Friday 30 August 2013

Best of Luck!

Michael
Hello everyone! I would like to congratulate everyone who has been successful in obtaining a place through Clearing, and to anyone who wasn’t successful on this occasion; I would like to wish you the best of luck in your future studies.

I can’t believe that it’s been 2 weeks since A level results day, and since then, I have sent over 1400 emails to new students! That’s what you get for taking on an administrative role I suppose. It is good that the University have been recruiting well, and we appear to still have spaces available for September. If you are intending to start this September, I would recommend applying as soon as possible to make sure your application is processed as soon as possible!

I look forward to seeing the new students walking around campus this September, and the best of luck to all of you, take care!

Thursday 29 August 2013

First Week

Victor
Hi everyone,

I hope you are all enjoying your summer! J

For those of you that already have a place with us Congratulations! If you have completed your online registration, you can just relax and enjoy the remaining days before term starts. You can find more information regarding your first week of term from here: http://www2.gre.ac.uk/students/new/startdates.

If you will be living in halls of residence get ready for the moving in weekend which would be the Saturday 14th September – Sunday 15th September. If you would be arriving outside office hours 10am-5pm you will need to contact the accommodation office (contact details from here: http://www2.gre.ac.uk/contact) to make sure that a Resident Assistant would be available to let you in your room and get their phone number.

During your first few weeks of University you will have the opportunity to meet a lot of new people and our Student Union have prepared a lot of events for you to attend to assist you in the process of making the most out of your time here. You will be able to join clubs and societies during the Freshers Fair, attend events during Fresher’s Week and also go to the Fresher’s Ball. More information on those events you can find from here: http://www.suug.co.uk/

For those of you that are still looking for a place to study we are still taking clearing applications for some of our undergraduate courses. You are welcome to contact us with your UCAS id and we will see what we can do for you.

Good luck to you all!

Regards,


Victor J

Wednesday 28 August 2013

Recruiting, Accommodation at Medway and Books!

Keerthana
It’s the end of August which means most of you have probably secured a place onto one of our courses by now! For those of you who are yet to secure a place…fear not…as Clearing runs right up until all of our courses are full (yep that’s right…even if this means until the end of the year…though I’m not encouraging any of you to wait this long!) We still have several undergraduate and post graduate courses available; Sports Science is just one of the courses we are most looking to fill! All applicants ‘in Clearing’ can apply for their desired course by ringing our Clearing hotline on 02083319000. All Post Graduate, Part time, EU and International applicants can apply directly to the university using our online application form which you can find using the following link: https://nelson.gre.ac.uk/pls/prod/bwskalog.P_DispLoginNon.  

Those of you who have now secured a place at our university are most likely to be going through the online registration process. I have been receiving several calls about when and how to register. You should all be receiving a letter  about registration…those of you who are yet to receive it will probably receive it very soon so don’t panic! All the information about the registration procedure will be explained in the letter but if you are still left feeling rather confused with it all, you can always ring our clearing hotline to get a bit of help from one our very friendly team of Clearing staff! All information regarding the start of the academic year/ timetables will be communicated to you once you have completed registration!

Another call I have been receiving is regarding accommodation - although the rooms within the halls of residence at Avery Hill and Greenwich are either booked or currently under offer, there are rooms still available in the halls of residence on the Medway Campus (coaches do run at set times to and from all three of our campuses so you don’t have to be worried about being stranded on one campus!) Just follow the following link for more information regarding accommodation and coach services, http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/accommodation.


Another popular call I've had recently is regarding materials for university- there is no harm in you buying some books related to the course you are studying to better prepare you for what’s installed… but from experience, buying these books does make a big hole in our pockets! There is a library on all three campuses with thousands of books/journals you can make use of once you have fully enrolled to our university. (And just a little fact which might just reassure you that our libraries really do have everything you need to ace your study at our university…. at 184m long, the Drill Hall Library on the Medway Campus IS the longest library in Europe, with an extensive collection of books, 400 personal computers, training rooms and discussion spaces for students…so….definitely worth visiting don’t you think?)

