It is A Level results day and you’ve hit a slight bump on the road to university; you haven’t got the grades that you needed and have been put into clearing. Firstly, DO NOT panic! This is exactly what happened to me on my results day so here’s my top tips to help you get that place at university.
- Keep calm and breathe!
This is probably the first thing you need to do, it’s a gutting feeling that things haven’t gone smoothly, but this doesn’t mean it’s the end of the line. Stay calm and collected and it’ll help you put an action plan together for the day.
- Looking at universities
This is the next step that you need to do. You’ll have done your research and be able to recall some of the universities that you’ve seen already that are looking at lower offers.
This is the best place to start as you already have knowledge of the universities and the facilities as well. Start putting a list together with phone numbers for the admissions, ready for the next step.
- Prep for calls
This is a chance to reflect and think about speaking to the universities themselves. Think about prepping answers as they will ask you questions as to why that course and why that university.
- Calling universities
Now in order to get a place at university, you need to call the universities directly. Remember to stay calm when on the phone as it will be like an interview over the phone.
Look at your answers you’ve prepped already and be confident on the phone. The people on the other end of the phone are really helpful and friendly, so don’t feel shy or embarrassed about making the call, they’ll be able to give you loads of help!
- Confirming your place
You can only call one university at a time when you’re placed into clearing, so when you’ve found the right university and they have offered you a place on the phone, you need to confirm this.
Log on to UCAS Track and the offer will be updated on your page – through UCAS is where you’ll be able to confirm your place.
- Ask questions
It’s always good to ask questions about accommodation. Because you’ve been accepted into the university a little later, it’s always good to be aware of closing dates for accommodation, where is the accommodation? Campus or elsewhere?
Hopefully, you’ll have done research about the universities that you’ve called, but I found this really helpful when I was confirming my place through clearing.
- Clearing days
If you’re a little unsure where you want to go now that you’ve been put into clearing, many universities have open days the weekend after results day. This is a good chance to go and look at these universities and ask the questions you may need too.
Alternatively if you’ve already confirmed your place through clearing and you want to have another look at the university and again get your questions answered, it’s a great thing to do!
This is something I regretted not doing when I was applying through clearing and would have made my decision much easier!
Just because there’s been a slight hiccup in your road to the university on results day, doesn’t mean it’s all over. I successfully gained my degree through clearing, and hopefully these tips will help you as well!
Worcester Student Life 