Student Blog Squad

How preparing for Clearing is useful, even if you don’t need it on the day

Hello, I’m Albina, a 2nd year Marketing and Advertising Management student at Leeds Beckett and this blog I’m going to share my experiences of how I prepared to go through Clearing. 
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Low predicted grades

I was advised by my college to start thinking about Clearing after receiving my mock exams results which were a little bit lower than the requirements and what I had expected. I was really worried because I have problems with my memory and need extra time in assignments and essays and didn’t want that to stop me getting onto my chosen course. I saw Clearing as an opportunity to still get into my chosen university, Leeds Beckett. 

I knew that Leeds Beckett was the university for me as it was local and included a joint degree majoring in both Marketing and Advertising as well as being CIM accredited, which is something that I sought after. It was also great that I had found a course that mixed theory and practical industry experiences together which suited my learning style.

Ways to increase your UCAS points before Clearing

The prospect of lower predicted grades didn’t stop me from trying my best and working hard to ensure that even with Clearing that I could still get into university. At college I decided to look for ways to bump up my UCAS points through other qualifications offered. I decided to do an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and Free-Standing Maths Qualification (FSMQ). An EPQ is half an A-level and carries UCAS points to bump up those grades and the FSMQ gave me some extra UCAS points as well. 

Planning to apply through Clearing

I felt really relieved to have been told about Clearing and have a Plan B in case things didn’t go to plan on results day. The first thing I did was fill out a Leeds Beckett Clearing interest form to jumpstart the Clearing process. After I submitted this, I received helpful advice via from the university about the process and how it would work. I also asked questions to Becky the chat bot, the universities online chat service and after receiving clear and short answers that made sense to me and the idea of Clearing suddenly became less daunting.

Hard work pays off

I had made all the arrangements and prepared myself that I was going to have to apply through Clearing so imagine my surprise on results day when I managed to get into Leeds Beckett without Clearing, meeting the entry requirements of 112 points. This was all because I got an A* in my EPQ and FSMQ, increasing my overall UCAS points and securing me a place at my first-choice university for a BA Marketing and Advertising Management degree meaning that I did not need to go into Clearing after all.

You are not a failure

Applying through Clearing or planning for Clearing is not a sign of failure. Not getting your desired grades or having low predicted grades is not the end of the world and they do not reflect your self-worth. Clearing is just another way of getting into university and doing the course you love through a different route. Clearing is an important process so make sure to use all the help offered to get you into university.

Planning for Clearing meant that the process and run up to results day was stress free and knowing I had options meant that I could still get excited about university. As a 2nd year soon to be 3rd year student I’ve had a wonderful experience at university, made some great friends (despite being introverted) and learned so much from university both theoretically and practically.

I highly recommend Clearing and would recommend that you make plans and start looking into it before results day so that you are prepared for both outcomes.

Universities might still consider your application and things might change. You never know what the future holds, don’t give up!

 

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