Tuesday 27 August 2013

Sporting teams

Russell
Hello to all the new students,

Well, let’s get right to the point shall we? During your time at Greenwich you will have a variety of sports and cultural activities that you can get involved in namely Football, Basketball, Hockey, Drama, American football and the Choir, just to name a few. Being a member of the Greenwich First Team Basketball I have witnessed first-hand the benefits sports can give a student. Apart from the obvious fitness and discipline, I have managed to gain many friends during my involvement with the basketball team. These being friends that share similar interests as me and who I can genuinely get along with well.

As a new student last year this helped me widen my social scope to be able to make friends with people who were not in my class or year.

Sporting teams also host some social events as fundraising projects and can also travel to distances as far as Bradford for fixtures, more or less a free ride to Bradford for sports and social time with your mates? Sounds like a good time to me! At the end of every academic year the sports coordinators of the university organize a sports dinner for all the team members, at a reasonable price, where awards and trophies are given out, very classy evening.

The more you put in, the more you get out, so let’s get stuck in shall we!

Monday 26 August 2013

So What Happens Next?

Kelly
You have your place at Greenwich, you have accepted your offer and you are ready to rock and roll for your first day, but what happens next?  The next part of the process is Registration and this happens in two stages.

Stage One – Online Registration

You will shortly be receiving an e-mail from us inviting you to commence registration online.  These e-mails are being sent out in waves so if your friend has received one and you haven’t, don’t panic!  We hope to have sent out all the invites for registration by 2 September and where we have an e-mail address on the system for you, we will send the invite there.  Please check your junk items and spam as sometimes our e-mails are filtered through to there.  Where we don’t have an e-mail address, we will post your invite to the postal address you provided on your application.

As part of the online registration process you will need to complete your personal details and qualifications, check the course and study options and provide details about how you are going to pay your fees.  You will also upload a picture that will be used on your University ID card for the whole time you are with us, so make it a good one!  There are guidance notes to help you with all stages of the online registration process and you can raise a query online if you get stuck.  Once you have completed online registration, you then need to complete stage two of registration in person.  Instructions of what you need to do for this will be given to you once you have completed stage one.

Stage Two – Registration Checks

Stage two needs to be completed in person at a Student Centre and you will need to provide identification documents, qualification certificates (originals, not photocopies) and your DBS certificate.

Registration does not open until 28 August!

Further information regarding registration for new students can be found here.

If you are a current student, details on how you can register will be sent out via e-mail shortly.


I wish you all the best of luck in your studies at Greenwich, whether you are a new or returning student!

Friday 23 August 2013

Releases

Deavon
Hi guys,
Just a quick update on what you need to do if you are holding an offer with the University of Greenwich but want to be released in to Clearing.
If you have an Unconditional offer for a programme then you need to email releases@gre.ac.uk and put RELEASE in the subject of the email as well as your UCAS details within the body of the email.
If you have a Conditional offer for a programme you still need to email releases@gre.ac.uk however please put REJECT in the subject of the email as well as your UCAS details and your exam results within the body of the email.
Please note that being rejected can be a longer process than being released as all rejections need to go to the school academics first for approval.

Regarding being released in to Clearing, if you are already holding an offer for a programme and you want to apply for a University of Greenwich course, you have to release yourself in to Clearing before an operator can take a Clearing application. The operator cannot guarantee you will get an offer for the programme and the academics who are making decisions on applications will not review a Clearing application prior to it being submitted. Therefore there are no guarantees that you will get a place so please do think long and hard before making the decision to release yourself in to Clearing.   

Thursday 22 August 2013

GCSE Results: What to do…

Laura R
Hi Guys,

I’m back again, first of all I just want to say my own personal congratulations to every one who got a place with us and well done on surviving A-Level results day J Now your new journey can begin at University, we look forward to seeing you all in September.

