It’s A level results day today! Some of you will be feeling elated, others maybe not so happy. Regardless of your results, congratulations on surviving A levels! They are one of the most intense periods of study in your life, and certainly the longest.
Now its time to get excited about what’s happening next in your life. This could be college, university, a job or an apprenticeship.
Well done to those of you who will be joining us! The University of Southampton are eagerly preparing for your arrival.
Now that you have your results, there are several options for you on UCAS:
Firstly, you can accept your first or second offer, depending on your grades and where you’d prefer to attend.
The second option is Clearing. This is a UCAS process for those who either didn’t meet requirements for their offers, no longer want to complete the course they hold offers for, or exceeded the requirements for their offers and want to apply to somewhere different.
Alternatively, if you want a break from education, or aren’t sure what to do at the moment, it’s okay to take a different path; maybe have a gap year and reconsider at a later date.
Clearing is not as complicated as it can first seem, and you can go from having no back up plan to having a place on a course in only a couple of hours! In order to access Clearing, you first need to reject all current UCAS offers you hold.
The next step is to go onto the Clearing website and filter available courses so that you get a list of courses that you are eligible to apply for and interested in. Then start discounting courses until you have 2 or 3 shortlisted. Clearing is only open for 5 days, so don’t take too long deciding!
Now its time to call the Clearing team. These are the people that actually get you your place by phoning the university on your behalf. This is the part of the process that can take some time, but as long as you’re clear with what you want, and your UCAS account is up to date, you should have no problems.
One thing to be aware of: Clearing places can go very quickly, which is why you need multiple course choices ready, so that if your first Clearing choice is filled, you have alternatives.
Once you have your university place confirmed, its time to get excited about the future! Start booking your accommodation as soon as possible, as this is another thing that fills up very quickly, especially for Clearing spaces. Maybe look at societies or sports teams you’d like to join.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do and remember to be proud of yourself. A levels are a big achievement, so take a moment to appreciate that.
