Though this can seem to be a difficult time of year, it needn’t be daunting. Read our post on how to effectively prepare yourself and you’ll see it’s all a breeze.
The benefits of clearing
Though it may not seem like it, clearing can actually have plenty of positives. Though you may feel alone, plenty of students end up getting into university through clearing and still have the time of their lives!
In fact, according to UCAS, in 2017, just under 60,000 students found a university place through clearing, so all is not lost if you don’t make it into your firm or insurance choices. There are plenty of spaces always left on a similar course in a location you may not have even considered before. Statistics show that out of those 60,000 or so students, 83% reported they were satisfied with their university choice.
How to prepare
Clearing actually begins in July and finishes in September, so it’s not for just a few days after results day. It’s always good to have a back-up plan to all major life events and this is one of them. Even if you firmly believe you have a good chance of making it into one of your choices, it’s still a good plan to make a list of a couple of back-up unis you’d be willing to attend – between 5-10 should be enough.
Be sure to also get down the relevant numbers for the faculty/individuals you’ll need. Most institutions will likely have a clearing hotline, so definitely give that a ring too.
Adjustment
The choice is totally up to you if you want to take advantage of Adjustment and in 2017, under 1000 students did just this after finding out they’d done better than expected on results. If this is the case with you, then it’s your chance to find yourself a better university.
There are many distortions about Adjustment which we will aim to clear up for you here. Firstly, if you decide to go through Adjustment, you still get to hold onto your firm place for up to five days, giving you plenty of time to search for a new university.
In order to do this, firstly, you must register for Adjustment on Track. This option will be available to you from results day (which in 2018 is 17th Aug) all the way up until 31st Aug. Remember to be as fast as you can with this as popular courses will fill up quickly.
There is no list available anywhere of courses you can get into, it’s up to you to do your own research. It’s okay for you to simply tell universities that you are researching; only make a verbal offer if you are 100% sure you want to change your institution.
And if you don’t manage to find a better opportunity, you can still go with your original choice that you’ve had since results day.
On results day
Well done! As a result of preparing beforehand, you can now enjoy a smooth Clearing/Adjustment process.
Remember to remain calm and collected. If it helps, get a friend/relative/teacher to stay with you as you’re making the phone calls.
Trust yourself and you’ll have an awesome time at university!