July 1, 2026 • 20 mins
Getting your results and heading into Clearing might feel scary - but it doesn’t have to.
In this episode, Amy shares her story, from opening her results to finding her place at the University of Reading. She talks about what it’s like going through Clearing and why it actually turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to her.
We’re also joined by Yasmin Bell, student recruitment officer at the University of Reading who breaks down everything you need to know:
- who you’ll speak to on the phone,
- what to expect during the call
- how to get prepared ahead of results day.
Whether you're feeling nervous, unsure, or just curious, this episode is here to help you feel more confident and in control of your next steps.
Explore Clearing 2026: https://bit.ly/3Sv2N8g
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Episode Transcript
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(00:10):
Hello and welcome back to Future You.
The podcast brought to youby graduate careers experts Prospects.
I'm your host, Emily Slade.
My name is Yasminand I'm a student recruitment officer
at the University of Reading.
So, to begin with, what is clearing?
So clearingis essentially a matchmaking service.
It kind of exists to connect studentswith universities.
(00:30):
So the students that don't have a placeor want to reevaluate their options,
looking for a different place
with the universitiesthat still have places
left to fill in the summerbefore their sort of term starts
generally opens in early July, butthat's kind of known as early clearing.
Most people will be more familiarwith what we call main clearing,
which is from the results dayfor kind of the main
(00:53):
kind of four days from that results dayto the end of the weekend.
But clearing actually goes onuntil kind of mid-October.
So a couple of weeks after term startsat most universities.
So, like who who is clearing full?
It's for loads of people.All sorts of people.
So it might be someone that has appliedin the main cycle.
So before that January deadline,but maybe didn't get an offer.
(01:16):
Or they might have changed their mindsabout the offers they've received.
Or it could be somebodythat did receive offers
and then maybe didn't get the gradesthey were expecting.
But it could also be for peoplethat haven't applied before.
You can apply for the first timedirectly into clearing.
So if you haven't applied before,the 30th of June
is the usual date,it might vary a little bit each year.
(01:39):
But if you haven't applied,
maybe you're someone that took a gap yearor is a mature student.
This had a longer break and have decidednow is actually the right time for me
to look at universityand go to university.
You can apply for first timedirectly into clearing.
The main thingthat you would need to remember is that,
you would need to have all of your resultsthat you've already received.
(02:00):
So if you have anything outstanding.
So things like GCSE research that might berelevant to what you're applying for,
and particularly in maths and English,then you would need to receive
all those resultsbefore you can apply to clearing
If you're a student
that's gotten into universitythrough clearing,
are you going to be treatedany differently?
Absolutely not.
So everybody's quite concerned thatmaybe that's kind of going to be known
(02:22):
throughout the courseif it's going to be on the student record
or if it's going to show on thingslike the degree certificate.
It's definitely notanything that is treated any differently.
You won't beyou won't be kind of singled out.
You won't have that reflected on youin any way
once you enrolled at the university.
It's kind of like a fresh start.
So the clearing phonecall is the phone call the only thing,
(02:45):
the only way you can apply to clearing?
It kind of depends on the university.
So at the University of Rising,we also offer an online application form,
which is particularly usefulfor those people
who might be a bit more anxiousor find it a bit more overwhelming,
or need a sort of a different accessibleway to apply through clearing.
But the phone call is the main way,and it's often the quickest way.
(03:06):
So what would happen on that phone callis that you would
be connected to an adviser,and they're all fully trained,
and they'd be really understandingof kind of how
you might be feeling on results day.
It's a whirlwind of emotions at that time.
And they will be really clear with youabout what to expect on the phone call,
about what they will need to aska bit of personal information about you.
(03:29):
Usually things like name, email address.
Then there's usually a series of questionsthat you need to answer with a
yes or a no.
Because these are kind ofbasic screening questions
to make sure that the call can continueand that the university is able to help.
Then there'll be a discussionaround qualifications.
They'll ask for the qualifications thatyou've achieved, the grades that you got.
(03:50):
And it is really, really important
to be as clear as possiblewith the information here.
For example,there's different sorts of qualifications
that might be graded differently,and having incorrect information
recorded on the applicationmight then impact
whether or not an offer that has beenmade can still be valid.
So really having that prepared beforethe phone call is really, really helpful
(04:12):
and will help the the adviserto make sure that they're able to give you
the most accurate informationand help you as quickly as possible
and feel as comfortable as possibleduring the call.
