I don't want to be unutterably negative, but I'm fairly sure I haven't actually achieved the grades I need for my firm or insurance university - so does anyone know anything about clearing?

I've read all the websites and know basically what I have to do - find the course I'm interested in, ring the uni etc... but there are just a few details I'm wondering about. Clearing passports for example - can you start without one? If you ring round universities with places without one, will they be able to reserve you a place on a very popular course, if they accept you, until you've sent your clearing passport?

Also, I'll be away at the time, on holiday in Ireland. This is like, the one thing they always say you absolutely must not do. I didn't book the tickets, I did give the person who did the date of results - they decided the holiday was more important, and I'm definitely committed to going - there's nothing I can do to get out of that. If I have access to the internet - which I will, even if I have to spend all day in an internet café - and access to a phone, does anyone know if I'll be able to sort it all out anyway?

This isn't quite the forum for it, I know, but I've had good advice about uni from here before, so I thought I'd just put it out there and ask, just in case!

Thanks!

I know what you mean about clearing - and I saw on another thread your thoughts about how not everyone should go to university - which I agree with 100%.

For a long time after applying and being rejected from my two top choices, I had to have a really good think about whether or not it was worth continuing with the university path, though, and finally concluded that, as a naturally academic person, who loves learning, university is definitely for me. I also decided that the university - as long as it was a "good" or at least moderately good university, didn't matter so much.

Since I'm taking English, there are similar courses in lots of places, and as my initial results will reflect the amount of effort I'm willing to put in, I think that the university I get into, with my results as they are, will be one which is right for me.

Having said all that - I will be ecstatic if either my first or second choice accept me. My offers are AAA and AAB, and I think I got about ABB, so I'm not too far off really...

Still, I absolutely will think long and hard about clearing - I'd just like any information I can get to facilitate that choice, and to make things easier if it is the road I ultimately decide to go down.

If you get ABB they'll still probably take you, it just means that they don't have to if they're over-subscribed.

Then again, you might find somewhere through clearing that turns out to be exactly the right place for you, as several people I know did.

And as everyone else said you may well either get the grades you need, or a place at one of your chosen universities anyway.

I would be very careful about deciding that any university would be right for you, as the place and environment is one you do have to be happy in for at least 3 years! That said, if you have missed your offers, it is certainly worth checking out the clearing options, as you might find something fantastic that you wouldn't have considered before.

Don't be afraid of having a gap year to reconsider your options. I have friends that did one (and in some cases two) and have mostly happily gone to universities in the end. One wanting to do medicine spend a year working as a surgery receptionist, another spent two years working as a lap dancer before going off to study English (oddly enough, she now has no shortage of money...!). If you can find a sensible way of spending the year, that earns you money, and gives work experience then it can be useful: Although it does hold you back a year too.

Will try and ask round friends that used clearing (most of my IB year group missed their offers... which is why I tell people not to do the course unless they're really academic, as the universities don't seem to realise that 34/45 points is equivalent to AAA according to ucas). Was funny when they all started looking at clearing though, "How many ucas points do you have?" "Erm... about 600? I did the IB..." "And XYZ Uni didn't want you???"

Have you been to the UCAS website. They give you quite comprehensive instructions and advice re. clearing, including what to do with your passport.

http://www.ucas.ac.uk/clearing/facts.html

If you have to go away, I would suggest taking your passport number with you, so that when/if you contact a university you can at least provide them with that detail.

My own advice would be to do your research before you go away. Either take a list of unis and courses you
are considering with you, (and their clearing line numbers), and then phone them. If you can get to an internet cafe, that's fine - you'll get the contact details you'll need there, but I would still suggest phoning. It gets absolutely crazy at clearing time and I would have little confidence in e-mails.


All the best

What are the offers, and what do you reckon you'll get? Are you sure you're not being paranoid? it tends to happen...

If you're close to the offer, you can write to the university just to see if they might consider taking you with the grades you have. I know someone who applied for an AAA course, got AABB, and was still accepted because she got an A in the subject she was going to study.

Have a look at clearing if the worst should happen - but don't feel you have to choose one because they're there. You might find that a gap year may be a good alternative - you can do retakes, or work experience - or try something different!

Good luck - hope you do get your offers though!

If you don't get the right grades for the universities you chose, Ucas will automatically send you a clearing form and you should get one of the national newspapers which has a list of all the universities and courses which have vacancies for 2008 entry. You then fill in the ucas clearing form and send it to the relavent university.

Thanks for all the advice - I've been on the UCAS website, and checked out the advice on lots of websites.

I just don't see how I can take my clearing passport with me - since presumably I won't be sent it until results day - and I'm away on results day.

My offers are AAA and AAB, I think I'll get ABB, so hopefully somewhere will let me in anyway!

Are you going to ring home for your results? Of so, then whoever opens your results should have your passport number to hand too. I think you just need that number to start calling around. Even if you don't have the number, I'd still call anyway and explain the situation.


Good Luck with it all.

Lucky, I've just caught up with this after getting back from our very rainy holiday in Cornwall. I really hope that your first or second choice uni will accept you, but if that doesn't happen, I wouldn't advise going blindly for whatever's available.

A colleague of mine was in this position with her daughter about 10 years ago. Once they'd sorted out which unis still had places to offer, they went on a tour of as many of them as they could get to so that the daughter could get a feel for them. She ended up at a uni which she probably would never have chosen just from the prospectuses, and had a whale of a time there. The courses may look similar, but if you aren't happy with the rest of the university set-up you won't enjoy the course as much.

A gap year may be the best option. It would give you a chance to reapply already knowing your A2 results, so you'd know early in the year where you were going to be studying, and if you worked half the year to fund three months' travel it could be a wonderful experience before getting back to study.

Good luck for Thursday, and I hope you get to York!

Lucky - IF you don't get the results get on the phone FAST to the university you want to go to, and ask if they would still accept you.
Don't be shy about it - talk up the fact that you really want to go to that university and don't want to take a second choice.
I think the universities would rather have someone who doesn't quite have the grades that really wants to go THERE, than someone else who may get there through clearing and for them it's a second choice.

I speak from expreience here as I got BCD and need BBC in that order so 2 grades down (I was predicted ABB so things went bad) Anyway I got straight on the phone was really nice & polite and keen and had secured the place at my 1st choice university by the end of the day. Looking back I don't know how I had the confidence or composure to make the call - but after all you've got nothing to loose by trying - just be prepared on the day, don't over sleep and have a list of your good points and why you want to go to that university on hand.

If that doesn't work - I suggest you don't give up and do go through clearing - secure a place first and then sit back and decide if you want it - It costs you nothing to try except a bit of time and you'll still have a couple of weeks to turn them down if you choose to do so, but don't waste the time on that 1st day - get on with it - If only because when you get a place at another university you will either feel good or still sad - in which case you will know if its the right thing to do or not.

Good luck with your grades, hopefully you'll be OK anyway

Thanks BM - I'm getting so stressed I've had about 6 nightmares, so some of what I've said on this thread is slightly hysterical "I just want it to be sorted out so I know what's happening" stuff! Rest assured, my mum'll be there and won't allow me to make any rash decisions!

Thanks for the luck and the advice!




Thanks! That's almost exactly what I wanted to hear, cause I think I'll be two grades down, but I've been assembling lists of convincing arguments about why York ought to let me in anyway! I'm glad it worked out so well for you!