Frequently
asked questions on clearing
Your
clearing questions answered: Part Two
Didn't get the grades you needed? All is not lost - our team of experts have
answered your clearing-related questions. On our panel are:
- John O'Leary, Editor of The Times Good University Guide
- Richard Broom, Admissions Co-ordinator at City University, London
- Christine Tyler, former Head of Eccles College in Salford and Colleges
Consultant at the Association of School and College Leaders
Q: I’m about to pick up my results, and feel it is extremely unlikely that
I have obtained the necessary grades to get into my firm choice - Leicester
University, who are asking for AAB. Alhough I feel I am capable of these
grades, due to uncontrollable circumstances I will probably be far from
obtaining them. I am very keen on attending Leicester, but feel as though I
will lose motivation if I have another year at college and end up in the
same predicament this time next year. Do you think I should go through
clearing? DB
A: (Christine Tyler): If your results don’t match up to Leicester’s
requirements, it is well worth contacting the admissions officer there to
discuss possibilities. Were your teachers aware of the ‘uncontrollable
circumstances’ that have led you to be concerned about your results? If they
were, you may find it helpful to ask one of them to help you by contacting
Leicester and speaking to the admissions officer before handing the phone
over to you. This will add credibility to your situation and may ease the
way.
There are several other options worth a try. You could find out from the
university if they have another course similar to your first choice that
requires less stretching grades and still has vacancies. Take a quick look
at www.ucas.com/clearing to see if there is anything at Leicester that ties
in with your chosen subject. You would then have to speak with the
admissions officer, get approval and select that course through clearing.
The university may be prepared to accept you on to an HND in your subject,
with the option to move over to a degree when you have achieved that. Some
universities also have arrangements with local Further Education colleges,
so that students can study for a foundation year there before joining the
university course of their choice. They are closely linked to the university
and students who follow this route often do very well. Ask the university
admissions officer if this is an option in your case.
If these routes are not available to you and your grades are good enough for
you to follow the course of your choice at another university, then you
should consider going through clearing. This is where the advice of people
who know your capabilities – your teachers and careers adviser – will be
most useful, so do go and speak with them about possible choices.
A: (Richard Broom): Check you Ucas track account first thing in the
morning. You should then be able to see your current overall position in
Ucas, whether you have been unsuccessful in gaining a place at Leicester and
whether you are, in fact, already in Clearing. Should you really want to go
specifically to Leicester you may wish to consider ‘cousin-courses’ to the
one to which you originally applied which may have lower entry requirements.
If you could not, for example, secure a place on a competitive Business
course you may wish to consider Economics.
Q: I will be going through clearing was wondering what sort of things the
admission officers will ask and what sort of questions to expect. Will it be
like an interview? I want to study law, partly from having done work
experience with a law firm which I enjoyed - but am not really sure what I
should say. AK
A: (Christine Tyler): Admissions officers are always keen to find out
if your interest in their course and university is genuine, or a last
resort. You should take a good look at what the actual course entails and
find out a bit about the university. This will mean that you can demonstrate
that you are really interested in the clearing place you seek.
Do make sure that you tell the admissions officer about your work experience
and how that inspired you to want to study Law. Enthusiasm for a subject is
always appreciated. If you can identify some additional reasons for your
choice of subject – you enjoy reading about cases; you were weaned on
detective novels, you are a logical person – I’m sure you can think of
better ones than these! – then that will help.
It’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with the location of the chosen
university if it’s new to you. Sometimes people make desperate geographical
mistakes and find themselves unexpectedly studying at the other end of the
country – which is fine for some, but not all! As far as what you say is
concerned, just make sure that you answer the questions clearly and that you
sound energetic, eager and informed.
A: (Richard Broom): Firstly make sure you have to hand your Ucas number
and the exact grades for ALL the qualifications that you have taken. Then
check the university website for the course description of your chosen
programme of study: is it really what you want to do? Remember that you will
be studying the subject for the next three years and you really want to know
that you are going to make a success of it.
The admissions tutor will be looking to see if you have the right academic
profile but also that you have actually researched what the course entails
and so may ask you a question relating to what you know about the course.
They are also going to be looking for your motivation, any experience you
may bring and what you wish to do when you graduate.
Q: I have been offered a place at Queen Mary in Economics BSc, but
am now also considering Royal Holloway for the same subject. I have an ABCB,
but am worried that if I decline Queen Mary and get refused by Royal
Holloway, I may be forced to accept an offer from another university
altogether. Royal Holloway was not one of my initial choices. Please can you
help? MA
A: (Christine Tyler): This is a difficult one because you will have to
think hard about why you accepted the Queen Mary offer in the first place.