Just for an example,like a BTec Extended National Extended
Diploma is differentto a BTec National Extended Certificate.
So that's kind of like a big thingto look at, to make sure you know exactly
(04:33):
what your qualifications are whennot having that conversation with you.
They'll be able to identify if,of course, you might be
particularly interested in is availableif you're eligible for it.
So if you have anythinglike course codes that you've seen online,
then that's really helpfulto have as well.
But they can also maybelook at other options for you.
So it could be things, based onyour qualifications, if you're not sure,
(04:54):
and maybe what you want to study,if you've sort of changed your mind
around your original subject area,
they might be able to match youwith subjects
you might not have even heard of beforeor considered before.
That might be of interest to you.
That will also reiteratethe next steps on the phone as well.
So they'll be able to say verballywhether they're able to make you an offer,
what happens next, how long you have toreply, how you need to accept your offer.
(05:17):
And they'll also confirm that thatinformation comes out to you by email,
which is really important to have thatcorrect email address in the application.
yeah.
Amazing. Wow.
So that's that's a lot.
And it's usually happeningon A-level results.
Exactly. So you're making this decision.
How do students ensurethat they are taking that time.
(05:39):
Not rushing and not panicking and feeling?
God I must just simply go to university.
How can you check in with yourself?
So there's a couple of waysto really know.
The first one is to ask questions.
There'll be two kind of main
categories of questionsto ask on the phone call to the advisor.
That would be the first onebeing like functional questions
about your application.
(06:00):
For example, what could I considerbased on what my grades are.
And the other questionwould be the sorts of questions
that you'd ask at open days.
So like, is it a campus universityor city university?
What's accommodation like?
Is there accommodation?How do I get accommodation?
What are the facilities like?
Like the library, student societies,that kind of student life feel?
(06:21):
So that would be the first thingto ask questions.
The second one would bethat there's usually a lot of experiences
that you might be ableto get at universities.
Some universities offer things
like open days, campus tours,specific in-person experiences
that you might be able to attend to seeif accepting the offer is right for you.
The other sorts of things they might dois offer opportunities to chat
(06:43):
with members of academic staffover the phone, or potential current
students, either on the phoneor online, through places like university.
Or maybe if you can't make it downto the university, there'll be like
virtual campus tours as well.
So you can still kind of get asee for what the university has to offer.
What sort of support exists if you're,like, incredibly anxious and overwhelmed?
It kind of depends on the university.
(07:04):
The main thing to keep in mindis that the advisors are fully trained
and the very aware of whatthe day feels like.
We are all here to try and not pressureyou to make a decision.
We're hereto make sure that whatever decision you do
make is the one that's right for youand that you're going to thrive in.
(07:25):
So if you need to
ask questions to the member of staff,if you need to go away, have a think.
Take the time to make a decision.
It might be that you're ableto sort of make that decision
within a few hours, maybe within a dayyou maybe need a little bit longer.
But nobody's going to judge youfor needing that extra time
(07:45):
because it is a decisionthat is exactly a big decision.
There's also resources onlinethat will be able to help to help
you, like, prepare and be informedbefore, results day comes up.
When not being forewarnedis being forearmed.
So having that knowledge, doing thatresearch, using sort of resources
(08:06):
like this, so that you knowwhat to expect can really take
some of that anxiety and the unknownout of what's going to happen on the day.
And do you still have time onceyou've gone through clearing
to apply for accommodation, to apply forstudent finance to get everything ready?
Yeah, definitely.
So, each universitywill have a different kind of scheme
or process for things like accommodation.
(08:27):
Student finance companies very well aware
that sort of results therein the middle of August for most people.
And that term kind of startslate September for a lot of people.
So they would absolutely know
that they needto kind of put those applications through.
As I said, like having that informationof what you would need to do
so that you can kind of crack on with itand get those logistics in place before.
(08:51):
So getting to universitywill give you that kind of peace of mind
that it's all done by the time the summer holidays ends.
You've got a couple of weeksto unwind, get excited.
And sort of get ready to move,which can also be quite a big change
depending on how far you're going.
But then, you know, it'skind of all in place.
How long is the windowthat students have to decide?
(09:15):
Usually it's about 24 hours.
So thethe offer will be valid for 24 hours.
And that's because clearing operateson, like, a while.
Stocks last model.
So there may be circumstances whereand deadline to an offer can be extended.
And that will beif there are still places available.