If you still have a conditional offer with the University because we were awaiting your GCSE results, that’s absolutely fine. I know today was GCSE results day and fingers crossed you all got what you wished for. But now we ask that you send your results into the university via email so we can get that offer changed to an unconditional.

If you applied through main cycle, please email your GCSE results to: qualifications@gre.ac.uk

If you applied through clearing then please email your GCSE results to:

Please include in the email your name, student ID, and course which you applied for.

If you haven’t applied yet for university not to worry THERE’S STILL TIME J Both me and all my lovely colleagues are ready and waiting to take your applications so either call, speak to us through LiveChat or come in and visit us at a Clearing reception today, which are based in both Greenwich and Avery Hill. Make sure you don’t miss out on a space for September!!

Also to all our brand new amazing freshers I have a tip for you, check out www.suug.co.uk which is our Student Union page to get an idea for the societies and Fresher’s events that will be taking place this academic year. We can’t wait to see you!

Speak to you all soon, I hope you get everything you want!

Xoxo


Laura R

Wednesday 21 August 2013

Have you tried Adjustment?

Binal
Hi everyone,

Wanted to start off saying congratulations to everyone who received their results, that’s one thing off your shoulders, but there is one last thing to sort out -  your university place then it’s complete relaxation =). For those of you guys that have achieved higher grades than expected you guys could consider Adjustment. It’s actually quite simple, you need to register yourself for Adjustment on UCAS and give us a call after and we check if you are eligible for Adjustment. We will then give out the further instructions after we have confirmed the course is still available and your status on UCAS mentions that you are registered for Adjustment.  For further information to see if Adjustment applies to you, please take a look at the following link on UCAS: http://www.ucas.com/members-providers/undergraduate/application-cycle/adjustment.

If you’re still looking for a place for a programme at our university or another university (even if you have contacted us previously) our lines are still open to advise and guide you and possibly see whether you are in fact eligible for another course. Please do not hesitate to contact us on 020 8331 9000.


Wish everyone the best of luck, remember it is never too late :) 

Tuesday 20 August 2013

Foundation Degrees

Ezgi
Hello Everybody!!

So the long (anxiously) awaited A-Level results day has finally passed! The stress of waiting has finished and you all have your results now J. The phones and the live chat service were extremely busy during results day but it has now quietened down, and we still have plenty of spaces left on various courses!

You can check the availability of our Undergraduate Programmes here:


And the availability of our Foundation Degrees here:


If you have not received the grades you were expecting, do not panic! There are still plenty of options for you. Our advisors at the Enquiry Unit will always do their best to give you alternative choices for courses or gaining entry.

We have many Foundation Degrees available from a variety of subjects, including:

FD Venue, Events & Hospitality Management
FdA Supporting Teaching & Learning
FdSc Digital Media Technologies
FdS Health and Social Care
FdSc Pharmaceutical Science

Foundation degrees are an excellent way of gaining entry into University and progressing onto an Undergraduate Degree. I also gained entry into University with a foundation degree as my A-Level results were slightly lower than I had expected. I then completed my Undergraduate and I am currently studying a Postgraduate degree J. It is also a great way to ease into the level of work expected at Universities so I would highly recommend it!

If you think that this is something you may be interested in, give us a call on 0208 331 8000.

Best Wishes!


Ezgi 

Monday 19 August 2013

Offer of Place

Nicola
A level day has passed and our phones are slightly quieter. If you don’t currently have a place at university for this September you still have time to apply. We have lots of vacancies on a variety of programmes.

To apply through Clearing you must meet these requirements:
  1. You are applying for a place on a FULL-TIME undergraduate or PGCE programme
  2. You are NOT pending ANY exam/qualification results (including A-Level and GCSE’s)
  3. You are applying for 2013 intake and you have applied through UCAS or GTTR. 

