From Clearing to a First-Class Degree: Sam’s story

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It was a calm August morning, I was sleeping off the slight jet lag from the from the last ten days on a scorching Greek Island. The clock quietly ticked its way to a quarter to 11, which looking back was the calm before the storm.

“SAM!”, my mum rushed into my bedroom, still finding her balance from shooting out of bed, a concerned look on her face. I jumped up still in a sleepy haze and unsure of the time zone or my surroundings.

“It’s your results day and you’re late!”

I instantly snapped into reality. I carelessly carried myself out of bed, stumbling down the stairs as I climbed down my bunk.

“I’ll drive you!”, my mum shouted from the next room as we both fumbled with our clothes, threw on our shoes and ran out of the door. For the next five-minutes I sat in the passenger seat stressed at the thought of missing results day. Meanwhile, my mum sped past the amber lights and impatiently rushed through street corners, till we arrived at my college.

To say I tried for good grades would be an understatement. I sat in the library for months, bingeing on Kinder Bon Bon’s and studying till my brain felt frazzled. But as I opened my results letter, I was nothing short of disappointed.

I looked at my grades and knew I didn’t make it. I didn’t get into my desired university. With a heavy heart and my eyes welling up, I walked back to my mum’s car, before bursting into tears. Yes, I’m a crier and that’s what I did the entire journey home. My sisters eagerly waited by the door, their optimism shattered by my tear stained cheeks and defeated body language.

I soon discovered that my lack of organisation was without a doubt my biggest downfall. I spent the next few hours frantically looking through university courses that would accommodate my disappointing results.

I wallowed in my own sadness, feeling like this was absolutely the worst day of my life. Surely, I was going to be a failure in life now, right? Wrong.

I was lucky enough to be assigned to a mentor during my time at secondary school as a student “with potential who hadn’t reached her full capacity yet” and boy oh boy, was I grateful for that label.

An angel had come disguised as my mentor in my greatest hour of need. I popped down to her office to be met by a room full of people who, like myself, were also in the same situation. Between the guidance I received from my mentor and the consistently supportive phone calls from home, I found my perfect fit through Clearing.

It’s now almost four years since that day and I can confidently say, it wasn’t the end of the world. Now fast forward to the summer of 2018, after three years of consistent hard work, I graduated with a First-Class degree in English with Creative Writing.

In hindsight, there are many things that I would have done differently, so here are a few tips to ensure you’re more prepared than I was.

4 TIPS TO PREPARE FOR CLEARING

MENTOR: Find yourself a friend, sibling, parent or anyone who has been to university and can help you navigate through the UCAS Clearing tool with a clear head, considering all your circumstances.

RESEARCH: It’s great to aim high, but it’s also important to find a balance between being realistic and aiming high. There are so many resources that can help you. Whatuni’s Clearing advice section is excellent in helping you understand the process of Clearing and advising on common concerns students have.

UCAS’ clearing website also helps you clearly navigate through the courses, grade expectations and useful numbers to contact Universities.

LIST: Create a list of universities that can accommodate to your expected grades. It’s good to create a list that covers both your best and worst possible outcomes. Some useful information on this list to help you can include:

Name of the university.

A direct number that you can call.

The university’s expected grades – these grades generally go down during Clearing. Don’t wait too long though - claim your place before the course is fully booked.

COVER LETTER: A cover letter is hands down one of the most important things you need on Clearing. Due to the nature of the day and the high-volume of phone calls that university’s receive, they will most likely interview you on the spot.

So, if you know you definitely want to pursue a particular subject, then write short cover letter or a few bullet points and keep it at hand, stating exactly why you’re good enough for the course.

I hope my story is both assuring and uplifting. If you’re looking for more information and advice, Whatuni has an entire Clearing section on Whatuni you can explore now.