Hello, this is Sunny.

This week, we are introducing Steve. He managed to win a place at a top 25 UK university - part of the Russel Group - reading Sociology.

That being said, his academic achievements and predictions weren't spectacular (BBB at A-level), and we joined in just 2 months before the UCAS deadline - around this time last year. Steve had little to no extra-curricular endeavours relating to his subject, didn't have an outstanding reference, and had yet to type the introductory sentence of his personal statement.

If this situation sounds similar - do not fret - there is still enough time to get your application to Russel Group level. If you are interested in our professional services, the list of our programmes is on our website. Here's the action plan we put together in the timeframe:

Step 1: Individual activities

Steve took an EdX course online, which not only increased his competence in the subject, but shows that he went out of his way to pursue his interest. He also entered an essay competition, and ended up ranking in the top 5. Essays are a key part of tertiary education, especially in the humanities, so becoming familiar with the format is a good idea. Additionally, humanities degrees appreciate students thinking critically and expressing their ideas overall.

Step 2: Public activities

A suggestion we give to students quite often is to start a podcast about their subject matter. Steve launched one about sociology, contributing to the public discourse. Steve also started an in-person sociology discussion group at his school. The school has never had a sociology society before -- in a little less than two months, Steve became a trailblazer.

Step 3: Good reference

We have compiled Steve's activities into a single list - this makes it easier for the referee to write a compelling reference. Steve established a good relationship with him, and the referee ended up including all of the above-mentioned activities into the final text.

Step 4: Personal statement

All of the above now enriched Steve's personal statement and made him a better suited candidate. Working together with a mentor, Steve wrote the personal statement. This was then double-checked by 2 blind reviewers on our team to ensure that it was entirely airtight.

Step 5: Get the grades

Once the application was submitted, offers started pouring in pretty quickly - with very manageable conditions - BBC, BCC, CCC. In his final exams, Steve ended up scoring BBC, and is now doing well at his first-choice university.

If you enjoyed this newsletter, I would really appreciate it if you would forward this email to your friends and colleagues. And if you have been forwarded this email, you can sign up here to receive my newsletter every 2 weeks. As ever, if you have any questions about university applications or CV building, just reply to this email.

Have a great Wednesday!

Deadline countdown (Sep '23 intake):

• Oxbridge or UK Medicine (Sep '24) - 15 October 2023 - 333 days left.
• USA Early Decision (Sep '24) - 01 November 2023 - 350 days left.
• MBA and Postgraduate - 01 December 2022 - 15 days left.
• USA Regular Decision - 01 January 2023 - 46 days left.
• UK Undergraduate - 25 January 2023 - 70 days left.