The article title is A-Level and IB Students: 6 Steps to Nail Your University Application. The next step for A-level and IB students is facing the university and picking their specialisation. This is a huge deal for every student as it could potentially determine their future career and their adult path. Hence, ensuring our A-level and IB students can get into their dream universities or even have the luxury of exploring different opportunities and options is our goal. In this article, we will share tips on how to build a strong university application for A-level and IB students with examples.    University application - How it works  IB students typically apply for university between August and January. IB exams finish around the end of May. The application period and deadlines may vary depending on the state and university. Students should promptly check the universities for their application periods to avoid disappointment.    While having good grades is still the primary measure for most university applications, it does not mean students should neglect the other areas. Being a well-rounded student is also highly considered by most universities nowadays. Students should start building up their portfolios long before they even sit for their IB or A-level exams. Building a portfolio is a long process like a marathon. Students have to invest time, energy and effort into curating a portfolio that would appeal to their dream universities.    To start, students should first identify their strengths, personal interests (outside of school) and their ideal career (you may not need to nail it down yet - this is just a rough guide). Only by identifying these, students can plan their school year around building values, working on projects and easily identifying opportunities to enhance their application.    How to build a strong university application for A-level and IB students?    1 - Strong academic record  Having a strong academic record not only shows the university you are capable of handling academic stress but also the commitment you have towards your studies. In addition, having a high academic record gives you more opportunities to explore different schools and degrees.    There is always a grade point range for the degree you are looking to pursue. Making sure you have strong academic results can assure you that you stand a chance of securing a spot. However, having a good score is not enough to make you stand out if there is a limited number of seats for the course. This is especially the case if every single student has the same straight A's result. This is where building your application and portfolio will separate you from other high-achieving learners and allow you to secure a spot in your dream university.    2 - Aligned your application with the school's values  Before we dive into what needs to be included in a good application, we should first understand and be aligned with the university's values and motto. When preparing for the application, we should always keep in mind to put only relevant details. For instance, the university's motto is all about a growth mindset and how students should be lifelong learners. A-level and IB students should focus their application around this value by always circling back to this motto. Let's use lifelong learning and a growth mindset as an example moving forward in this article.    3 - A-level and IB students' extracurricular activities  Do you do anything outside of school?    Recording your other interests outside of school and how you have developed skills from them shows the university your passion and commitment. For instance, highlighting your leadership skills, a self-initiative mindset, and the positive impact you have brought to your community. You can also talk about any self-initiated projects that stemmed from your interest and how it has shaped your thinking, growth and transformed your learning at school.    Now, in the previous point, we used "growth mindset" and "lifelong learning" as a university's motto. Keeping this in mind, we want to express our interests that align with these mottos. For example, if you have an interest in planting, you can talk about how you taught yourself to take care of plants. The approach you explored to understand more about cultivating plants. Perhaps you started a community online to bring green fingers together. Or you attended a course to improve your planting skills. Share about the initiatives you took to learn more and how this helped you in your academic growth.    4 - Achievements and rewards  Highlighting any achievements and rewards you have gotten over the school year is a great way to show the university your drive. Keep in mind to only include achievements that align with the school's values and motto, as mentioned earlier in the article.    5 - Tidy and structured application Keeping your application structured and tidy allows the screener to have an easier time reading through it. Use bullet points and clear sectioning to guide readers on where to read. Refrain from typing long and confusing sentences. Instead, condense them into short but powerful sentences using bullet points. Begin your bullet points with active verbs like collaborate, establish, optimise, resolve, etc. Indicate your contact details clearly at the top and section it away from the body of your application. I like reinforcing my name and contact information at the bottom of the page (in small font) so the reader has a chance of glancing at my name and remembering me.    We want to focus on quality over quantity. Removing any irrelevant pointers keeps your application tidy and concise. It is good to    6 - Personal touch  Whilst there are many application templates on the internet, it is good to incorporate a little bit of your creativity. For example, you can add a write-up of yourself at the top before delving into your achievements, grades and extracurricular activities. Share about your hobbies and topics of interest. The fun thing about your application is that you can make it however you think would stand you out from everyone else. You can tell a story with your application and leave a lasting memory for your interviewer. It is up to how you want to express yourself. By doing this, it shows the university that you have character and put a lot of consideration into the application.    In conclusion  Being strong in academics may be one of the measures for university application, but when competition is tight, every other thing needs to stand out. This means building your portfolio early in your IB and A-level school year. Taking part in activities and engaging in different experiences not only boosts your application but also expands your worldview. Exposing yourself early in your academic journey can help you understand yourself better. In the process of doing so, students can find themselves and make informed choices about what they want in the future. This all contributes to applying to the right university best suited to the student's needs.    How can Tutopiya help A-level and IB students?  We are an online learning platform that helps our students find tutors who can understand their learning needs. We offer lots of backend tools and resources to aid students' learning, helping them achieve good academic results for their A-levels and IB examinations. Our resources and tutors are up to date with the curriculum, providing students with a conducive learning environment. Scheduling with a tutor is also easy and fuss-free. We have built-in progress trackers to track students' learning. With these trackers, our tutors can make informed choices about students' learning. All in all, students only need to show up and learn with our tutors on Tutopiya. We will do the planning, resource hunting and progress tracking for you. This leaves you with more time to work on other aspects of your life, giving students a chance to explore the outside world. Try a free trial today with Tutopiya!