Clearing offers a way out of the gloom for those who have missed the grades for their initial five university choices. It can catapult you from a feeling of failure to the excitement of knowing you’ve begun the next chapter of your life.
But the best places are likely to be snapped up by lunchtime on results day, which doesn’t allow much time for consideration. Unless the available options are a close match to your original choice, accepting a clearing offer is a gamble. And, in my experience, it’s a gamble that’s easy to lose.
When I got CCC in my A-levels, it didn’t leave me with much choice. Rather than face re-sits, I went through Clearing and jumped at an offer from the University of the West of England (UWE) to study psychology and sociology. I had originally hoped to study psychology in Leeds, so it felt like a good alternative. I thought I was being bold and instinctive, taking a chance that I would look back on and congratulate myself for.
But I realise now that I was romanticising my spontaneity. There was every chance it might not work out well. I had no idea what UWE was like, or any real grasp of what the course would entail. I’d never even been to Bristol. But I signed up like a shot.
I became depressed within weeks of enrolling, and found myself suffering from a crippling sense of failure. While others were enjoying themselves, I grew increasingly distant from my studies, having never imagined the course would be so statistics-heavy. I’m not criticising the institution, or other students; the reason it didn’t work for me was because of an application system that doesn’t give scared young people room to pause and think.
The wrong call
Last year, a record 64,000 students got into university via Clearing – up almost 70% from 10 years ago. For many this will be the start of an amazing journey, but it’s worrying to think how many will suffer experiences like mine.
There are no nationally published statistics on the drop-out rate for students who go through Clearing. Ucas stops tracking students’ progress after they’ve accepted an offer and the Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) doesn’t break figures down by entry route.
We do know that half of all 18-year-olds who miss out on their chosen places re-apply a year later with a 90% success rate. Perhaps these impressive figures are because students have had a chance to stop and think about which course is best for them. It’s a cliché, but the case for taking a year to “find yourself” is actually pretty compelling.
I dropped out of UWE in the first week of my second year. I spent the rest of the year at home and in the library, studying for A-level re-sits. I raised my CCC to ABB and got accepted into Goldsmiths to study English. Taking that time out was the best decision I’ve ever made. It allowed me to step back, assess what I really wanted, and focus.
My naivety and lack of direction at 18 definitely contributed to my bad experience. But asking people to sign away the next three years of their life on a whim, as Clearing does, feels irresponsible. I know it works for some people, but having been through both Clearing and a year out, I know what I’d choose if given the chance again.
- This piece was amended on 22 August for clarity. An earlier version referred to a case study which has since been removed
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