So having been through Clearing twice you’d think I had little to nothing to learn about it, right? Well, I’ve learnt plenty and I’m still being surprised. There’s things I’ve discovered helping the Clearing Team that would have made a massive difference to me when I first considered coming to uni; if you’re still thinking about applying, these might help you out:
It’s really easy.
Disgustingly easy, one might say. When I applied, I literally called up the Clearing line, gave my grades, spoke to a woman for five minutes and I was on the course. This week I’ve seen people come in because they’re interested in joining a course, and then leave signed up to start in September. I’ve watched lecturers go out of their way to make sure potential students had picked the right course for them and that we have a place for them. If I’d known how easy it was going to be, I’d have made that call a lot sooner.
You can check everything out first.
So many people have come in this week to take a look at the campus, the accommodation, and speak to course leaders, and I had no idea you could do that outside of an Open Day. I only had what I saw online to go off about the course, and it would have put my mind at ease knowing I could have called or visited an actual person to ask questions about degree before I signed up.
It’s not just for people finishing their A Levels.
I’m clearly well past being in college, but there are lots of students I’ve seen lately who took a gap year or had to resit, or who have decided later what they’d like to do. I’ve seen people who are leaving full-time employment, and people who are taking a break from caring for their families full-time. One of my main worries when I was going to apply through clearing was that it was only for college students, and I’d have to apply some other way — but that’s just not true.
No one cares if you got in through Clearing.
Let me tell you about all the people who judged me, or made me feel bad, or acted like they were better than me because I came in through clearing: Oh, wait. There’s no one. Not one person. I see students come in and when I ask if they’ve come through Clearing they don’t wince or look shamefaced, it’s just a thing. I was worried everyone would look down on me, but the honest truth is, no one gives it a thought.
So now you know what I didn’t know, and I hope it helps! You’ve still got time to apply through Clearing, and it’ll be pretty worth it if you do. Trust.
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