You'd have to contact the individualuniversity and ask if it can be extended.
(09:38):
It would be at their discretion.
If they're unable to extend it, extendit will be
because the course is probably closed
and they've made all the offersthat are available to students.
And therefore,because all of those offers have been made
and they've closed the course,it wouldn't then be fair
to the whole group of studentsgoing through clearing to extend offers
for particular peoplethen can you always defer your offer?
(10:01):
Yeah. Again,it's at the discretion of the university.
It might bebecause of the certain courses.
So, for example,if you're going into a course
that is a regulated profession,like teaching speech and language therapy,
those sorts of courses are far less likelyto enable you to but to defer
because you have additional checksthat you'd have to go through, like,
DBS checking.
(10:23):
If you're applying for certain courses,then you'd have to study in the year
in which you apply to make sure that allthose additional documents are valid,
but certain other courses.
Yeah, it's definitely worth asking.
So, for example,
our student Amy, who has, studiedEnglish literature with us,
was able to defer her clearing offerand then start the following year.
(10:44):
What would you sayto someone who's listening,
who's really worriedabout clearing right now?
So it is a really busy timeand it can be a
a whirlwind of kind of emotions,but it's also a really exciting time.
Like it'sthe sort of the start of the next step
of your kind of life experience.
So there's a lot going on.
Nobody's going to judge youfor having those emotions.
(11:07):
For some people,it might help to think of results day
as kind of like a hallway or space station
with lots of doors or portals,and you have the control to decide
which ones you're going to openand which ones you want to step through.
And you also have people around youthat sort of love and support you as well,
that might be able to helpwith some of the research or admin tasks.
(11:29):
It was be far less daunting for youpotentially to have a list of universities
on a sheet of paper,
that you canthen phone up that you might be eligible
for instead of just the wholeinternet at your fingertips.
And then also aswell, if you have someone that can kind of
keep track of,please contacted what the outcomes were,
what kind of the some of the,some of the key selling points were.
(11:53):
Then you have it in front of youon a piece of paper.
Easier to compare.
Which hopefully will takesome of the anxiety out of it.
The main thing is thatwe do need to speak to you on the phone
yourself as the student, to make surewe're able to offer make a genuine offer.
But if you are speaking to usand you do get
(12:14):
a bit overwhelmed, it's perfectlyokay to take some time.
We all understand it.
A lot of us have had those emotionsbefore on results day as well.
So. Absolutely.
Just don't don't feel like youowe us anything on the phone.
If you're feeling a way, you're feeling,
then that is the way you're feeling,and it's completely valid.
(12:35):
And then you have those resourcesthat you could use to prepare in advance
to sort of make yourself feelas prepared as possible for the day.
Which helps
hopefully as well would then take some ofthe anxiety out of the the day itself.
Yeah, definitely.
So I'm I'm aI've just finished my final year here.
(12:57):
University of Reading.
Doing English literature. Perfect.
And you're here todayto talk about clearing.
So you came to the University of Readingvia clearing? Yes.
I did, yeah,I phoned them up on my results day.
Very stressful experience,but the, the load you
I spoke to on the phone from readingwas so lovely and really helpful.
And then now the rest is history.
(13:20):
Amazing.So let's go right back to the beginning.
So you had expectations of certain grades?
Yeah.
So I for sort of knew that I'd need to gothrough clearing after my chemistry exam.
I knew that it didn't really gothe way that I wanted it to go.
So started having to think,oh, maybe this might be an option for me.
Did a little bit of research and then,
(13:42):
you know, on the actual results itself,I got my grades.
And then that's how I knewthat I'd want to go through clearing.
So because you didn'tget your expected grades within the exam,
it meant that you couldn't gofor your previously applied for options.
Yeah.
So, I was looking at alldifferent options for Clare, and,
I really liked Reddinbecause I was different.
You could choose sort of option modulesfrom a course, different departments.
(14:05):
It wasn't just limited to English.
And so it was on the daythat you got all of this sorted.
It can feel quite isolating, is all.
Because now you're young,you're looking around your peers,
and everybody'snow doing so well into that.
I literally felt like my life was over,
but obviously it was if I could go back
in terms of Amy,like just but it's okay, just chill out.
(14:27):
It was fine.
And then luckily
I had such lovely teachers and supportstaff on hand on the day, calm me down.
And then also so luckily had donea lot of research beforehand,
so I had a list of phone numbers
like I wanted to call, readand be in one of them.
