx3u0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99875/original/image-20151027-5001-11gx3u0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A fair chance.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Students via Diego Cervo/www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To my knowledge, no study has explored whether unconscious bias affects UK university admissions decisions. But given that admissions selectors currently see applicants’ names on UCAS forms, the possibility that unconscious bias creeps into the decision-making process cannot be ruled out.</p>
<h2>Risk of unfairness lingers</h2>
<p>Removing names from UCAS forms will probably help eliminate ethnic and social disparities in university offer rates for comparably qualified candidates – but not as much as we might hope. </p>
<p>Admissions selectors will still see each applicant’s home address, the school they attended, what they have written about themselves in their personal statement and what their teacher has written about them in their reference. All of this may provide subliminal clues as to an applicant’s ethnic and social background. Where applicants are interviewed as part of the selection process, the scope for unconscious bias becomes wider still.</p>
<p>So simply removing names from UCAS forms will not be enough to safeguard against the risk of unfair admissions decisions. Effective strategies to eliminate the influence of unconscious bias on the admissions decision-making processes are also needed. This will require universities to improve the objectivity, transparency and accountability of their decision-making. They should also ensure that admissions selectors are <a href="http://www.spa.ac.uk/support/goodpractice/equality/bias">trained</a> to recognise and resist unconscious bias.</p>
<h2>Taken seriously at last</h2>
<p>Although name-blind UCAS forms will not eliminate the issue, the proposal is still a welcome development. It signals that the issue of ethnic inequalities in university admissions is finally being taken seriously. </p>
<p>Concerns about ethnic and social inequalities in offer rates from top universities have been dismissed <a href="http://russellgroup.ac.uk/news/research-on-university-access/">time</a> and <a href="http://russellgroup.ac.uk/news/university-access-research/">again</a> by the Russell Group of top UK universities. They have also been downplayed by UCAS in its own <a href="https://theconversation.com/fewer-top-university-offers-go-to-black-and-asian-students-but-ucas-research-doesnt-explain-why-47738">analysis of the data</a>. The prime minister’s announcement indicates that a head-in-the-sand response to ethnic inequalities in university admissions is no longer tenable.</p>
<p>If we want to know whether name-blind UCAS forms reduce ethnic and social inequalities in university admissions, researchers need access to complete and detailed anonymised UCAS data. For the past few years, UCAS has been unwilling to share this kind of data with researchers. </p>
<p>UCAS recently agreed it would begin sharing data from 2017, but only for applicants who <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/letters/ucas-discerning-with-data">actively opt-in to share</a>. If a substantial number of applicants don’t choose to opt-in, researchers will only be able to access data for a distorted sample of applicants and any research results may well be inaccurate.</p>
<p>The upshot is that we cannot reliably assess whether or not name-blind admissions increase the fairness of university admissions until UCAS agrees to <a href="http://bit.ly/1RaCU2j">share fully representative and detailed non-personal data</a> with researchers.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/49822/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Vikki Boliver has received funding from the British Academy, ESRC and SFC.</span></em></p>Names of applicants will no longer be shown on university admissions forms from 2017. But will it help?Vikki Boliver, Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Social Policy, School of Applied Social Sciences, Durham UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/301782014-08-13T05:21:20Z2014-08-13T05:21:20ZGap between state and private school admissions to top unis due to grades, not bias<p>The UK’s most prestigious universities are repeatedly accused of <a href="https://theconversation.com/hard-evidence-is-oxford-biased-against-state-students-18979">discriminating against disadvantaged students</a> in favour of those who are deemed to have a social advantage, and particularly those from independent schools. But while it’s easy to blame this on institutional bias, analysis shows it is down to grades rather than social background alone. </p>
<p>A new report for the <a href="http://www.independentcommissionfees.org.uk/">Independent Commission on Fees</a>, set up by the Sutton Trust, found that students from the most advantaged areas of the UK are nearly seven times more likely to enter the UK’s top 30 universities than those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. Refined further for the top 13 universities, advantaged students are nearly ten times more likely to take up a place.</p>
<p>In a recent <a href="http://www.suttontrust.com/news/blog/race-to-the-top/">blog</a> post, the Sutton Trust reported that 30% of comprehensive schools have at most one or two students progressing to the prestigious 24 Russell Group universities in 2011-12. At the same time, the independent schools Westminster, Eton and St Paul’s, together with top state sector colleges Hills Road College, Cambridge and Peter Symond’s College, Winchester got about 260 students into Oxbridge. </p>
