🇬🇧My 2023 UK Master's Applications (Admitted to UCL/KCL/QMUL)

After a full year, I've finally been through every step of applying abroad. Today I'm sharing the blood, sweat and tears of my application journey, plus what I learned writing my PS and CV!

First, a quick introduction to my background:

Background

Education

• National Taipei University, Department of Real Estate and Built Environment, bachelor's — 2019/09~2023/06

• GPA: 3.56/4

English scores

• IELTS: 7.0 (L7.0 R7.5 W6.5 S6.5) — 2023/08/06

• IELTS: 7.0 (L7.0 R8.0 W6.5 S6.0)— 2023/07/08

• IELTS: 6.5 (L7.0 R6.5 W6.0 S6.5) — 2023/06/19

• IELTS: 6.5 (L6.0 R7.0 W6.0 S6.5) — 2023/05/28

• IELTS: 6.0 (L6.5 R6.5 W5.5 S6.0)— 2022/12/18

(By the way, it took me five IELTS attempts to hit the school's requirement QQ)

• TOEIC: 825 — 2022/03/20

Internships

• UK real estate tech marketing specialist at a company — 2022/08~2023/05

• US real estate appraisal assistant at a company — 2022/05~2022/08

Extracurriculars

• Started my own dessert brand — 2021/04~2022/08

Awards

• 2022 National Taipei University English Sustainability Presentation Competition, Audience Award — 2022/01

Recommendation letters

• Course supervisor x1

• Department chair x1

Academically, I honestly don't think my background stands out. My GPA isn't high and I never won an academic excellence award. The one lucky thing is that both internships were related to the programs I applied to. So if your grades aren't great but you want to do a master's abroad, be brave and give it a shot

Where I applied

1. LSE — MSc Real Estate Economics and Finance

2. UCL-MSc International Real Estate and Planning

3. City — MSc Real Estate

4. KCL-MSc International Marketing

5. QMUL-MSc Marketing

I mainly applied to real estate & marketing programs. My undergrad was in real estate, and marketing was my second choice. I'd explored it during my internships and while starting my own brand and wanted to dig deeper, especially since real estate tech (PropTech) has grown fast in recent years, and I think the two can be combined.

A lot of people ask why I didn't pick Reading for real estate. Simply because it felt too far from London XD. I preferred a school in London, where there are more career resources.

Results

Offers:

UCL-MSc International Real Estate and Planning

City — MSc Real Estate

KCL-MSc International Marketing

QMUL-MSc Marketing

Rejections:

LSE — MSc Real Estate Economics and Finance

Final decision:

UCL-MSc International Real Estate and Planning

I chose UCL in the end because of its QS ranking, and because the Bartlett is one of UCL's most prestigious faculties

UCL has been firmly in the QS World top 10 for years. The QS ranking itself is controversial in many ways, but for me it's still one of the important factors when weighing a school

Why study abroad

1. I wanted to study in a new environment and leave my comfort zone to force myself to be more independent, a kind of challenge to myself

2. Improve my language skills, travel around Europe and make friends from all over

3. A UK master's takes only one year, and there's a two-year work visa after graduating, which I think is a great deal

4. Upperclassmen and professors who had studied in the UK all strongly recommended it

Honestly, I don't think you need to rush into the workforce right after graduating. I have plenty of time ahead, maybe 30~40 years of working, so I don't see spending a year abroad while I'm young as a waste of time. The cost really is high, but a UK degree takes only one year, so any way you count it, it's cheaper than other countries in Europe or North America. And 1~2 million might be earned back in 1~2 years of work, while the experience and memories are priceless to me.

The application process

• Choosing a study-abroad agency

I only started preparing in September 2022. Since I didn't think my English was very good and I wasn't familiar with the process, I felt safer with an agency, so I consulted quite a few. What suits each person may differ. I personally wanted one that specialized in the UK, since they seemed more familiar with it and more professional.

I'd suggest visiting several to compare prices and how the consultations feel. I went with 劍橋教育 (Cambridge Education) and found a consultant I clicked with who answered every question in detail (it just felt right XD) to help me through the whole application!

• Research

I was really unsure about choosing schools and programs because I didn't know UK rankings or requirements. I started by targeting roughly the QS top 100 and listed 10-plus schools and programs without knowing which suited me. Then, after talking it through with my consultant, they narrowed it down to the final five based on my situation.

I think this is where a consultant helps a lot. They have more experience, know my strengths and weaknesses, and which schools I might get into and which I have no chance at, so I felt less lost while choosing schools.

• Preparing documents

After choosing schools and programs comes the most important part: the documents!

-Personal Statement (PS)

I think the core of a personal statement is making clear why you chose this program and why this school. My main approaches were:

1. Past experience -> sparked my interest in xx -> wanted to learn more -> chose to do a master's

2. Observations and reflections from daily life -> how the problem connects to xx -> wanted to learn more -> chose to do a master's

3. My view of xx -> deeper insight from related internships and activities -> goals I want to reach -> chose to do a master's

Dig into your past experiences, work experience and activities; going through your photo albums helps you remember

Then work on connecting those experiences to the program you want to apply to

The key is having real evidence behind what you say. For example, if I say I'm interested in real estate, the evidence is: 1. relevant internships 2. relevant courses 3. attending seminars, and so on

If you just say you're interested without evidence to back it up, it sounds hollow

-CV / Resume

The CV describes your background, work experience and internships

-Letter of Recommendation

Ask professors early whether they can write one for you. I mostly asked professors whose classes I had taken & knew fairly well. Look for professors who are friendly and willing to help, because the application process asks a lot of them later, and some schools even require the professor to upload the letter themselves

-Revisions

Once the documents are done, I think getting someone to edit them is essential. We aren't native speakers, after all, and some phrasing may not be precise enough

Even more important than grammar and language is logic. Writing application essays is really storytelling, and persuading the reader takes a clear, rigorous structure. Often we can't spot the problems when we reread our own writing; someone else has to point out those blind spots

This is where the agency helped me a lot. The writing flowed better, the logic and paragraph structure were tighter and smoother, the meaning was more precise, and some unsuitable expressions were properly revised

Q&A

• Why not the US?

The US requires the GRE or GMAT

• Do I have to use an agency?

Lots of people online say agencies are a rip-off, but I'd still recommend one so you're less anxious. Going abroad involves all kinds of documents and procedures, and handing such important paperwork to professionals keeps me from lying awake at night XD. Unless you have experienced upperclassmen around who can help you anytime, an agency is the safer bet

The agency I chose was 劍橋教育 (Cambridge Education). Overall I was quite happy with the service, and I got into the school I wanted most. The consultants eagerly answered all my questions. If you're interested, you can book a consultation (free) on their official website

Finally, I hope everyone gets into their dream school and makes their study-abroad dream come true♡

👉🏻For more of my study-abroad daily life, follow me on IG: snsdlike1