So I basically just went through my list,and read in.
I think readingwas the second universal call.
(14:47):
I can't even rememberwho the first one was now.
And yeah, I've got the place
for literally all they asked me forwas my A-level results.
That's it for a couple of my GCSE grades.
And then, I'm pretty sure from obviously.
So like four years ago now. Yeah.
And then they said to meactually that there was a, open day
(15:09):
specifically for clearing studentsthe very next day was, pandemonium
from just outside of Birmingham,so that a two hour drive away.
My mum.
But she was like, come on, we'll take youdown there, you know.
Will I, I had the offer for clearingoffer, and we went down here the next day.
Hello crowd.
And I was like, yeah, this is,this is a bit of meh.
(15:30):
And then I accepted my offer on Ucas while
I was here with our membersand read and stuff.
Yeah. Amazing.
And so the phone callwas very easy to navigate.
The staff was super supportive. Yeah.
It was literally like they made it as easyas it could have been.
I think that they are all very awarethat it's a very high emotion,
very stressful day. Yeah.
(15:51):
The lecturers go through the questionsyou need to ask you.
You answer themand then they tell you then and there
if you've got the place or not.
And I did. So yeah, Amazing.
If you hadn't had prepared ahead of timewith your list of questions,
would you list a phone number? Sorry.
Do you think were the peopleat your results day
(16:11):
who were sort of collecting potential,clearing students and helping them there?
Or do you think you would havehad to have gone away
and still thought about clearing,thought about was it
something that you were super awareof ahead of time?
my emotional plan was to no,hopefully get my grades and Mike
maybe get a gap yearbecause I didn't get the offer,
the vast amount to do a gap yearand then reapply with them.
(16:32):
Obviously that sort of didn't happen.
So I was and I knew in the back of my mindthat was going to be the case.
I was researching unis were in town, phonenumbers are tight with me,
but just in case. So, so glad I did.
But even if I hadn't, I think the my college was quite good
with things like, I think that there wasthere's so many staff around all day
to help out those like careers advisers,
(16:55):
members of the like, the accountsand services teachers and staff.
Right.
There was so many people thereto to help out.
And I remember
I remember I spoke to this Chris lady, who was, a member of staff at my college.
And she said to me, look,I mean, like, you can
you can do something that you want to donow, like you don't.
You can always if the if it comes to youagain in the future, you can also apply
(17:18):
for medicine or anythingrelated or something completely different.
You know, when you're, you know much oldage, it's not like your life isn't linear.
You can and here and that I was like,you know what?
Yeah. So I went and did English.
But if I hadn't had preparedthe phone numbers, I think, oh,
it would have been much more stressfulbecause it meant I had a plan.
(17:40):
I had like something to do when I didn't,when it didn't go my way, basically.
But there were people there to,to help out and.
Yeah.
And did
it still was there like celebrationshappening that evening
and did you still go to them andthen the going to McDonald's, actually,
after all my friends,we all sort of went and I got, some food
after our results and we just sat theresort of moping over my back.
(18:05):
But it was
such a weird day because I was still so,so happy for, like, all of my friends and,
you know, like, because I've gone missing,I get another place is confirmed
at uni is everything.
But yeah, literally, I wouldn'tchange a single thing about any of it now.
I still did a gap year as well.
So I got my clearing offer,
came to Redding, absolutely loved it.
(18:27):
But then, food, like just,you know, personal reasons I have,
and I decided that uni wasn't right for meat that time, which was another thing.
I was like,oh, my God, what what am I doing?
But I basically deferred my offerand they let me do that.
And so it meant by Hodderconfirmed unconditional offer for
(18:50):
coursewould have been September 20th 2023-2024
entry rather than 2022-2023.
So I had a year off.
And that was also the best thing for me,like thinking back.
So this was like four years ago now.
I wouldn't change a single thingabout what I did, from filling up
and applying to clearingto having a year off and do farm.
(19:11):
And because I worked in that year,we never,
you know, spent time with my friends.
You know, I had a really lovely year,but I've never felt more prepared
I think that I hadthere was quite a lot of stigma
about surroundingclearing at the time at least,
you know, like where I went to collegeand, you know, like, I think
it was sort of assumedthat you didn't have a plan
(19:32):
or you didn't know what you would do inif you had to go through clearing.
But that completely is not the caseat all.
Like it can happen to anybody.
Like, you know, it's
always good, even if you're certainthat you're going to get three stars.
