If you need to enter clearing, the chances are that you feel bruised at not securing a place at one of your two preferred universities. Now you are expected to plunge into the unknown as well.
Virtually nobody in the education world defends the annual scramble for university vacancies that begins as soon as A-level results are released. The final report from Mike Tomlinson’s inquiry into the reform of GCSEs and A levels, due in the autumn, is expected to make a priority of abolishing clearing, by ensuring that students apply to university after they know their results rather than before.
That is little comfort to those who must find an alternative place over the next month. The good news, though, is that clearing has become less frantic in recent years as more people have gained entry to their first-choice institutions, thanks to the improvement in A-level grades and pass rates.
About 9 per cent of freshers found places through clearing last year, compared with 11 per cent just two years before. A total of 35,138 students entered university this way in 2003, compared with 36,119 in 2002 and 39,360 in 2001.
The new UCAS Extra service before publication of the exam results has also helped to ease the August scramble. The Universities & Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) allows applicants who have no offers from their original six choices to select a further two between March and July. However, they must enter clearing if they fail to meet the grade requirements.
Some will find themselves today in the fortunate position of having done much better than expected in their A levels. Technically, this commits them to accept their first-choice university because the conditional offer has been met and a contract exists between the institution and the student. Students who are convinced that better options may now be available, however, can ask the university if it will permit them to withdraw. It does not have to agree, but few admissions tutors will want to hold someone to a place they no longer wish to take up. It is a risky strategy, however, because a failure to find that better place through clearing means an unplanned gap year and a fresh application for entry in 2005.
So what does it take to win the clearing game? Your watchword should be a simple one: Don’t panic. A cool head, organisation and perseverance will be your best friends during this period. But first of all, you should consider making a call.
If your examination results are only a grade or so off the conditional offer at one of your preferred universities, contact the admissions tutors to see if they will accept you anyway. Oversubscribed courses are unlikely to be receptive but others prefer to take students who have already shown a commitment to them rather than recruit unknown candidates through clearing.
If this works for you, then you will not have to worry any more about clearing. If not, you may want to think about re-taking one or more of your A-level papers and apply again for next autumn.
If you decide to seek an alternative place, however, clearing awaits. Start by listing courses and universities that interest you. This guide contains sketches of universities that are particularly active during clearing, plus web links so that you can check course vacancies.
UCAS, which administers the clearing system, provides a full list of available courses on its website. It will send a Clearing Entry Form (CEF) to all eligible candidates, showing their personal details, A-level results and clearing number. All candidates should receive their CEF within a few days of results being published. Ring UCAS on 0870 1122211 if you do not receive one.
Once you have drawn up a list of contenders, telephone the university’s clearing service. There is no avoiding this; getting your mother, best friend or favourite teacher to call on your behalf will not impress busy admissions tutors. They want to hear from you about why you are interested in their courses.
Do not feel daunted. The staff manning the hotlines know this is a stressful time and will be sympathetic with you. They will know that, but for disappointment in exam results, you may not have considered their university previously, so they will be professional in explaining what they have to offer.
But, equally, if you are interested in them now, you should be able to explain why they should be interested in you. Be ready to sell yourself and be clear about your reasons for studying the particular subject that appeals to you. Jot down a list of reasons before you call.
If a university wants to make you an offer it will ask to see your original CEF. If you are sure that you have found what you want then send it off. Better still, take it in person, so that you can get a feel of the university. Many organise open days during this period.
Do not part with your CEF too hastily. Universities insist on seeing the original, not copies, so you can be considered by only one place at a time. If you feel the course is not for you, decline and carry on phoning. Again, taking your CEF in person means that you can get straight back into clearing if you so decide.
Clearing is a game of nerve and judgment. Wait too long for the “perfect” option and you could miss out on opportunities that you might be happy to accept later on. Snatch the first course offered and you may spend three years regretting the decision or, worse still, drop out.
Taking such potentially life-changing decisions at speed and under pressure is stressful. But parents, teachers and admissions tutors want to help, so do not be afraid to ask for advice. Be encouraged, too, by the many successful graduates who have found fulfilling courses through clearing. Clearing is an imperfect system but it does work for many people. There is no reason why you should not be among them if you show commitment, concentration, and a willingness to be flexible. Be clear about your bottom-line requirements, however. Resits and an enforced gap year are certainly preferable to accepting a course you do not really want at a university you do not really like.
The review by Tomlinson, the former Chief Inspector of Schools, may seek to make the clearing ritual a thing of the past by the end of the decade, but do not bet on its demise.
Universities and schools all recognise the importance of moving to a so-called “post-qualifications admissions system” but neither side has shown any willingness to alter its academic timetables to facilitate the change.
The interests of students come first, it seems, except when it might inconvenience teachers and dons.
