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| Source: The Telegraph, Edited by Me |
Alright there,
So last week I mentioned I was going to be starting a series all about university. I know a lot of my readers/ fellow bloggers are at the sort of age where they are either thinking about university or are going to university in September/October. I therefore thought it would be helpful to share some of my experiences with you. I know some people will not be interested in this whatsoever, so feel free to skip this post.
But before any of that can happen, results day is first. This post is only focused on A2 results day as its a bit different to other results days. I remember my results day last year and how nervous I was for it, so I thought I'd share with you few tips from my experience to help you prepare for Thursday.
Read up on Adjustment
Make sure to read up on what adjustment is. Most people don't look forward to their results and think they've done badly, it's a natural response. However, year and year out people surpass their expectations and get better grades than they were expecting. Adjustment is the process by which you can apply to a university with higher grade boundaries on results day. For example, say your uni offer was BBB but you actually got grades of AAB you could then apply to go to a university with courses requiring AAB. For some people they would prefer to go to university they originally wanted to go to, but for others, this gives them a chance to go to a different university they may prefer. It's good to read up on this and know what the process is, you can learn more about adjustment here.
Know what Clearing is, and look into the clearing lists
This is without a doubt the most important thing. None of us want to miss our offer (both firm and insurance). It is wise to look into clearing and know about the process. It is always best to be prepared for the worst possible outcome. If you don't get in and haven't read about the clearing process, it will have been made all that more difficult for you. Make sure you buy the Telegraph and also check their website, they have a list of all of the clearing vacancies available. The vacancies are available from Midnight on A level results day, so if you are sure you haven't gotten in, you may want to look at some of the vacancies available to prepare yourself. I wasn't sure if I'd gotten in or not, so checked the list and it made me feel a lot calmer as I'd been able to find places I would happily have gone to that did my course. To learn more about the actual process of clearing, check here.
Decide if you are going to check UCAS Track before going to college
People have different preferences on this. Some schools have their results online which makes it easier as you can check your results from home. However, a lot of colleges you will need to go in to collect your results which will be on a slip on paper. Depending on when your school opens, your UCAS Track may be updated beforehand. I don't think my college opened until 10am which was pretty late, but if yours opens earlier that's another factor to consider. I for one chose to check UCAS Track before going in as that way I would either know that I'd gotten in and not feel nervous for my results, or if I hadn't gotten in, would get a headstart on clearing. Luckily for me I had gotten in, and as a result I felt relieved and wasn't nervous to go and collect my results. However, some people wanted to wait to get their results instead of checking online, so the choice is up to you.
Don't stay up all night
Really, don't. UCAS Track will not update before 7am so there is no reason to stay up all night, try and get a good nights sleep in case you need it. I didn't get much sleep because I was so so worried, but try and get as much as you can, there's no point staying up and worrying. If you want to wake up early in the morning to check Track, fine, just don't stay up all night you'll drive yourself insane. I think UCAS Track updated at 8:50am last year or something similar. There's no point staying up all night waiting you'll drive yourself insane with the worry. Also, if you don't get in and need to call up university's for clearing, you'll be so glad you've had a good nights sleep.
Don't Worry
Everyone is nervous, but please try not to get too nervous for your results if you can help it. I know it's hard but please tell yourself that it isn't the end of the world if you don't get in. Grades aren't everything, and there are other options besides university. I know people who have had to take gap years because of it, and ended up realising that they didn't want to do the course they had applied for the previous years. Others realise that university wasn't for them and they were glad they didn't end up going. Remember, everything happens for a reason.
So that's it, let me know if you found this useful and want to see more like it. For all of you getting results on Thursday, good luck and I hope you get the grades you want :D