Presumably there was something about the course and college that really
appealed to you and you should revisit your decision process before taking
any further action. It is a good idea to talk with your Economics or
Business Studies teacher, so that you can get an informed second opinion
about the respective merits of the courses in the two colleges.
If you are still really keen to try for Royal Holloway, you need to do some
research to find out if there is a place available for Economics there
through clearing. If there is, your next step should be to obtain permission
from Queen Mary to change your mind and enter into clearing. However, it
might be worth checking with Royal Holloway to see if they will
(hypothetically) accept you through clearing before you burn your boats with
Queen Mary. Whether or not they will have that discussion with you when you
are not yet in clearing will be up to the individual admissions officer, but
it’s probably worth a try. If they can’t give any reassurance and you are
still keen to change college, then you will have to take the risk and ask
Queen Mary to release you from your contract before moving into the clearing
situation. However, they may well try to persuade you to stay.
A: (Richard Boom): Consult the vacancy listing to see if Royal Holloway have
places. If they have, ring them to see if they would be interested in
admitting you with the grades you have. Leave your place at Queen Mary
exactly as it is – do not in any way cancel, withdraw or decline it. You
need to hold on to your ‘live’ options while you negotiate elsewhere. If
Royal Holloway agree to take you then you would need to consult with Queen
Mary with regard to the possibilities of your release.
Q: Is there any chance of securing a place for Dentistry through clearing?
I did not receive any offers this year but have made the grades usually
required. JM
A: (Christine Tyler): At the moment there are only four universities
with Dentistry related degrees being offered through clearing – and I expect
that you’ve found those for yourself. So, if you are absolutely set on
Dentistry rather than Dental Technology or Hygiene and Dental Therapy, you
have nothing to lose by ringing some of the universities that did not make
you any offers and asking admissions officers if there is any chance. But
this is a very long shot. Ask your teacher or careers adviser to give you a
hand with this. They could talk briefly to the admissions officers on your
behalf before handing over, as you’ve obviously done well.
Your best bet may well be to discuss the situation with a careers adviser and
to see if there is any chance of working for a year in a dentistry-related
job. Don’t be shy to go to your own dentist and ask him or her if they know
of any placement type vacancies – use your contacts! The local Round Table
usually has a dentist or two as members and this organisation has a very
good record of helping young people – so give them a call as well. Their
details should be available through the local library.
You can then apply to a university of your choice to study Dentistry in 2008,
picking a course for which the A level grades you have already achieved
qualify you and with the extra evidence of your commitment to the profession
through your year’s employment. You will also have the advantage of
practical knowledge of the profession and some money to help you through the
course!
A: (Richard Broom): The first place you should always go for vacancy
listings is the Ucas website. Do a course search on key words associated
with Dentistry and see if any institution is declaring vacancies. You may
find that there are no vacancies to train as a dentist but there are
offerings for dental technicians. Course such as Dentistry are highly
competitive and often will not need to go into clearing. Even having a
required place would not guarantee you a place as universities would be
committed to applicants already holding offers that were made earlier in the
year.
Q: My son is at a Gloucestershire boarding school and received five A*'s
and five A's at GCSE level. He began taking five AS levels - Maths, Physics,
Biology, Chemistry and Theatre Studies – but dropped Maths as he was having
difficulty with the amount of work. We have had nothing but positive
feedback from the school and he was forecast to receive two A's and two B's.
Yesterday’s results were an unimaginable two B's (Biology, Theatre Studies -
missed A grade by four marks), a C in Chemistry (missed a B by three marks)
and a D in Physics (again a close call). We are shell-shocked and
dumbfounded by these results. Our son wanted to have a career as a doctor
but will obviously not now even be offered an interview with these grades.
My husband threatens to disown him if he continues Theatre Studies which he
feels is a useless A level. Do you have any suggestions as to which way to
turn? EJ
A: (John O’Leary): I assume your son's results are AS levels, so it is
not too late to improve the grades during the A2 year - especially since he
is so close to the grade boundaries. Medicine would be a long shot, but he
could still secure a place at a good university. There must be a question
about whether it is sensible to continue with four subjects if he is
struggling with the workload, but Theatre Studies would be accepted as a
third (or fourth) A level since his other subjects are traditional sciences.
A: (Christine Tyler): Many students find that the transition from GCSE
to AS is quite a shock as there is a step jump between the two and different
approaches are needed. Often, students make big improvements in their A2
year and end up with far better grades than their AS results would suggest.
One of the big advantages of the new AS/A2 system is that it is very open, so
your son’s teachers are able to obtain his papers to see where he lost marks
and they may be able to argue for higher marks for the near miss subjects.
They will only request a re-mark if they are sure that his marks will go up,
as they can be reduced as well. If this is not an option, the next step is
to arrange for your son to retake some of his AS modules and raise his
grades that way.