<h2>Who’s getting in?</h2>
<p>Recent research has tried to look at whether prestigious universities are actually shunning students from the state sector in favour of independent school students.</p>
<p>The results from <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/berj.3152/abstract">a recent study</a> of over 10,000 university first years using 2011 data from the <a href="http://www.youthsight.com/">YouthSight</a> survey, show that a student at a Russell Group university is likely to be from the ABC1 social status group – the highest band in the national A-E scale where “A” represents highest social class and “E” the lowest. </p>
<p>Their parents are most likely to be in professional or senior management jobs, and to have also been to university. Parental education affects college and university choices, and parents who stayed in education longer are more than twice as likely to have children who <a href="http://ideas.repec.org/p/van/wpaper/0302.html">enter a research university</a>. </p>
<p>But the study results also reveal that students from these groups gain significantly higher qualifications or entry scores based on the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) <a href="http://www.ucas.com/how-it-all-works/explore-your-options/entry-requirements/tariff-tables">points system</a>. UCAS point scores are calculated with A Level grades and equivalent qualifications and are used in the admissions process of UK universities. Although most top universities use A Level grades such as A*AA or AAA rather than UCAS point scores to make offers, these scores still provide a consistent way of measuring pre-university achievement. </p>
<p>Students in the study who attended Russell Group universities had significantly higher UCAS scores than students attending other institutions, which is not surprising because of their higher entry requirements.</p>
<p>But students from private schools also had significantly higher average UCAS scores compared with state sector students: 408.7 points compared with 380.7 for state school teenagers. In contrast, students from disadvantaged backgrounds had significantly lower average UCAS scores – 341.3 – compared to their peers, who had 399.1 points. Black students, <a href="https://theconversation.com/hard-evidence-why-arent-there-more-black-british-students-at-elite-universities-25413">another under-represented group at university,</a> also had lower average UCAS scores at 284.88.</p>
<h2>Increase attainment from state schools</h2>
<p>But universities, including the top ones, are not simply shunning students because of social status or the school they attended. Rather it’s that lower levels of achievement at an earlier stage in students’ schooling prevent many disadvantaged students from achieving the high entry grades required to gain entry to Russell Group and highly ranked universities. </p>
<p>Evidence indicates that efforts need to be made to increase achievement in a wider range of schools, particularly state-funded schools and colleges, to enable talented and highly motivated young people to gain the A and A* grades they need to attend the best institutions.</p>
<h2>Private schools reaching out</h2>
<p>Some efforts are under way to address these imbalances. First, one of the country’s top private schools, Westminster School, is working with the <a href="http://www.harrisfederation.org.uk/">Harris Federation</a> to jointly <a href="#ixzz39nOEqSAL">open a sixth-form academy</a> which aims to offer pupils from poor backgrounds a route to Oxford and Cambridge. </p>
<p>Second, Eton College also offers their expertise and gives support to more disadvantaged state school students by offering Eton’s boarding house runs a <a href="http://www.etoncollege.com/USS.aspx">summer school</a> to recreate the Oxbridge experience and improve students’ self-confidence and social skills. The summer school is aimed at state-school pupils who aspire to Oxbridge. </p>
<p>Third, ten leading universities are also working together with the Sutton Trust to offer <a href="http://www.suttontrust.com/programmes/uk-summer-school/">summer schools</a> to bolster confidence, maximise talent, give practical advice and boost exam scores to enable gifted and motivated young scholars to gain entry to the top institutions. Entry to these summer school programmes is based on strict selection criteria to identify the brightest students from the toughest backgrounds. </p>
<p>The key in all these schemes is to identify and invest in talented young people to give them support to gain the high grades and scores they need to get into top institutions. But it’s also about making sure students have the right guidance and information, and the self-confidence to make a bid to enter our prestigious universities. This is in the best interests of not only the young people themselves, but top institutions who seek to recruit the best qualified students. </p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/30178/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jane Hemsley-Brown does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The UK’s most prestigious universities are repeatedly accused of discriminating against disadvantaged students in favour of those who are deemed to have a social advantage, and particularly those from…Jane Hemsley-Brown, Professorial Teaching Fellow in Marketing, University of SurreyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.