For anyone who is unsure of what clearing is you can watch our new video on our website which explains our useful tips for clearing.
http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/courses/clearing

It is important to do some research into the programmes you want to study before you apply. Lots of our programmes are rate high on the National Student Survey. Our BSc Chemistry programme is number 1 in the country as rated on The National Student Survey (NSS) and was rated 100% satisfaction for our graduates.

So if you have been offered a place through Clearing here is a little check list of things to remember to do before your programme begins:
  • Refer yourself to UCAS track to accept your offer
  • Let student finance know the details of your course
  • Arrange your accommodation if you plan on living away from home

For postgraduate students who are not sure of their career options we also have spaces available on some of our PGCE programme. You can find out the available course by calling our clearing hotline on 0208 331 9000.

For applicants who are waiting on their GCSE results good luck and our clearing line will be open to take your call once you have received your results!!

Friday 16 August 2013

The Clearing Process (in Layman’s terms)

Towsyn
The past couple of days since the release of the A level results have been quite interesting. There have been mixed emotions flying around the place – laughs, cries, disappointment, happiness, shock, etc. It got me thinking back to my time as a Clearing applicant, so I know exactly how people feel when they call up asking if there are any vacancies. I felt like I had good enough grades to get into any university I wanted but I still got rejected by a few (shocking). I wasn’t that great after all! L But hey, look at me now, I’m a graduate… hehe.

Anyway back to reality! Just to remind applicants that you cannot make a Clearing application if you are currently holding an offer or have been placed in a different university. We will not be able to see any of your details unless you are “IN CLEARING”. You will have to contact the university in which you have been placed and ask to be “RELEASED” into Clearing. Once you are in Clearing you can phone us back or go through our Live Chat system on our website to make you a Clearing application. It’s that easy. After your application has been sent off and a decision has been made (doesn’t take too long), you will either get an email, a phone-call or both, after which you will be given 24 hours to “REFER” yourself to us (University of Greenwich) by adding a Clearing choice on your UCAS Track. After this is done we will match your details on our system and you will be “PLACED” officially. Yay!

Remember, if you have any queries regarding Clearing or any other university related business, I and my awesome colleagues at the Enquiry Unit are always here to help you. We are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. You can chat with us via our website or if you prefer to speak to someone you can call us on 02083319000.

Toodles

JJJ

Wednesday 14 August 2013

One Day Left..

Abigail
Tomorrow is the start of Main Clearing!

Good luck, and I hope everyone is looking forward to receiving their A level and BTEC results. Just to let you know we do have a still have a lot of spaces available in clearing except for health courses such as Midwifery, Paramedic Science and Adult and Mental Health Nursing.


Things to remember
  • To apply for a full time programme through clearing you will need to have a UCAS application form submitted, so have your UCAS Personal ID number on hand.
  • Conditional Offers are not given through clearing and therefore you need to ensure you have already received your qualifications and certificates. If you are awaiting GCSE results unfortunately we are unable to make an application at this moment in, but do feel free to call back on GCSE results day.
  • Our telephone lines are open from 7:00 until 20:00 for you to make applications and you can also speak to one of our advisors on the LiveChat service available on our website.


If you have achieved better than expected results want to apply for a course through adjustment. You can do that by emailing clearing@gre.ac.uk, and including your
  • Full name
  • Date of birth,
  • UCAS Personal ID number
  • The course you would like to adjust to


If you need any additional help our telephone is 0208 331 9000, it would be great to hear from you! J 

Tuesday 13 August 2013

Let's Talk

Uzo
Howdy People,

The bell sounds again for my Blog: Round 2! The Clearing heat is on this week as we prepare to be battered by calls, emails and chats. The exciting and assuring bit is that the new recruits have joined the ranks of the Clearing team and will surely provide much needed reinforcements for this period.

As usual my role and responsibility lies with the LiveChat Division which has proven to be such an engaging and interesting area to be involved in given the fact that you can experience chats that will range from people interested in applying for a programme with the university, to a random individual who once sang along (or rather chat along) and completed lines/lyrics from Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”.

