Five Ways to Cope with UCAS Admissions Anxiety Like a pro
With the UCAS deadline just past, it's safe to say students from all over are anxiously checking their mailboxes, waiting for those oh so important emails to come in. But what can you do to distract yourself from the admissions anxiety? And are there any tips for coping with it?
Waiting to hear back from UCAS can be a stressful time for students. Source: Unsplash
Here are five ways to cope with your UCAS admissions anxiety like a pro:
Remember, there’s no wrong path
Waiting for your universities to reply to you can be a stressful time, and sometimes you don’t get the response you hoped for. Whether that be conditions you don’t think you’ll meet, or a rejection from one of your top choices. Don’t let this knock you down, remember that there are lots of ways to continue your career path.
If results day comes around and you don’t have a place on one of your courses, don’t panic. UCAS clearing allows you to try and find a space on courses with availability. Many students also apply to colleges for HNC, HND or access courses before finishing their degree at university afterwards. There are also lots of modern apprenticeships available on the Apprenticeships Scotland website, to help you achieve the career you want.
Journaling
Journaling is a great way to manage your anxiety and help put things into perspective. You can write all your worries about your university admissions in your journal to help relieve yourself of them. In fact, you might feel a weight off your shoulders once you have done so.
Setting your future ambitions and goals in your journal will also allow you to reflect on how much you've already achieved. Your hard work up until this point should not be underrated - you must celebrate it as well. Perhaps by writing down your aspirations, you will realise that you can achieve a lot regardless of being accepted to a university or not.
If you’d like to read more about the benefits of journaling, please click here.
Mindfulness
Take a break and relaxing through mindfulness activities. Being mindful lets you look positively into the future as well as being thankful for the present. Meditation and yoga could become your new hobby, while it can also keep your mind at ease, giving you time to let your mind and body rest.
Sit with a cup of tea - or any drink of choice - and think about the day/weeks ahead and how thankful you are, or listen to an array of mindfulness podcasts. Finding a time to relax is key to staying sane during this stressful time.
Go out and take your mind off it
After your application has been sent off, it can be tempting to sit around and constantly refresh Track to see if any offers have come through. This can make you feel really worried and stressed out, so instead of checking Track all day, organise something fun to do with your family or friends.
There are lots of things you can do to forget about the stress of UCAS, whether it be mini golf, bowling or even a nice long walk, by going out and doing something you enjoy, you will start to feel a lot better.
Turning email notifications off
Is there a better way to ignore the stress of UCAS track updates than, well, ignoring them!
As you anticipate emails from UCAS about your applications, whether that be an offer, a rejection or UCAS wondering if you fancy winning £1,000, turning email notifications off for a short while can help with easing stress.
You know your application has been sent away, updates are incoming and the thought of notifications from your emails causes you stress, so give your mind a break and turn those notifications off.