You will need to contact his teachers very quickly as requests for sight of
papers and re-marks are time limited. They will also be the best people to
consult on the issue of re-sits. Remember that each module is marked out of
a different total on a Unified Mark System (UMS), so teachers can work out
exactly which module will attract the biggest benefit in a re-sit in order
to achieve raised grades – and can advise accordingly.
I realise that this information does not address your underlying concerns
about your son’s applications to university and it may be that he has either
to revise his career choice or take a bit longer to get on to his medical
course. Although this may not be an immediately appealing option, there are
some advantages to taking a gap year that he should consider.
Firstly, he will be able to ensure that he achieves the grades that he
requires for his chosen course, and will have extra time to do this if
necessary. Secondly, he can apply now to do some medically connected job
which will give evidence of his commitment, allow him to be sure of his
career choice and earn some money to help him through university. Otherwise
he could undertake a connected voluntary activity. Many medical students are
accepted by universities after taking an extra year to get the desired
grades and their increased maturity and experience is appreciated by
admissions tutors.
I’m sorry that your husband isn’t keen on the Theatre Studies. Good acting and
communication are just the sort of skills that I think make a good doctor
special! It is really important that he does not lose confidence after his
disappointment, so I hope that now you have all recovered from receiving
what are in fact quite a good set of results (even if not what you had
expected) you can think clearly about the options I have outlined.
A: (Richard Broom): Your son will only really succeed if he is happy
with the combination of subjects he is taking and the assurance that they
reflect his true interests and abilities. It is often that case that
students need to compromise their initial career aspirations in favour of
creating an academic profile which actually shows where their strengths lie.
Your son is clearly good at Theatre Studies and, despite what your husband
feels, we should acknowledge the reality of what his grades are telling us.
It would be not be prudent to drop your best subject but rather get better
grades that may point you towards an alternative but ultimately successful
and fulfilling career.
Q: I've got a grade of AAC - but my first choice Bath require ABB, so I'm
down to my second choice. With my grades do you think it is possible for me
to get into LSE - any subject will do to be honest. SL
A: (John O’Leary): The LSE has no courses in clearing, so you are unlikely to
find a place there. Are you sure that Bath has rejected you? You have only
missed your offer by one grade in one subject and you have two As. Many
universities accept candidates in such circumstances
A: (Christine Tyler): Your first step is to ring Bath to see if they will
accept you with what is in effect the same value of grades that they
required, but in a slightly different combination. IT may be that your C was
in the vital subject, so this may not apply – but it costs little to make a
phone call to the admissions officer to talk over your position. It might
help if you can ask a teacher or adviser to make the first contact, explain
your predicament and then hand over to you – especially if you just missed
the B. If this isn’t possible, then you have to consider carefully why you
aren’t automatically going to accept your insurance offer.
A: (Richard Broom): The main criterion when preparing for a university career
is that you choose a subject in which you are interested and find enjoyable:
only then will you be preparing for a successful career. During clearing,
admissions staff are often stunned to hear an applicant say 'What have you
got left; I'll do anything!' and this normally results in an immediate
rejection. The Admissions tutor to whom you are talking, when you phone up
in clearing, will have chosen their subject because they were passionate
about it and will not wish to consider applicants who are just 'passengers'
on their course.
If you have an Insurance choice do check to see if you have met the
conditions. If you have not then Clearing is your only option but be assured
that, even at this stage, there are still places out there.
Q: My daughter was predicted 4 As in Law, History, Philosophy and Film
Studies - she was unwell during part of her exams but insisted on carrying
on with them. Hers and our worst fears arrived with her results when her
offer to study Law at Queen Mary was rejected – her offer was AAB and she
received ABBCC. Her college principal rang the university who said there
were spaces but they were considering all applicants and she would find out
today. They have now told her she was unsuccessful. I feel the delay in
being told whether she had a place put her at a disadvantage with contacting
her clearing options. Bernadette
A: (Christine Tyler): This is a difficult situation and your daughter
must be feeling quite upset at the moment. That said, it is still worth
asking your daughter’s college to pull out all the stops on her behalf. I’m
sure that a senior tutor will take a few moments to try again with the
admissions tutor, just to see if they have had a late change of mind from
another student – which does sometimes happen. Getting the member of staff
to talk about the genuine nature of your daughter’s illness and her expected
grades before handing over to your daughter to speak to them may help.
However, realistically, you may have to consider other routes. Firstly, your
daughter will have already researched her insurance choice of place
thoroughly, and must have liked what she saw when she accepted it. So she
should think carefully before she finally decides against accepting it. If
she is determined that she does not want to go to her second choice
university, she will have to ask their permission to be freed from her
contract with them and placed in clearing.