More often a great number of chatters are concerned about queues on the telephone lines and worry that they wouldn’t be able to make a Clearing application. Good news is chatters can also make a Clearing application via LiveChat. Just ensure you have a valid UCAS ID before you decide to make an application.

So just visit www.gre.ac.uk and look out for the “Let’s Talk” option to speak with an operator. We’d be more than happy to assist you.


Finally here’s a tip for international applicants who sometimes are concerned about entry requirements or deadlines for 2013 intake, I’d recommend you have a look at these links which should provide you with relevant information as regards the requirements of the university from specific countries:



That’s all from me folks if you have any further enquiries we’d be willing to assist you via LiveChat or 020 8331 9000.

Monday 12 August 2013

Accommodation

Blaze
Hello again!

So today is a very exciting day at the office! We have all of our new clearing assistants joining us today. On the run-up to A-levels results day on Thursday there will be lots of training for our new team. My colleague, Abigail, and I presented a workshop on the University Of Greenwich’s accommodation.  We informed the team about the halls of residence that we have on offer and privately-rented accommodation options. Just to let you know if you are looking at applying for halls of residence the deadline for a guaranteed place in halls is 5pm on the 15 of August (A-level results day)!

Here is a link to the halls of residence fees: http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/accommodation/halls/hall-fees-201314
I have lived in halls for the last four years…and I have enjoyed every minute. I currently live in Devonport House, which is reserved for postgraduate students and students over 25 years of age. It is opposite the Greenwich Maritime campus and next to the entrance of Greenwich Park, so an amazing location, truly the best in Greenwich.
This is where I live in Devonport House :)

If you would like to see any of the accommodation on offer I would recommend coming to our applicant day on Saturday the 17th of August, as we will be running tours every hour from 10.30 – 15.00. If you are not able to attend I would recommend doing a virtual tour online. These virtual tours take you through all of our halls of residences and give you a very accurate idea of size and room layout (here is the link: http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/accommodation/halls/campus/virtual-tours)
*Before I go, don’t forget that UCAS Track is currently down due to the processing of A-level results. It will be up and running again at 8am on Thursday the 15th of August. On A-levels results day we will be taking calls from 7am at the office (The Clearing hotline is 0208 331 9000, or talk to us on LiveChat, which is available through the website).
Chat to you soon :)

Friday 9 August 2013

International Students

Russell
Hi guys,

As an International Student at the University of Greenwich, this post is dedicated to shedding some light on both the application and enquiry process for International Students. When I made my initial application, nearing two years ago, I received top-class assistance and advice from the university’s International correspondents who literally gave me the step-by-step details regarding the information and documents required, as well as the deadlines and installments due.

Firstly, applications can be made online via the UCAS Website (www.ucas.com), or alternatively, directly to the university by following the link www.gre.ac.uk/olaf. If you however require an application form, you can complete the online application process by following http://www.gre.ac.uk/international/how_to_apply. Please would you also make sure that you upload and detail all your academic qualifications, references, work experience or any other information that will be relevant and will supplement your application. Here is some information regarding International Applicants that I have received from my colleague in the Enquiry Unit:

1. The last date the International Office is able to issue offer letters for September 2013 intake is 9 August 2013

2. Pre-registration deposits for the September 2013 intake must reach the university by 16 August 2013.

3. September 2013 applicants must return their CAS checking sheet by 23 August 2013.

4. No CAS statements for the September 2013 intake will be issued after 28 August 2013.

Once you have been accepted, sorted out your VISA and deposits, I would strongly advise you to travel with the following information ON YOU (in your hand luggage preferably):
  1. Your CAS Statement, which clearly shows your CAS Number as well as the University’s name and the course you will be studying.
  2. An official letter of permission, signed by your parent/guardian, that’s if you are their dependent stating they are happy with you living and learning in the United Kingdom and you will be well catered for.
  3. A letter (or copy of) from the University of Greenwich which was the ‘Offer of Place’ to study.
  4. Details of where you will be staying, Address, Postcode and a contact number if possible.

