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The complete process from decision to study at university, selecting Britain as the place of study and applying to universities is a major undertaking. By breaking down the process into smaller increments, the whole process can be made manageable.

Quite early in his or her school career, the pupil has to make a firm commitment with regards university study. Many pupils find this a difficult decision because they have yet to develop a sense of what they want to do in the future and where their abilities lies. The Internet is an extremely valuable source of information. But "classical" sources such as books, older and more experienced mentors, school counsellors and even parents are not to be discounted.

Given that the pupil has decided to go on to do university studies, he or she is faced with the problem of what to study. There are 3 basic but important questions:

* What do I want to study?

* Am I capable of doing well in that subject?

* What are the advantages of my study?

Because the British government has recently decided that universities should be more independent, the latter have started charging students fees to cover their costs. Thus, an important question the prospective student should pose is:

* Have I (or my parents) the funds to cover my education?

English is a world-language and a good part of academic research is conducted in it. Britain has excellent research universities. These are two good reasons to think about applying to British universities.

It is advisable to search for and read up on the available preparatory resources. These concern topics about the application process which are unique to UK universities.

For some people, where a university stands in the university league tables or how high the university ranks, is an important point to consider. For me, there are other more important considerations. Some thought about whether or not to apply to Oxbridge (as Oxford and Cambridge are known) should be given.

Preparatory resources also include information about the LNAT (National Admissions Test for Law), the UKCAT (UK Clinical Aptitude ) or BMAT (BioMedical Admissions Test). These tests are required of applicants planning to do law or medicine in Britain.

Most universities require applicants from foreign countries to take the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) tests. The British Council overseas is the first place to check for information about these tests .

Because undergraduate university application is a centralised online process handled by UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service), that is the first place any prospective student should look at to start the process of applying to British universities.