university clearing

juno

He will receive a magazine about a week before results day all about Clearing. Everyone receives this. Do not let him panic that this means he has failed and will need Clearing, as it doesn't.

In a similar vein, the letter doesn't mean anything. It's just saying they have spaces on that course, and if he wants to contact them they may accept him. Obviously, this does depend on what he gets and what everyone else who receives that letter gets.

moxie_2

My daughter had to go through clearing last year, it was extremely stressful, although she ended up at a good Uni and is very happy. If they are willing to talk to your son whatever his grades and it saves him having to go through clearing, I think this sounds positive. Good luck for his driving test too!

musostudent

Hi, I went through clearing a few years back and although you feel panicked at the time it's actually possible to get things sorted to your satisfaction! I missed my grades for my first choice university by miles (I got ADD and I needed ABC) so was rejected from there. My second choice university took 10 days to decide whether or not to accept me so while they were deciding I got on the phone to a few other universities, several of whom I had also had offers from. I was offered a place at Leeds, which I had originally turned down because it asked for the same grades as my first choice and I didn't want to put down two universities which asked for the same grades. I ended up at Leeds as my second choice university eventually rejected me, and that was fine. I had several friends in the same situation as our year was the first to go through with the AS/A2 level system and that confused everybody, and for most people the university they ended up at through clearing suited them just as well, if not better, than the university they had originally intended to go to.

If your son has already had a letter from this other university asking him to ring then it's likely that they were impressed with his application (and/or interview) and so would really like him to go there regardless of what grades he actually achieves. Universities look for more than academic achievement in their intake and have the power to accept whichever students they feel would be an asset to their course regardless of their grades (for example I had a friend who had an offer of 2 E grades for a Cambridge college because she interviewed well). And university is such a different experience from school anyway that often students who don't do so well at A level do better at degree level because they're focusing on a subject they enjoy or because they work better in that environment. I for instance got a high 2:1 for my degree, despite not having achieved the required grades for entrance, and others in my year who had got 3 A's for A level got 2:2's. So I would take the fact that this university has written to your son as extremely positive and as long as he would be happy to go there they should be his first port of call should he have to go through clearing.

Just one or two things to remember about clearing:

- Even if he hasn't achieved the required grades for his course, you still need to ring both his university choices to check whether or not he has been accepted as the majority of universities will accept students who have only missed their grades by a grade or so.

- Make the initial phone calls to clearing universities as soon as possible as the lines get very busy and it may take two or three tries to get through. But make sure the universities you ring are ones your son would like to go to as if he accepts a clearing place and fills out all the forms you can't stop the process and accept a place somewhere else. You'd need to officially drop out of the university and then go through the process again.

- If you find a university with spaces that is willing to accept your son, then it takes a few days for the forms to come through etc., so if possible go and visit the university and look around (if you've not been already). That is the one thing I really wish I'd done before officially accepting my place. Every university has a different atmosphere and every town feels different- you've going to be in that place for 3/4 years so if it doesn't feel right DON'T go there. Having to take a gap year before university is preferable to going somewhere that makes you miserable.

- Keep badgering departments. It often takes a few days for you to get a definite yes or no out of places as they're sorting through hundreds of students who all want places and who will all have similar grades. I got my place at Leeds because I rang the admissions tutor twice a day until I got my place. They look for people who are keen and the best way you can show that is to keep registering your interest in the place.

- It sometimes happens that a university you want to go to will offer you a place but not on the course you originally applied for. If you want to go to the university enough it's usually worth going for because a) you might find you enjoy the course as much or more than the one you originally applied for and b) it's relatively easy to transfer courses in the first few weeks of university due to the number of people who drop out. So in all likelihood you'd be able to transfer onto the course you want within three or four weeks of being at uni.

