In 2020, I came to York to study Social Policy through Clearing as an international student. The day of Clearing was stressful as I needed to call multiple universities in a short period of time while facing the problem of not having a place. I’m glad to say that I found a course I loved by accident through Clearing! Here’s my Clearing story.
Results day
Before results day, I was a little nervous but more excited. I knew that after I got my results, I would be able to start my university life. At the same time, I was very confused about the future. I applied for Accounting and Finance, which was an interesting subject. However I often wondered whether I wanted to spend my three years at university studying that course or whether I should choose Sociology. I was more interested in it and thought it might give me more motivation. Finally, I decided to do Sociology! This meant I needed to prepare for Clearing to ensure that I could get an offer.
The Clearing process
I encountered a few obstacles during the Clearing process, but overall it was more straightforward than I expected. I am glad I went through Clearing as I was able to find the course I am most interested in – Social Policy. Currently, I’m in my final year and I’m still very much enjoying it and will be exploring it further at postgraduate level.
Preparation
I had a lot of things to prepare to make sure I was ready for Clearing. I needed to get the following together:
- Uni information: contact details of the University, phone numbers, courses available, working hours.
- Personal information: my grades, my UCAS ID, and other information.
In addition, as an international student I needed to find out:
- How to call the UK from another country
- The time differences. As I am from China, I needed to work out the time difference between China and the UK and call at a time during the University’s working hours.
Making phone calls – don’t panic
With many students ringing up during Clearing, there may be a queue when calling the university. However, every university is different. With some you don’t have to wait, while others you have to wait over an hour!
I was lucky as I didn’t have to wait too long when calling York. Also, the staff who answered the phone were very friendly and patient. After telling her that I was looking forward to studying Sociology, I was told that there were no more places available for Sociology. I was very frustrated and worried that I would not get an offer. However, the staff patiently reassured me and suggested a relevant alternative course, Social Policy.
With her help, I carefully explored the Social Policy website and its curriculum and course objectives. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this course was exactly what I expected to study – in fact, it was more suitable for my expectations than Sociology. In addition, Social Policy at York was very resourceful and highly ranked. I felt delighted and confirmed that I wanted to study the course. Now, I am still very grateful for the help of this staff member!
After I received an offer
Then, the staff asked for my grades, email address, etc. and happily informed me that I could get a provisional offer. I was then given the offer by email.
In the following days, I did a more detailed review of York and the University of York, such as the support from the University, the college system, etc. to ensure that I would like to complete my university life there. In addition, I found York to have a very high level of student satisfaction, which appealed to me. After that, I accepted the offer and started to make accommodation reservations and apply for a student visa.
I hope you enjoyed my Clearing story. Clearing may sound like an anxious and urgent process, but there is a lot of help and support available to you during the process. So, don’t panic!
If you enjoyed my Clearing story why not read more student stories about clearing.
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