If you have always been someone who has wanted to gain a university education, but certain environmental influences and personal factors have so far meant this has not yet happened, then you should know it is never too late.

Conversely, perhaps you, your son, your daughter or another close loved one is just coming to the end of high school education, and you may well be wanting to do everything and anything you possibly can to secure a place at a top-rated university.

No matter your situation, lifestyle, and personal reasons for wanting to attend university, you have certainly come to the right place. Here, for your information and of course reading pleasure, are the top five ways to heighten your chances of winning a place at your number one university.

• Work On Your Writing, Grammar & Punctuation Skills

One of the most important preparative techniques you can employ is that of working on your skills at writing, either on a personal level using reputable online and book resources, or else with the assistance of a hired professional tutor.

Even if you currently consider your width of vocabulary and your proficiency at good grammar and punctuation, regardless of the subject which you intend to study, this first point most definitely still applies to you.

Ways to personally improve your aptitude at English language, which do not include hiring a tutor, include:

• Read: Anything and everything you can get your hands on and regardless of genre
• Review and remind yourself of the basics (you will be surprised about the number of mistakes you are making)
• Listen to others and if you hear a word you do not recognize, add it to your vocabulary
• Write an essay about a subject you are intensely passionate about
• Proofread your work out loud to see if you have left natural pauses for breath
• Fulfil numerous online English language grammar and punctuation tests

• Learn All You Can About Your Chosen University

Although, upon first thought, this next point appears somewhat obvious, it may well be the case that you do not appreciate just how different every academic institution is, even on a fundamental level.

The basic and indeed more complex ways in which one university can vastly differ from another include, but are categorically in no way limited to, the following:

• The basic entry requirements for both the university in general and the specific courses
• The facilities, both academic and extra-curricular, that the institution offers
• How much emphasis is placed on new and innovative research and studies
• How much money the university has, specifically to invest in its students
• The accommodation the university provides or has links to, for its students
• The surrounding area and how much of a city experience you will have 
• The workload you will be required to commit to
• The quality of the teaching and the experience of the professors
• Career prospects you will be afforded once the degree is completed
• The structure of the hierarchy and who you will have access to 
• Social facilities and other on-site provisions
• The overarching ethos of the university and its core values

• Use the University’s Own Unique Check Point System 

For any endeavor in life, both in a personal and a professional context, the absolute best way to guarantee success, as much as feasibly possible at least, is to prepare. 

CampusReel’s GWU acceptance calculator is a fantastically beneficial and incredibly useful way to not only assess whether you are currently on track to gain admittance but full of ways to maximize your chances.

As previously stated, every university is different, so using such a checkpoint system and acceptance calculator is perhaps the most effective way of assessing the likelihood of you gaining a place.

• Earn Work Experience Related to Your Course

Another extremely valuable way to strengthen your chances of gaining a place at your number one university is to earn work experience credits which are directly related to the degree you intend on studying. 

Thankfully, there are a wide plethora of ways in which you can do this, including the following:

• Work Shadowing

Work shadowing is essentially exactly as it sounds, whereby for a week or more you get the chance to see exactly what is involved in the job role which you hope to obtain once you have successfully earnt your degree.

• Placement Years

A placement year is a fabulous way of fast-tracking your level of experience and depth of knowledge and is a one-year, fixed term, employment position in the area in which you hope to go into professionally.

• Internships

An internship is similar to a placement year that lasts for a shorter amount of time, usually a couple of months and although they are usually tailored towards university graduates, there are a host of internships for high school students in their final year.

• Virtual Work Experience

Due to the outbreak of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, many companies have started to launch virtual work experiences and join the company for a week or more through a variety of different digital technologies.

• Take A Second Language Course

Even if your chosen subject and field of study has nothing fundamental to do with languages, it is still exceedingly advantageous to possess at least a basic working knowledge of a second language, especially when you are focused on gaining a place at a prestigious university.

There are also a multitude of other reasons why learning another language can enrich both your professional and personal life, which include:

• A way to naturally and deeply strengthen your connection to different cultures
• A confidence booster in public speaking
• A way to gain valuable perspective
• A way to explore and experiment with different countries and be able to speak the language
• Brain food
• A substantially beneficial way to advance your career and your employment prospects for the future
• An opportunity to make new friends with similar interests, ambitions, and goals