The information I have provided above will be essential to insure that you pass through customs in the United Kingdom with no hassles.

Finally, heavy/reckless spending doesn't get you far in London, I can speak from experience! Budgeting will be mandatory to ensure that you have enough money for travel, bills, clothes, books and personal expenses for socialising and entertainment.


So yeah, good luck with your studies, KEEP CALM AND CHOOSE GREENWICH J.

Wednesday 7 August 2013

Registration


Terry

Hello, I’m back with my second Clearing blog, hope you’re all enjoying your summer holidays. At this point in time the majority of you are probably panicking about receiving your grades and applying to University. All I can say is try to stay calm because if you can’t get onto a specific course you have planned for then the staff at our University are on hand to find you the best suited alternative. Any queries and you can contact us on 020 8331 9000 or speak to us via our online chat on our Clearing page http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/courses/clearing

Today’s blog is going to be about registration due to the result of many worried applicants panicking about registration and when is the right time to complete this. At the moment when you log onto portal it will tell you that registration has already closed, do not panic, this is due to the fact that registration has not yet begun.

Registration is broken down into two parts, the first section is online registration, this will be activated on 28th August. What this requires is to log in to the university portal and go through an online process to verify information about yourself and your new programme of study. In order to start Part 1: Online Registration, you will need your portal login details. These will be e-mailed to you (if we do not have an e-mail on record for you, we will send the information by letter) as soon as you have completed all stages of admissions. Once you have completed Part 1, you will be given instructions about Part 2: Registration Checks.

Part 2 is where we will ask you to provide evidence of your identification and qualifications. Once you have completed both parts of registration, we will arrange for your Student I.D. card to be sent to you.

So, you will receive information regarding registration during late August and then on the 28th August you can finally begin registration and progress onto becoming a student at the University of Greenwich.

I hope that this blog helps you with your registration queries. Make sure you visit our Clearing blog again in order to keep up with the goings on of our University and the Clearing team. As I have said, feel free to contact us on 020 8331 9000 or on chat http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/courses/clearing.

Bye for now, enjoy the rest of your summer.

Terry J

Tuesday 6 August 2013

Open Days and Guided Tours

Denise
Hello all! As the title suggests, today’s Clearing Blog is going to be about Open Days and Guided Tours at the University of Greenwich :)

The next Open Day we have coming up is on Saturday 17th August 2013, 10am – 3pm; this particular Open Day will focus heavily on Clearing and the Clearing process, so is a great opportunity for any last-minute applicants to see their potential campus of study and find out how to apply.

The next University of Greenwich Open Day after the aforementioned one is Saturday 12th October 2013, 10am – 3pm; this would be most suited to applicants wishing to join us in January, March or September 2014, as applicants interested in 2013 entry would have started their courses by October 2013.

Can’t make the August Open Day but still desperately want to see our campuses? Don’t panic! We also offer guided tours throughout the year, organised to suit your needs and preferences. If you’re interested in a personalised tour, guided by one of our experienced Student Ambassadors, all you need to do is one of the following:


Whether you choose to call or email us, we will need to know:
  • Your name
  • Your course or subject area of interest (this will help us determine which of our three campuses you need to see)
  • Interest in seeing any campus other than the main one you will be studying on (for example, if you are interested in an engineering programme you will be based at Medway, but you are more than welcome to see the Avery Hill and/or Maritime Greenwich campuses as well)
  • What days and times you are free (generally these need to be during office hours; the more availability you have, the easier it will be for us to arrange a tour for you)
  • Do you have any special needs or requirements?
  • What is your contact telephone number?

Our Open Day Officers will always endeavour to arrange a tour most convenient for you, so don’t hesitate to get in touch! :)

Whether you decide to come along to an Open Day or arrange a guided tour, I hope you enjoy your visit to the University of Greenwich!

