My Clearing Experience

Hello and welcome to my blog about my experience with Clearing, and my top tips.

Why I went through Clearing

Let’s dust off the cobwebs and go back to my A-level year where my story begins. I applied to five different courses through UCAS. Of these I got an offer at one but ultimately I ended up rejecting it. It just didn’t feel right for me. So I took a year out, a week before university was meant to begin. After my year out I applied again, but this time I didn’t get any offers and so I went through Clearing.

Results Day

Results Day arrived and I spent the morning repeatedly refreshing the UCAS Clearing page while my mum paced up and down the room. Click. There it was a page of fresh courses. I scanned the page, applied the filters, and saw amongst the noise an opening at York. I clicked on it, completed the form but when I tried submitting it, it said that there were technical difficulties and to try again later. Later? Now! After a couple more attempts, I was still met with the same problems.

Clearing Prep

I decided to call York instead, and it all worked out. I received an offer the following day. The offer lasted a week which really helped as it allows you time to decide and pick between multiple offers.

Apart from the magnitude 7 stress earthquake that hit my mum when the form didn’t work, Clearing was straight forward. The process was easy, and it didn’t take much time, the key I found to this was good prep. I had made a list of the courses I was interested in, their required grades, the phone numbers, course codes and this meant that I knew that I was only going for courses I liked and had peace of mind that everything I needed was right there.

Why York

To tell the truth I hadn’t thought about York as an option until Clearing. I knew very little about the University when I got the offer and was hesitant about accepting it or waiting for another. During the week I had to decide I spoke to my parents and brother and surfed the internet doing an encyclopaedic amount of research. I remember feeling perfectly comfortable with the idea of calling it my home for the next 3 years and I haven’t looked back since.

My key points:

1. DO make a list of the courses you are interested in – It will give you a lot of peace of mind, confidence in choosing the right course and save you a lot of time on the day. Another important thing to think about is the university itself, is it right for you and are you happy with the idea of living there?
2. DON’T rush into any decisions – You may be panicked and click on the first course that you think you like the look of. Breathe, relax, this is an important decision, and you may be slightly emotional on Results Day which could your judgement.
3. DO be prepared – Have your grades, UCAS number, course code and Clearing phone numbers ready. Please, for your own wellbeing and that of your parents.
4. DON’T pick a course for the sake of it – You may feel pressured to pick a course for the sake of it due to parents, friends etc. but this is a big decision and there are plenty of other options, I know people who have taken more than 2 years out and I found that my year out gave me a better appreciation for university. Take your time.
5. DO relax, have an open mind, and pick what you think is best for you – It will all work out in the end just remember that it is your life and a big decision so make sure you are happy with it.

Above: Example notes that I used.

Good Luck 😊

Xavi