William Clarence Education Advice and Services FAQs
At William Clarence, we provide expert education advice and services across the spectrum of the education sector to prospective students and their families from all over the world.
Understandably, you may have some questions about the services and support that we can offer you. Below is a list of some of the most common questions our consultants are asked, along with our answers.
Frequently Asked Questions at William Clarence:
1. Why is a consultation with one of your education specialists so important, and what does it cover?
A consultation with our education specialists is the first step into commencing your/your child’s educational journey. It gives us all the opportunity to get to know each other before we decide whether to start working together and ensure we are heading towards the same goal.
During the consultation, we will discuss your/your child’s current academic abilities and aspirations for your/their education, as well as your family’s background and current situation. We will also establish which of our services will be the best fit for you/your child and discuss what these entail with you.
You can book a consultation with one of our consultants here.
2. Can William Clarence guarantee me/my child a place at school or university?
Unfortunately, we are unable to guarantee entry as we do not take the exams ourselves.
What we can guarantee, however, is that you will receive the very best advice, guidance and application support throughout the process.
Our specialists work closely on every aspect of your/your child’s application, using their years of experience in the sector, and have a 100% record on applications from applicants’ shortlisted first choices as a result.
3. What do I need to know about UK education before making a decision on whether I/my child should study there?
The UK education system is complex, so it is important to try and gain an understanding of this before deciding whether to apply to study here. You can find out more about this by reading our blog about the UK education system.
However, the UK education system is considered one of the best in the world and is, therefore, a fantastic choice of place to study.
William Clarence offers an expert Educational Roadmap, which provides in-depth UK education admissions timelines all the way from Nursery to Higher Education to give you absolute peace of mind about your/your child’s complete educational journey. You can learn more about our Educational Roadmap here.
4. Do your specialists help with personal statements?
Our consultants are graduates of some of the UK’s top universities and have an in-depth knowledge and an understanding of what it takes to craft a personal statement that will capture the interest of the universities you are/your child is applying to.
They have also shared their expertise on writing outstanding UCAS personal statements on the William Clarence website, including a blog detailing 5 Steps to a Stand Out Personal Statement.
5. Do you have relationships with admissions staff at the top UK schools and best UK universities?
We regularly network with all the top prep school, senior school and sixth form admissions offices in the UK, and as such, have an in-depth understanding of their applications processes, what they look for and how to apply successfully.
This forms a large part of our process here at William Clarence and enables us to give tailored advice to each student and family member that we work with.
6. How far in advance should I/my child start preparing for Oxbridge admissions?
We typically expect to see students begin the application process for Oxbridge at the beginning of Year 12 (age 16).
The application process is particularly lengthy and complex and, unlike typical UCAS applications where the deadline is January of the year you intend to start your university education, the Oxbridge deadline is October of the year before.
Therefore, as soon as you/your child has made that decision to attend Oxbridge and decided firmly on their subject area of study, you should begin the process right away.
This is something that we specialise in here at William Clarence, providing a specialist Oxbridge applications service as well as a number of helpful Oxbridge education advice resources on our website. This includes our Oxbridge applications webinar and blogs on what you need to know about the application process.
7. Do you help with academic assessments prior to school placement?
Our school placement consultants have an unparalleled knowledge of school admissions tests and assessments – from 3+ assessments to the 11+ entrance exam and beyond.
As well as being able to give expert education advice, our consultants are also top-rated exam tutors, and can help you/your child prepare effectively for the exams they will need to pass to gain a place at their desired school.
8. Can your specialists help with shortlisting the best universities and advising on course choice at university?
Due to the positive relationships that we have built with university admissions teams across the UK over the years, our specialists have first-hand knowledge of the top UK universities and courses available to apply to.
Combined with taking the time to get to know you/your child through our consultation process, including passions, academic abilities and skills, they will be able to recommend the best possible universities and courses that will enable you/your child to succeed.
9. How much do your consultation services cost?
As our advice is tailored and each family that we work with is different, it is not possible to give an exact figure.
Each of our application programmes’ prices will depend on the time frame we have to work with, as well as the level of your ambitions and how much work is involved on our end. We always advise beginning the process with us as early as possible.
As a rough guide, from assessment to applications to preparation, our fees are roughly in line with one term's fee of an independent school for school placement.
UCAS, Oxbridge and Medicine Applications are also package-based and will depend on the stage of the application we are engaged and the time to deadline. As a guide, our University Application services start at an equivalent of 1 term school fees.
In both cases, an exact quote and fee schedule will be provided prior to any work being conducted.
10. What is William Clarence’s success rate of helping their clients into the best UK schools and universities?
In 2022, 100% of our clients had offers from their shortlisted universities, and we also have a 100% success rate of school offers from our clients’ shortlisted choices. Additionally, 85% of our Oxbridge candidates are invited to be interviewed.
You can read about how we have successfully supported our clients in more detail in our case studies.
Is your question not answered here?
If there is anything further that you would like to discuss about our education advice and services here at William Clarence, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our team of consultants; they would be more than happy to answer any additional queries you may have.
