Vietnamese version
How to apply for:
A-level courses
Undergraduate courses
Postgraduate courses
A-level courses
Most Vietnamese students who are currently
studying in the UK have spent 1.5 or 2 years studying in A-levels courses. This
is the best way to seek access to famous universities, such as Oxbridge. Another
option is to apply when you have already entered university in Vietnam, thereby
saving a good sum of money on A-levels. There have been examples to prove that
you can be directly admitted into UK universities without taking A-levels. Some
of those who decide to study A-levels even leave Vietnam before they graduate
from senior secondary school in Vietnam, say after completing their 11th
form, thus saving one year for their life. I think this is a good idea if you
are confident of your capability. So check your purse and think twice before
making a decision to spend your money!
If you decide to take A-levels, consider the
following points:
Choose the suitable sixth-form colleges:
There are a wide variety of sixth-form colleges in UK, including: boarding
school, day school, independent school, state school… You should contact a few
sixth-form colleges and make comparison before finally deciding which school is
suitable for you. Remember that this depends not only on how much you can afford
but also on your lifestyle. If you are an active and motivated person, you might
prefer a city life where you can get easy access to entertainment, part-time
jobs, but at the same time, you may have to look for accommodation, and cook for
yourself. On the other hand, boarding schools may offer you a very peaceful
life, with well-prepared accommodation and food for you. The in-house facilities
of these colleges are more likely to be richer than the "city"
colleges. However, you may feel isolated from the activities which are organised
outside your college. From my experience, the academic qualities are not
significantly different along colleges, especially for Vietnamese students who
have covered most parts of the syllabi in natural sciences; your results are
mostly dependent on your self-motivation and effort of self-study.
Apply to A-Level courses: Normally, there are no formal entry
requirements for this entry. However, a good highschool study records will be an
advantage, in some cases, you can use this to bargain for part or full
scholarship with these colleges. You must show a reasonable standard of English.
It is best if you have already had IELTS,
because this will save you time and money to do it during your A-level course. (IELTS
is a requirement for entry to higher education later on at the end of you’re
A-level).
Applying for visa:
When you get the letter of acceptance from these colleges, you can use it to
apply for a passport. Other materials may be required by your local
administrative board as applicable. When you have obtained a passport, you
should contact the British Embassy
in Hanoi (23 Hai Ba Trung) or the UK Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City (25 Le
Duan). As long as you can show that i) you will be able to afford your course
without claiming any benefit from the UK govennment ii) you get accepted by a
college in the UK, you will definitely get a visa. Normally, the Embassy can
only issue a 6-month entry permit into the UK.
At the air-port:
Your visa will be extended for the whole duration of your course. You may be
required to have a health check at this stage. From my experience, you should
prepare for a chest X-ray in Vietnam beforehand and show to them, you will then
get through quickly.
For a ranking list of UK’s top 50 colleges
in 2000 surveyed by the Guardian,
click here.
There is also a list of UK’s top 100
comprehensives and top
100 selective schools done by this same newspaper.
You may find these websites useful to choose a
college:
http://www.a-levels.co.uk/
http://www.isis.org.uk/list/full.htm
TOP OF PAGE
2. Undergraduate
courses
Choose the right course in the right
institutions: you should first check with the UCAS
handbook and write down all the possible courses that you may be interested.
Then, ask your tutor, any friends who may give you advice or contact
us (VSUK) at the relevant institutions that you wish to apply to. Only when you
have obtained an insight into at least 2 courses should you start with your
application form.
The 6 choices:
You have 6 choices for the courses to university that you can apply to. These
are not necessarily for the same course (e.g. all 6 Economics), although this
consistency may show your commitment to the subject and offer you more
competitiveness in the admission process.
Personal statement:
This is the central part of the application form. Remember that you only have
20-22 lines for "showing off" what special in you, which will be the
key points from which the universities may decide whether to offer you a place,
or to another student with similar grades. Therefore, it is advisable to include
the following points: your academic results in Vietnam, your social life, why
you want to study this course at university, your hobbies and personalities, and
your plan in the future career, if possible.
Prediction and reference:
This will be done by your tutor or college principal; however, this is a
decisive part in your application that you MUST keep track of. At this stage
(September- December), the college will make prediction on what you will obtain
at the A-level examination in June. The universities will decide whether to
offer you a place, mainly based on this judgement (although it is just a
prediction), because you have not entered any exam by the time. Therefore, your
chances to get a place at universities does not only depend on your performance
in the exams in June, but also depends o your performance in classes in the
first year. Therefore, keep working hard even exams are still ages away, and…
be nice to your tutor, who will give you as a good reference as you like!
Offer or rejection:
The universities will either offer you a place or reject your application. If
they offer you a place, it is likely to be a conditional offer, say ABC. This
means that, if you get grades ABC, ABB, … or above in June, you will
definitely get a place in this university and start your course in September.
Confirmation:
When you have heard from all 6 universities that you have applied, you will be
asked to confirm. At this stage, you must choose one firm choice and one
insurance choice, and decline all other options. When the result comes out in
June, you will be automatically alloted to your "firm choice" if you
satisfy the offered grades of this "firm choice". If not, you will
then be alloted to your "insurance choice". If you also fail this
requirement, you will be pooled to "Clearing". At this stage you can
contact any institutions, if they still have vacancies and they think that your
grade is acceptable, then you will end up in that univesity.
Above is the outline of the application
process through UCAS. Though we try to post up all
the key points, this is by no means exhaustive. You will obviously be more
compelling if you understand some tactics and tricks… which are fully
avaivalble from those who have survived this system, like us. So, it is a good
idea to ask those who are now at university any
questions that confuse you., and keep your fingers crossed that we can help.
:-)
TOP OF PAGE
3. Postgraduate
courses
To apply to most postgraduate courses, you
should start about one year before the academic year starts in the UK. When
applying for postgraduate courses, you do NOT apply through an intermediate
institution (UCAS) but apply directly to the
university you are interested in. Most universities start the application
process in September and October in the year prior to the year that the course
starts. Many universities have offered on-line applications. You can request a
paper application from the university or from the British
Council offices in Hanoi (40 Cat Linh) or Ho Chi Minh city (25 Le Duan,
District 1).
For information on financial assistance,
please go to Financial Assistance.
TOP OF PAGE