Monday 5 August 2013

My top 5 calls

Shanice
Hi all, This is my second official Blog…

Seeing how this is my first Clearing, I never realised how busy it could get! Over the last five days I have received over 300 calls and last Wednesday I received 80 calls about Clearing and general enquiries which I think is amazing! I have never received so many calls even with more people in the office.

Most of my calls have been regarding the schools of Health and Social Care and Education and its fascinating to see how many people want to become nurses and how many people want to teach. I guess it’s a bit inspiring as over the phone so many enquirers are really passionate about studying these courses which range from PGCE Primary and Adult Nursing.

Top 5 Calls
I would like to share with you some of the calls that I receive and how I answer them:

There is an Open Day organised for the 17th August, at the moment this is meant to be a smaller Open Day, specifically for applicants applying/thinking of applying through Clearing or applicants starting with us in September.

Speech and Language Therapy, PGDip: The deadline for January 2014 start was 1st July, however if you would like to apply now for this programme it is for the January 2015 intake.

All Nursing courses are funded by the NHS for home students.

During Clearing, our INTERNATIONAL students can apply using our online application form:
https://nelson.gre.ac.uk/pls/prod/bwskalog.P_DispLoginNon unless they already hold current and valid UCAS account.

If you want to do a PART TIME undergraduate course or a Post-graduate course, you do not need to go through UCAS/GTTR, and these are not available for application during Clearing. You would need to make an application for these via our website at: http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/apply/pg  (click on the online application link). There is no deadline as such for these courses, but we do recommend you apply as soon as possible!

I hope this helps, but stay tuned into my next blog where I will reveal my next 4 top calls :)

Shanice
xxx

Friday 2 August 2013

Different alternatives through Clearing..

Keerthana
It’s that time of year again! The time of the year…when yes…you’re relieved exams are all over and a long (and this year exceptionally hot) summer has finally arrived... but it’s also the time of year you have an overwhelming feeling of stress, anxiety and panic now that Results day is just round the corner!

Results day for some of you may be one of the happiest days of your life, either you've met your predicted grades and have been guaranteed a place with the university of your choice or you may have exceeded your predicted grades and may be in the chance of getting into a better university through Adjustment. Others may not have quite met the requirements of their firm choice at university but have been offered a place at their insurance choice instead. But some of you may find yourself in a situation where you haven’t quite reached your predicted grades and so haven’t secured yourself a place at neither your Firm nor insurance choice university - this is where clearing plays a very important part!

I actually came to this university through Clearing… so I know exactly how it feels to go into school on results day; collect the envelope thinking you've done as well as you thought you did and then open the envelope to see something you were not expecting! Having experienced this myself, the first piece of advice I’d give you all is…whatever you do…DO NOT PANIC (like I did)!!! Stay calm and most importantly stay positive! Go to a place somewhere quiet, preferably where there is a computer with access to the internet and search through the list of universities/ courses available through Clearing. And once you have made your decision, make sure you get on the phone to your chosen universities straight away! And make sure you have your UCAS ID number and results at hand. Just like you, there will be millions of other students trying to secure themselves a place at university, so act fast (particularly if you know that the course you are hoping to study is one which is very popular amongst students). I must admit, I was a little nervous when I was making the calls, but I can rest assure you (after working as part of the Clearing team at the university) that we are actually very friendly, down to earth people!!!

If you meet the necessary requirements, depending on the course, you may be offered a place straight away! Alternatively, the Clearing team may make a Clearing application for you and pass it onto the school to make a decision! Some courses may involve an interview before the academics reach a decision. If you are not successful in making a clearing application for one particular course, open you mind to the possibility of studying an alternative course that you do meet the entry requirements for. If you are still not successful, don’t be disheartened! Keep going through the list of universities/courses under clearing on the UCAS website and don’t give up! Once you have made a clearing application, remember to check your emails regularly and check for updates on UCAS Track! The last thing you want is to be made an offer which you didn't accept before the deadline!


So all that’s left for me to say is GOOD LUCK and KEEP CALM at all times!!! J