- Don't panic! Every year there are thousands of students going through the same thing and although it's scary at the time and you feel unsettled until you know exactly where you're going to go, it WILL work out for you if that's what you want. There will be a university that accepts your son so don't worry that there won't be. And everybody on the clearing lines are friendly and understand your situation, so don't be afraid to ask questions.


I hope that all this information will prove unnecessary and that your son will get his grades. But speaking as one who's been through the system- it will be OK and it will work out for him whatever he decides to do!

Good luck!!

Snow_Angel

Hi Soolin

I'm not sure I can add anything further to the excellent advice people have already offered. 13 years ago (gosh I feel old!), I didn't get the grades I needed to go to uni, so I actually took a gap year, re-sat 2 of them, passed with flying colours and then went to my first choice a year later. In this year I also managed to save some funds (far more important now than it was then in the good old days of the student bursary!) and developed my communication skills by having to work in a public service role. This all did wonders for my confidence and I finally entered uni feeling much more positive. I thoroughly enjoyed the course and gained a 2:1. I then worked for 2 years with my degree, then went travelling for 7 years, and am now a postgraduate in a related subject. I will say that, yes, this was a very stressful time, there were tears and I thought life was looking pretty un-hopeful. But it did all work out in the end.

I hope your son does get the grades he deserves - I feel that a phone call to the University from perhaps his current tutor to the University admissions of his first choices regarding problems with teaching staff this year is the best piece of advice. It DEFINITELY worked for me in my current uni course - I had some personal difficulties at the time of doing entry exams. A phone call to the University course leader to explain meant that I was offered the place regardless of a poor entry exam performance (and this is on a course where there are 10 - 13 applicants per place!).

Best of luck to him (perhaps save up all these happy-ending stories should he need them!), and please do tell us how he gets on.

Good luck and best wishes

soolin

Again thanks to everyone. I think I'm just getting panicky, it feels like everything is on hold at the moment as we don't want to make plans until we know that number 1 son is settled somewhere.

I do feel for all students going through this stressful time. I will also repost when we know what he is doing and what he gets. His results are out on the 17th, and I'm just trying to find out when GCSE results are out for number 2 son.

Soo

DrFluffy

soolin wrote:

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?
Soo

I wouldn't say it is normal, but it certainly isn;t unusual.

It has nothing to do with the fees you pay either - that is nothing to a university (doesn't even make up for the reduction in Government funding). What they interested in is the funding they do get from the governement which will lie at somewhere between £7,000 and £15,000 pa a student, depending on the course... If they do not have a certain number of people on a course it costs them to run it. Unis would rather take lower grades than risk this.

heymylastnameislewis

hey and if u dont get the grades u can always come join me at staffordshire university, they will take anyone! lol!!!!!!

Bennifred

soolin wrote:

Again thanks to everyone. I think I'm just getting panicky, it feels like everything is on hold at the moment as we don't want to make plans until we know that number 1 son is settled somewhere.

I do feel for all students going through this stressful time. I will also repost when we know what he is doing and what he gets. His results are out on the 17th, and I'm just trying to find out when GCSE results are out for number 2 son.

Soo

GCSE results are on Thursday 24th August. My DS2 is also getting his that day_pale_

Savvy_Sue

Bennifred wrote:

GCSE results are on Thursday 24th August. My DS2 is also getting his that day_pale_

Mine too ... he SAYS he's sure he's done OK, but I don't know if I trust his judgement or not ...

Good luck for your son Soolin ...

soolin

On the advice of people who have gone through this before we have sat up until 1 minute past 12 and logged into the UCAS system.

The wording yesterday said that No1 son had accepted his place, and clicking on the link said it was a conditional offer. It now says. and I quote " Congratulations! Your offer has been confirmed".

I think that means that he has his place (but obviously not that he definitely has his grades as they may have taken him with lesser grades), but I don't know.

I am tired and really emotional and we are sitting here not sure we are reading it right.

Will go to bed now and wait for the morning to get his results as well.

Good luck to everyone else waiting for results.

Soo