The Overseas Study Questions Facing Year 11s

How Year 11 students can set themselves up for top university admission.

Congratulations Year 11’s - you are almost there! You are about to complete your second last year of schooling and head into a period that will mark a culmination of 13 years of education! Needless to say this is also a period where to start to think of a life beyond school, and most importantly whether you will launch yourself on the world stage by pursuing admission to a university in the US or UK.

Harvard, Yale, Princeton Stanford, Oxford, Cambridge UCL… While these names loom large on the world university landscape, they have also been - and still are - home to many successful Australian admits. Each year Crimson celebrates with scores of Australian high school graduates who receive that highly anticipated acceptance letter to these schools and many more and we can assure you - that is literally the moment that changes their lives.

So as you near the end of Year 11 you may be asking yourself, should I apply or not, and what are my chances of admission?

While there is no official cut off or submission date looming when it comes to US and UK application deadlines, (at least until close to the end Year 12), Year 11 students are reaching a time when it is necessary to ‘get started’ on the application processes, so that the demands of Year 12 and the overseas application processes can be managed both effectively and with the least amount of stress.

More often than not, if you ask recent admits what their one piece of advice is, they’ll say ‘start the application as early as possible’. Granted, Year 11 isn’t exactly ‘early’ compared to students who make a start in Year 9 or 10, but we have hundreds of success stories from students who started in Year 11 before the rigours of their final school year took hold.

Here are five key points to consider when deciding whether or not to pursue application to your dream US or UK university.

1. Put everything going on in the world to one side for a moment and think carefully about where you want to be in two year’s time, because while Australian unis are solid options, the reality is you’ll never have a better opportunity to get into life changing unis like Harvard, Stanford, Yale and Oxford than straight after high school. Some students think they can get in for postgraduate courses but keep in mind that the vast majority of postgrad students at top US and UK unis also did their undergrad at top US or UK unis.
2. Understand how life-changing this could be. Top 50 US and UK unis are on another level in terms of funding, facilities and of course, the students and professors you surround yourself with. Add to that the long-term benefits of increased employability, graduate salaries and many more pathways to world-leading companies and your question really should be ‘How do I apply overseas?’! The opportunities that you’ll come across while you’re a student and long after you graduate are well worth the extra effort over the next 18 months.

The ATAR/IB Score Guide is a helpful tool to help you learn how to use your ATAR or IB score to apply to world-leading universities like Harvard, Oxford, Stanford, or Cambridge!

3. If you’re in Year 11 right now, you apply overseas and get in - you won’t start uni until August 2022. Now, we’re crossing our fingers and toes COVID-19 has been figured out by then, but if it’s not, you still have options. You can decide to defer your offer for a year which means your place is secure but you’ve decided to take some time off before heading to uni. Remember that despite the unsettled nature of life during COVID, a degree from Harvard still holds the same weight (or some might argue more) as it did 12 months ago and this is not something that will change.

Learn about the future of overseas study post COVID in an upcoming webinar:

4. There is reason to believe that COVID-19 can slightly improve your admission chances. There is likely to be a drop in the number of students applying - particularly international students - which will be an advantage for students who do push through to apply. Of course, Ivy League unis will always be super challenging to gain admission to, but if you’re aiming high, any advantage can help.

Looking for more information on how overseas study has been affected, or resources to get ahead during the COVID-19 pandemic? Visit the Crimson COVID-19 support page.

5. Are your parents on board? We applaud students who want to take this on by themselves but the reality is that your parents play an important role in supporting your application and financing your overseas study. Our Academic Advisors can help your parents understand what’s required and everything they need to know to feel more comfortable with you studying overseas. They can also outline the lifetime of benefits that accompanies graduating from a world-leading university in the US or UK.

If you do decide to pursue overseas unis, we wholeheartedly celebrate you! It’s a brave decision and whatever happens, we know that the application process alone will teach you so much about yourself and the world around you.

If you’d like to learn from local experts who can take you through the application process step by step, we’re giving priority to Year 11 students and parents to book in for a free and private consultation with an Academic Advisor. Submit your request here to get started.