I think just have a little look on Ucas.
That would be more advicelike to people in that situation.
(19:53):
Now just write down a couple of phonenumbers of universities.
The that you were interested in.
Just so you know, worst case scenario,you've got something to do.
That's brilliant.Thank you so much for your time today.
That's okay. It's okay. It's no problem.
Hello and welcome back to Future You.
The podcast brought to youby graduate careers experts Prospects.
I'm your host, Emily Slade.
My name is Yasminand I'm a student recruitment officer
at the University of Reading.
So, to begin with, what is clearing?
So clearingis essentially a matchmaking service.
It kind of exists to connect studentswith universities.
(00:30):
So the students that don't have a placeor want to reevaluate their options,
looking for a different place
with the universitiesthat still have places
left to fill in the summerbefore their sort of term starts
generally opens in early July, butthat's kind of known as early clearing.
Most people will be more familiarwith what we call main clearing,
which is from the results dayfor kind of the main
(00:53):
kind of four days from that results dayto the end of the weekend.
But clearing actually goes onuntil kind of mid-October.
So a couple of weeks after term startsat most universities.
So, like who who is clearing full?
It's for loads of people.All sorts of people.
So it might be someone that has appliedin the main cycle.
So before that January deadline,but maybe didn't get an offer.
(01:16):
Or they might have changed their mindsabout the offers they've received.
Or it could be somebodythat did receive offers
and then maybe didn't get the gradesthey were expecting.
But it could also be for peoplethat haven't applied before.
You can apply for the first timedirectly into clearing.
So if you haven't applied before,the 30th of June
is the usual date,it might vary a little bit each year.
(01:39):
But if you haven't applied,
maybe you're someone that took a gap yearor is a mature student.
This had a longer break and have decidednow is actually the right time for me
to look at universityand go to university.
You can apply for first timedirectly into clearing.
The main thingthat you would need to remember is that,
you would need to have all of your resultsthat you've already received.
(02:00):
So if you have anything outstanding.
So things like GCSE research that might berelevant to what you're applying for,
and particularly in maths and English,then you would need to receive
all those resultsbefore you can apply to clearing
If you're a student
that's gotten into universitythrough clearing,
are you going to be treatedany differently?
Absolutely not.
So everybody's quite concerned thatmaybe that's kind of going to be known
(02:22):
throughout the courseif it's going to be on the student record
or if it's going to show on thingslike the degree certificate.
It's definitely notanything that is treated any differently.
You won't beyou won't be kind of singled out.
You won't have that reflected on youin any way
once you enrolled at the university.
It's kind of like a fresh start.
So the clearing phonecall is the phone call the only thing,
(02:45):
the only way you can apply to clearing?
It kind of depends on the university.
So at the University of Rising,we also offer an online application form,
which is particularly usefulfor those people
who might be a bit more anxiousor find it a bit more overwhelming,
or need a sort of a different accessibleway to apply through clearing.
But the phone call is the main way,and it's often the quickest way.
(03:06):
So what would happen on that phone callis that you would
be connected to an adviser,and they're all fully trained,
and they'd be really understandingof kind of how
you might be feeling on results day.
It's a whirlwind of emotions at that time.
And they will be really clear with youabout what to expect on the phone call,
about what they will need to aska bit of personal information about you.
(03:29):
Usually things like name, email address.
Then there's usually a series of questionsthat you need to answer with a
yes or a no.
Because these are kind ofbasic screening questions
to make sure that the call can continueand that the university is able to help.
Then there'll be a discussionaround qualifications.
They'll ask for the qualifications thatyou've achieved, the grades that you got.
(03:50):
And it is really, really important
to be as clear as possiblewith the information here.
For example,there's different sorts of qualifications
that might be graded differently,and having incorrect information
recorded on the applicationmight then impact
whether or not an offer that has beenmade can still be valid.
So really having that prepared beforethe phone call is really, really helpful
(04:12):
and will help the the adviserto make sure that they're able to give you
the most accurate informationand help you as quickly as possible
and feel as comfortable as possibleduring the call.
Just for an example,like a BTec Extended National Extended
Diploma is differentto a BTec National Extended Certificate.
So that's kind of like a big thingto look at, to make sure you know exactly
(04:33):
what your qualifications are whennot having that conversation with you.
They'll be able to identify if,of course, you might be
particularly interested in is availableif you're eligible for it.