Although there may not be places for Law at universities of her choice in
clearing, she will now be free to telephone those universities to see if
there is a free place because someone else has decided to change their mind
like her. This is a very long shot but she will have nothing to lose by
trying. If her college has any links with the universities she is interested
in, her Law tutor, for example, may be able to speak with admissions tutors
on her behalf.
If this route is not available, then your daughter should start to look on the
situation as an advantage rather than a setback. She may wish to speak with
the college careers adviser and consider obtaining a job related to her
chosen profession for the next year. She can then apply for a university
place to start in September 2008, with the experience of working in the
profession, knowing that the good grades she has already obtained will
support her application to a wide range of universities. She will also have
the advantage of earning some money to support her through university and
have made possibly vital links in the Law profession that may pay off when
she is looking for vacation work or a job in future. Many employers see a
year’s practical experience in the profession as a tremendous advantage and
it should also help her with her legal studies.
A: (Richard Broom): Some competitive subjects regrettably have a
prohibitive ratio of applicants to places. And do not forget that applicants
come from all over the world. With the accession of many Eastern European
countries to the European Union some institutions have found that they are
considering 15 or so applicants to each place. In order to control the
intake of numbers to target, universities sometimes have to be quite severe
in their selection when results are produced. Admissions tutors will
normally take on those applicants who have met or exceed the exact
conditions of the offer first, as they are obliged to honour the offer. They
will then work on a sliding scale when accepting those who are 'near
misses'. Your daughter appears to have fallen into the latter category.
It is particularly unfortunate that she was unwell during her examinations and
we would always recommend that applicants inform universities of extenuating
circumstances as soon as possible. However, in this instance the university
concerned may well have found that statistically it could not exercise any
discretion.
A: (John O’Leary): Your daughter has been particularly unlucky. If she
was unwell during the exam period, her school could have applied for special
consideration, which might have affected the offer. She should certainly
ensure that any other university she approaches in clearing knows of her
illness. There should still be plenty of places in law, even if not at the
universities she would have chosen initially.
Q: I have missed my grades to study English for Bristol, but really want to
go to a red brick university. What are my options?
A: (Christine Tyler): I’m assuming that your insurance choice
university is not red brick. If this is so, then you have to think very
carefully about how you reached the decision to accept their offer in the
first place. If you decide to refuse your insurance offer and ask their
permission to pass into clearing, you need to ensure that there are still
clearing places for English available in universities that fit your criteria
before burning your boats.
It’s difficult to understand what the attraction of a red brick university is
over others as all universities have distinctive characters and standards
that are comparable. Do take the opportunity to talk this situation over
with your English teacher, who will have a good knowledge of what different
universities can offer, before you take the plunge. You should also remember
that English degrees vary considerably between universities and that there
is a good choice of combined degrees that you could consider as well.
A: (Richard Broom): Check the UCAS website for other universities that
would fit into the category of institution in which you are interested.
Remember that it is always the course that is the most important factor in
applying to university so you may need to look at courses related to or
combined with English if you want to broaden your options. Whilst 'red
brick' universities may all have a 'name' when going for jobs when you graduate,
many of the modern campus universities will provide an equally challenging
and enjoyable environment.
A: (John O'Leary): English demands high grades, particularly at
Bristol, but there are a lot of places left at other universities. Search
the Ucas website and ring your chosen university as soon as you have made a
decision. Many of them will operate over the weekend.
Q: I wanted to do English, but didn't get the grades for any of the unis I
want, should I switch to film studies, it looks easier to get in.
A: (Christine Tyler): It really depends on whether you want to study
English or just to go to university at all costs. Firstly – have you got any
idea of what kind of career you will eventually want to take up? Whilst Film
Studies is a fascinating subject, it is related to a quite limited job
market, whereas English may well lead to a broader choice. This is where
your careers adviser can give expert help, so it may be worthwhile making an
appointment before going any further.
If, however, you are attracted to the idea of university life and have some
genuine interest in Film Studies, then you may want to pursue this through
clearing. Please speak to a teacher or someone whose opinion you trust
before making any decision and ensure that you research the university and
course that you are applying for before ringing any admissions tutors. They
will certainly want to know why you are switching from English to Film
Studies, so you need to have thought out your rationale carefully.
A: (Richard Broom): Check the university website for the course
description and ask yourself if the course is really what you want to do. If
you have set your heart on a particular institution or it is simply more
convenient to go to your local university then moving to a course with lower
entry requirements is always an option.
A: (John O’Leary): Be very careful about opting for a subject that was
not your original choice, just because it demands lower grades. Are you
really sufficiently interested in film to enjoy a three-year degree in the
subject and achieve good results? If you are, go ahead, but many students
who drop out of university do so because they chose the wrong course.
