Arthie's story:

Hi, my name is Arthie and I’m currently studying development studies and Chinese at SOAS. The reason why I chose to go through Clearing is because I didn’t get the grades needed to go to my firm university and I didn’t want to take a year out. I wanted to go immediately into university to higher education. In the beginning I did have a few doubts about Clearing but when I looked at the courses available I realised that a lot of universities are in Clearing including Russell Group universities so I realised it was just a negative stereotype.

Some of the benefits or like highlights you might have as a student who’s going through Clearing is that you might even find a course you liked more. That was what happened to me. I initially wanted to do French and Politics in Nottingham and I didn’t get the grades to go do that so I saw that SOAS did development studies and Chinese and I realised that Chinese was the language I wanted to do more than French and I’m really really happy that I managed to see this option. I would never have known about it unless I looked through Clearing.

Some of the challenges you may overcome in Clearing is that you might find it difficult to find a course that you like or you might hear a few nos in the beginning. But remember like Clearing is a very rigourous and draining process so just because your first few calls might say like no, just keep on ringing don’t give up on the first day, keep on ringing continuously for a whole week and eventually you will find a university and a course that fits right. Also, don’t say yes to the first university which gives you a space. Remember to keep your options open, look for other universities as well and then gather them all and then make a decision for yourself and what you think is best accustomed for you.

My advice for any students who are going through Clearing because they got lower grades than they expected is that don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world. There are loads of options. You never know, you might even find a university you prefer more than you chose in your firm university so don’t think it’s the end of the world. It’s all good. Clearing is always a back up and it’s a good, very very good backup.

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