UCAS grabbing;

Shameful, or Worth it?

Have you ever wondered why school societies thrive the way they do? Has it ever crossed your mind that 17 and 18 year olds will do the most esoteric activities- things they apparently would never normally dream of- and will go to the most remote location just to complete a seemingly trivial matter?

Well perhaps this apparent display of impromptu affection can be attributed to more than just a love of the school. Because whilst it may be true that the school cultivates a sense of belonging, and many genuinely feel as though they want to give something back, it is dubious that it would naturally amount to this. There is a missing link in the chain between the inspiration and action. This missing link takes the form of a hidden driving force; one working behind the scenes at St. Paul’s to generate the reputation of which we are so proud.

This mysterious secret takes the form of the annual saga that is UCAS. It can be seen by some as a chore, and by others as the most laborious task ever dreamt up by our education system. Either way, UCAS is the process by which you submit a form listing your achievements, essentially selling yourself to the best of your abilities to your chosen university. Ostensibly, this may seem like a harmless, even ineffectual procedure. And yet, the reality could not be further from this.

Of course, no-one would want to submit an empty form, devoid of achievements and personal successes. So instead they go fishing around for things with ‘UCAS potential.’ For most, this tends to happen at the start of the Sixth form, on the realisation that something must be done sooner rather than later in order to bolster the university application. Of course, there are always those early bloomers who will have started years before the rest, and are streaks ahead by the time the majority start. Equally, there are some who will leave it until the last possible moment, whereupon urgent action is required to stave of UCAS disaster (a form with size 18 font to exaggerate what is there) and salvage something from the ruins of years of apathy. This is the season for the discovery of new-found interests taken up with a casual zeal fuelled by UCAS

In spite of that, is it such a bad thing that people see extra-curricular participation in such personal terms? Does it really matter that people do not actually care, so long as that they are providing a quality service with a decent future? Surely it is better to do something well with bad spirit, than to do something badly in good faith. Maybe the end justifies the means. And when the means have an overall constructive impact on the school, who are we to complain?

Evidently, this article takes a cynical view of attitudes. It is not trying to contribute to the general hum of misinformation surrounding UCAS submission, but rather to explain the motives of some of those who are going through the process, and simultaneously playing an integral role in scholarly life. It accepts that there are many exceptions to the ideas suggested, but that the UCAS grabbing culture is very much alive, and that we should treat it less as a necessary evil, and more as a realistic good.