So if you have anythinglike course codes that you've seen online,
then that's really helpfulto have as well.
But they can also maybelook at other options for you.
So it could be things, based onyour qualifications, if you're not sure,
(04:54):
and maybe what you want to study,if you've sort of changed your mind
around your original subject area,
they might be able to match youwith subjects
you might not have even heard of beforeor considered before.
That might be of interest to you.
That will also reiteratethe next steps on the phone as well.
So they'll be able to say verballywhether they're able to make you an offer,
what happens next, how long you have toreply, how you need to accept your offer.
(05:17):
And they'll also confirm that thatinformation comes out to you by email,
which is really important to have thatcorrect email address in the application.
yeah.
Amazing. Wow.
So that's that's a lot.
And it's usually happeningon A-level results.
Exactly. So you're making this decision.
How do students ensurethat they are taking that time.
(05:39):
Not rushing and not panicking and feeling?
God I must just simply go to university.
How can you check in with yourself?
So there's a couple of waysto really know.
The first one is to ask questions.
There'll be two kind of main
categories of questionsto ask on the phone call to the advisor.
That would be the first onebeing like functional questions
about your application.
(06:00):
For example, what could I considerbased on what my grades are.
And the other questionwould be the sorts of questions
that you'd ask at open days.
So like, is it a campus universityor city university?
What's accommodation like?
Is there accommodation?How do I get accommodation?
What are the facilities like?
Like the library, student societies,that kind of student life feel?
(06:21):
So that would be the first thingto ask questions.
The second one would bethat there's usually a lot of experiences
that you might be ableto get at universities.
Some universities offer things
like open days, campus tours,specific in-person experiences
that you might be able to attend to seeif accepting the offer is right for you.
The other sorts of things they might dois offer opportunities to chat
(06:43):
with members of academic staffover the phone, or potential current
students, either on the phoneor online, through places like university.
Or maybe if you can't make it downto the university, there'll be like
virtual campus tours as well.
So you can still kind of get asee for what the university has to offer.
What sort of support exists if you're,like, incredibly anxious and overwhelmed?
It kind of depends on the university.
(07:04):
The main thing to keep in mindis that the advisors are fully trained
and the very aware of whatthe day feels like.
We are all here to try and not pressureyou to make a decision.
We're hereto make sure that whatever decision you do
make is the one that's right for youand that you're going to thrive in.
(07:25):
So if you need to
ask questions to the member of staff,if you need to go away, have a think.
Take the time to make a decision.
It might be that you're ableto sort of make that decision
within a few hours, maybe within a dayyou maybe need a little bit longer.
But nobody's going to judge youfor needing that extra time
(07:45):
because it is a decisionthat is exactly a big decision.
There's also resources onlinethat will be able to help to help
you, like, prepare and be informedbefore, results day comes up.
When not being forewarnedis being forearmed.
So having that knowledge, doing thatresearch, using sort of resources
(08:06):
like this, so that you knowwhat to expect can really take
some of that anxiety and the unknownout of what's going to happen on the day.
And do you still have time onceyou've gone through clearing
to apply for accommodation, to apply forstudent finance to get everything ready?
Yeah, definitely.
So, each universitywill have a different kind of scheme
or process for things like accommodation.
(08:27):
Student finance companies very well aware
that sort of results therein the middle of August for most people.
And that term kind of startslate September for a lot of people.
So they would absolutely know
that they needto kind of put those applications through.
As I said, like having that informationof what you would need to do
so that you can kind of crack on with itand get those logistics in place before.
(08:51):
So getting to universitywill give you that kind of peace of mind
that it's all done by the time the summer holidays ends.
You've got a couple of weeksto unwind, get excited.
And sort of get ready to move,which can also be quite a big change
depending on how far you're going.
But then, you know, it'skind of all in place.
How long is the windowthat students have to decide?
(09:15):
Usually it's about 24 hours.
So thethe offer will be valid for 24 hours.
And that's because clearing operateson, like, a while.
Stocks last model.
So there may be circumstances whereand deadline to an offer can be extended.
And that will beif there are still places available.
You'd have to contact the individualuniversity and ask if it can be extended.
(09:38):
It would be at their discretion.
If they're unable to extend it, extendit will be
because the course is probably closed
and they've made all the offersthat are available to students.
And therefore,because all of those offers have been made
and they've closed the course,it wouldn't then be fair
to the whole group of studentsgoing through clearing to extend offers
for particular peoplethen can you always defer your offer?
