Studying abroad - there's still time to apply, but hurry

Image source: Rabia Elif Aksoy – 123RF.com

“When it comes to applying to study abroad, especially to competitive universities, you should ideally give your application at least an 18-month lead time. Matrics who are only getting started now can still apply but they haven’t left much room for error,” says Rebecca Pretorius, country manager at Crimson Education, which specialises in assisting local students with the process of applying to the world’s top-ranked universities.

More applications, fewer acceptances

In addition to a tight timeline, local students need to consider the competitiveness of international universities and applicants. Around the world, application numbers are on the rise, while admissions rates are dropping every year. At Harvard, a record number of applicants applied for spots in the class of 2026, while the acceptance rate fell to 3.19% - the lowest since it was founded in 1636.

US opens 10 new educational advising centres in SA

19 Nov 2020

To unpack international admissions for local matric students, Crimson Education hosted a free online event earlier this month – with the aim of helping matrics on their application journey. As part of the event, they covered application deadlines, strategies for essay writing, preparing for standardised tests, and university and course selection. The event also outlined some of the most common mistakes made by local students when it comes to applying abroad.

“Students generally apply to too few schools, or to the wrong schools for their profile. Many top, competitive schools are missed, because students and families don’t have the insight that domestic students do into the university landscape, the choices available to them, or even the how they stack up against other applicants in the areas that count – including extracurriculars, subject choice, standardised test scores and more,” says Pretorius.

Getting help with the basics is the best place to start when it comes to getting started this late in the year. “The application process to overseas universities is complex and time-consuming. While you can ask a friend, parent or teacher to check your personal statement, for example, they likely won’t know how to evaluate your work to the standard of admissions officers at these top institutions. This is even more true for more nuanced parts of the admission process, such as declaring a major or applying for financial aid,” says Pretorius.

Global internship opportunities for local high school students

16 Mar 2022

“To give yourself the best chance of getting into your dream university, make sure you give yourself enough time and get the right support. Realistically, you only get one shot, so do it right the first time around,” says Pretorius.

Key international university application dates:

• 15 October 2022 – Closing date for applications to Oxford, Cambridge and medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine/science courses at UK universities (January 25th for all other courses/universities in the UK).
  
• 15 November 2022 – Early decision deadline for US universities.
  
• 1/15 January 2023 – Regular admissions deadline for US universities.