Clearing 2012

This is a scary and stressful time for all concerned students, their parents, teachers and advisers and university staff.  Like Christmas, it only happens once a year, requires huge amounts of preparation and build up and then seems to be over in a flash.  The difficulty with Clearing is that most students aren’t prepared for it as they don’t really expect to be in that position and schools, colleges and universities find it almost impossible to predict how things will pan out as circumstances change significantly every year.

Each year has its own unique set of issues and the context for 2012 is no different:

  • Increase in fees for 2012 entry
  • Disappointed applicants from 2011 which was a “bumper year”
  • Peak of school leaver population
  • Economic climate – poor employment situation
  • Decline in applications nationally
  • Decline in number of available places nationally
  • AAB+ “adjustment”. 

The last bullet point requires further explanation.  This year the Government is allowing universities to take as many students with A-level grades of two As and a B or above as they want to.  This could mean that:

  • those students with an AAA offer that narrowly miss their grades will get their place anyway
  • students who achieve significantly higher grades than expected may have more opportunity to ‘adjust’  to a university with higher entry requirements
  • universities may find themselves in the strange position of having vacancies for those students with AAB+ only, even though their usual entry requirements may be lower.

Not all courses will be able to take an endless supply of AAB+ students though.  Some have restricted intake, for example NHS courses (like Nursing, Physiotherapy, Podiatry and Medicine) and teaching courses, and some will find their numbers restricted by the resources they have available, for example equipment or lab and classroom space.

Our experience here at Huddersfield is that most of the teachers and advisers and all of the students we have talked to over the last few months are completely unaware of this fact.  Here is a useful summary from UCAS.  

Despite this unique set of circumstances, the basic advice for students at this time of year remains largely the same and can be found on the UCAS website.

The Schools and Colleges Liaison Team at Huddersfield have many years’ experience of co-ordinating and staffing the Clearing helpline – so we thought it might be useful to share some practical tips with you and the students you advise.

  1. Don’t panic – what seems like the end of the world today will be a distant memory this time next year.
  2.  Don’t make assumptions – if you don’t get the grades you needed, check on UCAS Track to find out if you are definitely in Clearing, you may have been accepted by your first or second choice university anyway.
  3.  Make sure that you look at your options carefully to make sure that you make the right decision.
  4. You will have spent over a year researching your university choices – try and use this knowledge when choosing where to apply in Clearing.
  5. Make sure you have your exam results before you start ringing around universities or you will be wasting your time and theirs.
  6. Don’t get your mum, brother, mate or teacher to ring up for you – we need to speak to you directly if at all possible as we will try to help you to make the right choice for you.
  7. You don’t need to accept the first place you are offered – keep shopping around.
  8. Try to visit any universities you are seriously considering – many will have Clearing Open Days.
  9. Be patient and persistent, the phones will be busy – keep trying!
  10. Don’t rule out resits if it will help you achieve your ultimate goal.

 The Univerisity of Huddersfield’s Clearing Helpline number is 0300 555 444 and further details can be found here.  Good luck to your students who are waiting for results this week!