(10:01):
Yeah. Again,it's at the discretion of the university.
It might bebecause of the certain courses.
So, for example,if you're going into a course
that is a regulated profession,like teaching speech and language therapy,
those sorts of courses are far less likelyto enable you to but to defer
because you have additional checksthat you'd have to go through, like,
DBS checking.
(10:23):
If you're applying for certain courses,then you'd have to study in the year
in which you apply to make sure that allthose additional documents are valid,
but certain other courses.
Yeah, it's definitely worth asking.
So, for example,
our student Amy, who has, studiedEnglish literature with us,
was able to defer her clearing offerand then start the following year.
(10:44):
What would you sayto someone who's listening,
who's really worriedabout clearing right now?
So it is a really busy timeand it can be a
a whirlwind of kind of emotions,but it's also a really exciting time.
Like it'sthe sort of the start of the next step
of your kind of life experience.
So there's a lot going on.
Nobody's going to judge youfor having those emotions.
(11:07):
For some people,it might help to think of results day
as kind of like a hallway or space station
with lots of doors or portals,and you have the control to decide
which ones you're going to openand which ones you want to step through.
And you also have people around youthat sort of love and support you as well,
that might be able to helpwith some of the research or admin tasks.
(11:29):
It was be far less daunting for youpotentially to have a list of universities
on a sheet of paper,
that you canthen phone up that you might be eligible
for instead of just the wholeinternet at your fingertips.
And then also aswell, if you have someone that can kind of
keep track of,please contacted what the outcomes were,
what kind of the some of the,some of the key selling points were.
(11:53):
Then you have it in front of youon a piece of paper.
Easier to compare.
Which hopefully will takesome of the anxiety out of it.
The main thing is thatwe do need to speak to you on the phone
yourself as the student, to make surewe're able to offer make a genuine offer.
But if you are speaking to usand you do get
(12:14):
a bit overwhelmed, it's perfectlyokay to take some time.
We all understand it.
A lot of us have had those emotionsbefore on results day as well.
So. Absolutely.
Just don't don't feel like youowe us anything on the phone.
If you're feeling a way, you're feeling,
then that is the way you're feeling,and it's completely valid.
(12:35):
And then you have those resourcesthat you could use to prepare in advance
to sort of make yourself feelas prepared as possible for the day.
Which helps
hopefully as well would then take some ofthe anxiety out of the the day itself.
Yeah, definitely.
So I'm I'm aI've just finished my final year here.
(12:57):
University of Reading.
Doing English literature. Perfect.
And you're here todayto talk about clearing.
So you came to the University of Readingvia clearing? Yes.
I did, yeah,I phoned them up on my results day.
Very stressful experience,but the, the load you
I spoke to on the phone from readingwas so lovely and really helpful.
And then now the rest is history.
(13:20):
Amazing.So let's go right back to the beginning.
So you had expectations of certain grades?
Yeah.
So I for sort of knew that I'd need to gothrough clearing after my chemistry exam.
I knew that it didn't really gothe way that I wanted it to go.
So started having to think,oh, maybe this might be an option for me.
Did a little bit of research and then,
(13:42):
you know, on the actual results itself,I got my grades.
And then that's how I knewthat I'd want to go through clearing.
So because you didn'tget your expected grades within the exam,
it meant that you couldn't gofor your previously applied for options.
Yeah.
So, I was looking at alldifferent options for Clare, and,
I really liked Reddinbecause I was different.
You could choose sort of option modulesfrom a course, different departments.
(14:05):
It wasn't just limited to English.
And so it was on the daythat you got all of this sorted.
It can feel quite isolating, is all.
Because now you're young,you're looking around your peers,
and everybody'snow doing so well into that.
I literally felt like my life was over,
but obviously it was if I could go back
in terms of Amy,like just but it's okay, just chill out.
(14:27):
It was fine.
And then luckily
I had such lovely teachers and supportstaff on hand on the day, calm me down.
And then also so luckily had donea lot of research beforehand,
so I had a list of phone numbers
like I wanted to call, readand be in one of them.
So I basically just went through my list,and read in.
I think readingwas the second universal call.
(14:47):
I can't even rememberwho the first one was now.
And yeah, I've got the place
for literally all they asked me forwas my A-level results.
That's it for a couple of my GCSE grades.
And then, I'm pretty sure from obviously.
So like four years ago now. Yeah.
