It’s 7 days until A-Level results day. And whether you’ve been counting down the hours or trying to ignore it as best you can, it’s happening – and this time next week, young people all over the country are going to be making some big decisions about their educational future.
For some it’s an easy decision – they’ll hit the targets that they need to take up a place at the institution they’ve chosen as their firm or back-up choice, and head off in September to face new challenges, build new relationships and hit the books in a new and exciting environment. But for some people, things aren’t as simple: sometimes you might not get the results you were expecting, or you might not get offered a place at all if you’ve applied for highly competitive courses. You also might simply change your mind and find out that the universities you’ve put down as your first and your back-up choice in UCAS aren’t for you. Maybe you don’t like the books on the syllabus, or you just think you’d fit in better somewhere else – or maybe you’ve decided that you want to pursue another degree choice entirely. Whatever the reason, Clearing is one of your best options to navigate the post-results day landscape.
Clearing is how universities and colleges fill any remaining places that they have on their courses after offer holders have confirmed their offers. You can apply from the 5th of July if you’re in a position that you already know you won’t be taking up your firm or your insurance university choice, but most people apply when they’ve got their results in their hand. That being said, there’s no harm in getting in there early if you can – popular courses fill up quickly, and places can be limited on them.
You can use Clearing if you didn’t receive any offers, didn’t want to accept any of the offers that you received, or didn’t meet the conditions of your offers. All you have to do is make sure that you paid the multiple choice application fee (which currently stands at £26), and declined your firm place using the ‘decline my place’ button in the Track part of your UCAS.
There are two systems – Clearing, and Clearing Plus. Clearing is a system where you can browse over 30,000 courses that currently have Clearing vacancies using the UCAS search tool. The UCAS website has a great step by step guide to applying using this process, and talks you through exactly what you need to do.
Clearing Plus is a slightly different system that personally matches you to courses that you might be interested in based on your initial choices, and what universities are looking for in a prospective student. It’ll match you to about 50 courses that look like they’d be a good fit for you, and you’ll be able to tell the course providers that you’re interested – then they’ll get back to you if they still have vacancies and you meet their requirements. Both systems have their merits, and you can find out more about them and which one’s available for you – Clearing Plus isn’t available for everyone. You can find out more about the Plus system here.
Once you’ve selected a course using either system, that’s where the fun begins. You get to take a look at your future institution, make plans, and for a lot of people- start thinking about moving out of home for the first time ever! It’s a good idea to touch base with university accommodation procedures to make sure that you’ve got a home sorted for the next twelve months too – campus halls places fill up fast, so if you’ve got a firm idea of what kind place you want to live in or what your budget is, it’s a good idea to move quickly. Most people prefer to live in university accommodation during their first year because it’s easier to get around and make friends, but it’s a good idea to keep an open mind too- maybe there’s something that’s just right for you off-campus, or you’ll even find out that commuting is more your style.
Going to university via Clearing is just as legit as going via your firm or your insurance UCAS choice. It’s just another way of doing things – students who have all kinds of results use it, and it’s certainly no indication that you haven’t achieved great things academically. Clearing exists to match talented people with courses that they’ll enjoy and excel in – it’s in no way designed for people of lesser ability, or people who have ‘failed’. And bear in mind that you’re not alone – although it can feel isolating when all your friends have simply clicked accept on their firm offer, there are many, many thousands of people up and down the country that are in the same boat as you.
If you’re feeling the pressure around these kinds of issues, the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust has some advice and resources about how to deal with the ups and downs of this part of your educational journey. Alternatively, you can call the Exam Results Hotline on 0800 100 900 to talk through your options.
From everybody here at SWD, good luck – you’ve got this!