How to tackle ‘clearing’ if your grades don’t quite cut it

Lost and then you found a clearing

The unspoken horror has been unleashed upon you. You feel sick and dizzy and are starting to sweat. No, you’re not sitting next to deranged and drooling Aunt Betty at Xmas lunch. It’s the day of exam results and you’ve just missed your grades or not done as well as hoped. You see your life and future career go up in flames. A life of underachievement flashes before you, lighting up photos of freaky misshapen disappointed parents.

DO NOT PANIC

Clearing is here to steer you to success:

• Firstly CHECK your uni is actually rejecting you – this may sound obvious but don’t assume all is doom and gloom. Get on the phone straight away and contact the university. It might be that you’ve only slipped a grade in one subject and they are still happy to take you.
• Not the end of the world – once you’ve confirmed you have been rejected there is still lots you can do. You’ll be eligible for clearing and will be sent a “clearing passport” by UCAS with a reference number to quote.
• Get on the case – busy yourself with research into other places you’re interested in – be careful you don’t just rush into another course or uni through an overwhelming fear you won’t get anything else – visit if you can – scrutinise the syllabus – speak to current students – find out about equipment and facilities.
• Good chance of success – 100,000 applicants were eligible for clearing in 2007; 38,000 took up places; more than half of the rest were made offers but rejected them, so there is a good chance you’ll be offered a place.
• Clearing is also used by those who have offers – some people suddenly get cold feet about the course on offer or did better in exams than predicted so want to see what else is out there.
• Be prepared – you might find yourself being interviewed over the telephone so don’t treat this any differently to being face to face.
• Course v Uni – a recurring problem students face is whether to put the course or uni first. You might be offered a place on a course you really want to do at a uni you’re not keen on and vice versa. This is a tricky one but remember the reason you are going to uni is to study so make sure you are happy with the course you’ve chosen.
• You have a month to think about it – clearing goes on for a month but remember popular courses will fill up quickly.
• Once you have accepted a place send your completed passport so official procedures can be followed.
• 1370 places available in clearing in 2007 in computer science courses!