July 4, 2018, by Guest Blogger

Plan for every outcome – Emma’s story

I’d never heard of Clearing or Adjustment before I went through it myself.

I hadn’t got very good grades at AS and was planning on taking a gap year, as I thought my A2s would go the same way. I hadn’t applied to any universities, but my school made me write a personal statement as practice so I signed up to UCAS anyway and uploaded – just in case I changed my mind.

The next two months of summer seemed to fly by and, due to the fact I was working at Sainsbury’s full time, I started to grow anxious as to whether I wanted to continue to work there for another year. I didn’t like the idea of all my friends going off to university and being left behind – and even worse for me I felt like I was letting my parents down.

My sister told me to make a plan for all the outcomes, the worst and the best, so when I got my results I could follow it like a flowchart. We jotted down all the universities I liked and had visited in year 12, and then looked at universities with lower entry requirements. I felt more prepared, but I still felt apprehensive and worried.

On results day, my sister opened the envelope for me as I was a mess! I’d not only got good enough grades to go to Nottingham, but also all of my top three choices. I then screamed to my teachers I was going through Clearing – many looked shocked and asked if I was OK… I know now I meant Adjustment!

I called the universities all from the backseat of my mum’s car with my sister and got three interviews that day and three offers.

I’d always recommend that, if you’re feeling anxious, make a plan for all the outcomes, no matter how unlikely they may seem now. If you don’t quite reach what you needed, or if you surpass your own expectations, there are endless possibilities and routes for you to take.

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