university clearing

melancholly

lellie wrote:

First of all - take the details for his first and insurance choices admissions tutors - if he misses the grades for his first - ring them.. they might let him in, if he misses the insurance - also ring them - they might also let him in if lots of people have missed grades - if no luck then look for clearing places.

this is really important!
i know someone who missed their grades and started doing the phoning around fun, only to find that their first choice place hadn't rejected them! they missed their grades (one subject by 3 grades by the way - so it wasn't a near miss!) but apparently had a really good interview and the uni still wanted them on the course!

while i'm sure it won't have gone as badly as he thinks (you only ever remember the bits you got wrong, not the huge chunk you got right!), it is worth having a plan B and doing all the research now, as everyone else has said. as well as preparing for where else he could look at in clearing, it may be worth just thinking about what will happen on results day - does the school give out the results directly to each student? does he want to open the envelope with all his friends there? will he go inside and chat to people and leave you standing outside wondering what's happening? (I got distracted and my poor mother had to wait for half an hour while other people came out!) etc etc. it can be a really stressful day, and watching other people celebrating can be so tough. i don't know that i have any suggestions of what to do, but the actual getting of the results is pretty stressful, and afterwards once you can start taking control, it sorts out quite quickly!

mrcow

melancholly wrote:

(you only ever remember the bits you got wrong, not the huge chunk you got right!)

lol That is so right!

tenof26

good advice is givnen so far, heres hoping it won't come to needing it all

my tips:
1.make sure you go and reserve your copy of the independant in your local newsagents - dont want to be wasting time looking for one on the day
2.get the admission phone numbers, and keep them safe, cant wast time searching for them
3.also check out ucas extra, if thats still around, if any courses from that are suitable, can get phoning early

its quite crazy though, how students lives get decided on a first come first serve basis all on one day :-/

good luck to you both

DrFluffy

If the worst does come to the worst, why take 'any old crap' through clearing, when a well spent gap year and grades in the bag might get him on a better course than might be available in mid-Augusts rush

soolin

Thanks again. I am cutting and pasting all the relevant bits and book marking various websites.

Son's friend says that his tutor has told him to log onto the UCAS website earlyish, about 6am on the day the results come out as in past years the accept or decline notices have already been posted as of course the uni's have the grades. If it shows you hav ebeen accepted then it doesn't mean you have your grades, it just means that the uni have allowed some leeway. If it is declined then get the grades ASAP and phone, and then follow all the great advice as above.

I can't believe we have to wait a month for the results, it just got into my mind today as I'm going away tomorrow for a while and it will be nearly August by the time i get back..and it seemed to be creeping up on us all :eek:

Soo

DrFluffy

trhere's some clearing advice here: http://p075.ezboard.com/fbmedstudentschat4frm8

It's a little old now, but still very relevant...

sali_mali

I went through clearing to get onto my current course and yes, speed is essential! The spaces go quickly and there are thousands of students all over the country trying to get in.

I'd also advise that you prepare a list of courses similar to what he's trying for or other ones he'd want to do incase there are no spaces for his particular course, This is what happened to me, although I had originally applied for medicine so it's a bit different - it's so competetive you've got no chance of getting in through clearing. I'm now doing a degree that I can use as a stepping stone to medicine.

Also, schools stagger the times they give out the student's results so as to try and reduce phone/internet clogging. My school had the earliest slot so it was ok but students who get their results later can look online on the UCAS website from 10.30am (i think). It doesn't give the results but it does say if the students been accepted or not. Just gives them a headstart on the clearing race, they can start ringing round as soon as possible!

Anyway, I hope he gets the grades he needs but its not the end of the world if he doesn't! Best of luck to him

kiddy_guy

I'd just like to add a couple of points from someone who got into Warwick (Top 10) through clearing.

Firstly decide now which Uni's you son wants to go for and what courses. If he's not fussed about the location of the Uni, then he can stick with his named course. If he's more interested in the Uni location, then he can, like I did, be more flexible about his course. I wanted to do French and I ended up doing French with German.

If he doesn't get the A levels he wants and isn't happy to comprimise somewhere ( For 3 grand or so a year he shouldn't do it unless 100% happy with course or location), then resits are the best option. What point him going to Swansea Uni for example if he wants to go to Bristol if he's only going to drop out after 6 months, when he'll have stumped up course and accomodation fees.

He might see it as being behind a year, but those who into Uni with a year's more life experience start off in a better position sometimes.

Whatever happens, help him come to the right decision. If his grades are good then praise him. If his grades aren't so good, still praise him. But in that circumstance, the world won't end if he resits.

misskool

Just to say that I went through clearing because I got worse results than everyone expected and I was unprepared! (didn't have the foresight to speak to my tutors).
It is a stressful time and being organised is great. But please don't rush into a decision, speak to your son first and ask him what he would be happy doing. It is now more expensive than ever to go to uni and you wouldn't want him dropping out in the middle of the first year after incurring all that costs and still being undecided about what he wants to do!
I actually went to a better university on a different course than my original one and I've ended up doing a PhD in the same subject! Happy ending and all that.

soolin

sorry to resurect this after so long but son has just got a letter from one of the uni's he received an offer on and turned down.

The letter from the uni says that they have seen that he has chosen his first and second choice and they wish him well. it goes on to say that if he does not get the required grades for that uni then they would like him to call them before he goes through clearing as they would like the chance to offer him a place. The thing is that this uni had a higher grade requirement that the uni my son chose and as he can only lose his current 1st and 2nd choice if he doesn't get his grades they appear to be saying they will take him regardless.

Is this normal, or are they just desperate for students this year due to the new fees?

I know I am paranoid but I've just cancelled a short break as I realised we were going to be departing two days after the results and I wanted to be in a position to work through the system if necessary.

To add to my son's stress he has his driving test tomorrow :eek:

Soo