And then they said to meactually that there was a, open day
(15:09):
specifically for clearing studentsthe very next day was, pandemonium
from just outside of Birmingham,so that a two hour drive away.
My mum.
But she was like, come on, we'll take youdown there, you know.
Will I, I had the offer for clearingoffer, and we went down here the next day.
Hello crowd.
And I was like, yeah, this is,this is a bit of meh.
(15:30):
And then I accepted my offer on Ucas while
I was here with our membersand read and stuff.
Yeah. Amazing.
And so the phone callwas very easy to navigate.
The staff was super supportive. Yeah.
It was literally like they made it as easyas it could have been.
I think that they are all very awarethat it's a very high emotion,
very stressful day. Yeah.
(15:51):
The lecturers go through the questionsyou need to ask you.
You answer themand then they tell you then and there
if you've got the place or not.
And I did. So yeah, Amazing.
If you hadn't had prepared ahead of timewith your list of questions,
would you list a phone number? Sorry.
Do you think were the peopleat your results day
(16:11):
who were sort of collecting potential,clearing students and helping them there?
Or do you think you would havehad to have gone away
and still thought about clearing,thought about was it
something that you were super awareof ahead of time?
my emotional plan was to no,hopefully get my grades and Mike
maybe get a gap yearbecause I didn't get the offer,
the vast amount to do a gap yearand then reapply with them.
(16:32):
Obviously that sort of didn't happen.
So I was and I knew in the back of my mindthat was going to be the case.
I was researching unis were in town, phonenumbers are tight with me,
but just in case. So, so glad I did.
But even if I hadn't, I think the my college was quite good
with things like, I think that there wasthere's so many staff around all day
to help out those like careers advisers,
(16:55):
members of the like, the accountsand services teachers and staff.
Right.
There was so many people thereto to help out.
And I remember
I remember I spoke to this Chris lady, who was, a member of staff at my college.
And she said to me, look,I mean, like, you can
you can do something that you want to donow, like you don't.
You can always if the if it comes to youagain in the future, you can also apply
(17:18):
for medicine or anythingrelated or something completely different.
You know, when you're, you know much oldage, it's not like your life isn't linear.
You can and here and that I was like,you know what?
Yeah. So I went and did English.
But if I hadn't had preparedthe phone numbers, I think, oh,
it would have been much more stressfulbecause it meant I had a plan.
(17:40):
I had like something to do when I didn't,when it didn't go my way, basically.
But there were people there to,to help out and.
Yeah.
And did
it still was there like celebrationshappening that evening
and did you still go to them andthen the going to McDonald's, actually,
after all my friends,we all sort of went and I got, some food
after our results and we just sat theresort of moping over my back.
(18:05):
But it was
such a weird day because I was still so,so happy for, like, all of my friends and,
you know, like, because I've gone missing,I get another place is confirmed
at uni is everything.
But yeah, literally, I wouldn'tchange a single thing about any of it now.
I still did a gap year as well.
So I got my clearing offer,
came to Redding, absolutely loved it.
(18:27):
But then, food, like just,you know, personal reasons I have,
and I decided that uni wasn't right for meat that time, which was another thing.
I was like,oh, my God, what what am I doing?
But I basically deferred my offerand they let me do that.
And so it meant by Hodderconfirmed unconditional offer for
(18:50):
coursewould have been September 20th 2023-2024
entry rather than 2022-2023.
So I had a year off.
And that was also the best thing for me,like thinking back.
So this was like four years ago now.
I wouldn't change a single thingabout what I did, from filling up
and applying to clearingto having a year off and do farm.
(19:11):
And because I worked in that year,we never,
you know, spent time with my friends.
You know, I had a really lovely year,but I've never felt more prepared
I think that I hadthere was quite a lot of stigma
about surroundingclearing at the time at least,
you know, like where I went to collegeand, you know, like, I think
it was sort of assumedthat you didn't have a plan
(19:32):
or you didn't know what you would do inif you had to go through clearing.
But that completely is not the caseat all.
Like it can happen to anybody.
Like, you know, it's
always good, even if you're certainthat you're going to get three stars.
I think just have a little look on Ucas.
That would be more advicelike to people in that situation.
(19:53):
Now just write down a couple of phonenumbers of universities.
The that you were interested in.
Just so you know, worst case scenario,you've got something to do.
That's brilliant.Thank you so much for your time today.
That's okay. It's okay. It's no problem.
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