A-level results day started out badly for Rachel Pearce. “I logged on and realised I didn’t do as well in my exams as I’d hoped,” she says. “I got nervous and flunked them a bit.” The day got even worse when she burst into tears in front of everyone at school. “It was a bit of a mistake to open [my results] in sixth form with everyone watching,” she says.
However, Pearce’s day was about to get a whole lot better. She had gone to an interview at the University of Lincoln earlier that year, but as they had asked for higher grades she hadn’t accepted an offer, thinking she’d play it safe.
As soon as she realised she hadn’t been accepted for fine art at her first choice university, Pearce got on the phone. After calling different universities, she realised Lincoln had places.
“I called them up – I think they could tell that my voice was shaking, because I was nearly crying,” she says. “It had been a stressful day and they were lovely. I think they had been dealing with a lot of people like me because they understood and knew how to deal with it.”
Lincoln offered Pearce a place to study fine art. “I was so relieved. I was ecstatic that I’d managed to get into Lincoln,” she says. “Any course would have been really good but Lincoln was incredible.”
Every year, thousands of students secure sought-after places at top universities by going through clearing: for example, more than 70,000 students were accepted in 2020. This year, clearing opened on 5 July for students who are not holding any offers or who decide late to apply for university. The University of Lincoln will publish course vacancies on its website and advisers will operate the call centre. Offers will also be made on social media.
Pearce has now graduated and loved her time at Lincoln. “The course was really good,” she says. “Not only do you learn the practical skills of printmaking, woodworking and graphics – you also learn transferable skills, like how to apply for grants. Everyone was so nice, no one cared that I came through clearing and I had no shame in telling them that.”
Pearce’s advice to others is to jump on the phone quickly and make lots of calls. “The main thing is to stay calm,” she says. “They might ask you why you want to do this course, so that’s important to know. And just call everyone.”
Pearce wasn’t the only student who had a shock when they got their A-level results. Jordan Lock says she was “gutted” when she missed out on her grades to study medicine. “I refused to go downstairs, I felt so awful.”
However, Lock kept it together and got on the phone to various universities to try to snag a place through clearing. “I don’t think I’d prepared, not even mentally,” she says. She remembers spending a lot of time waiting on the phone. “You kind of get into the zone,” she says. “Time kind of flew by and suddenly it was hours later.”
Eventually, Lock spoke to someone at the University of Lincoln, which had a brand new medicine course and medical facilities. “Everyone was really nice and it wasn’t stressful like it had been the whole morning,” she says. They offered her an interview that Saturday.
The interview involved roleplays, practicals and ethical dilemmas spread across eight different stations. Although Lock was nervous, she liked the university and felt she could imagine herself there. “It was a really nice environment the whole day,” she says.
The day after the interview, Lincoln offered her a place. “I bounded out of bed, ran to my mum and showed her the email – I’d gotten in,” she says. “It’s one of those things I’ll never forget. I was so happy and so relieved.”
Lock went on to love the course at Lincoln and can’t imagine herself anywhere else. “I settled in nice and quick. I didn’t even get that homesick,” she says. “All the facilities have been really good and the social life is amazing.”
Her top tip is to be prepared and to have confidence in yourself. “I recommend getting your information together – like your Ucas ID number and GCSE results – it’ll make life that little bit less stressful,” she says. “And don’t think it’s the end of the world that you’re in clearing.”
Bailey Marchant studied geography at the University of Lincoln before becoming vice president for campaigns at the student union. She has recently started work at the Essex Wildlife Trust.
Once you get to university, freshers’ week is a lot of fun and it doesn’t matter if you came through clearing, says Marchant. “Freshers’ week is this explosive week.”
Marchant loved Lincoln for a few different reasons. “The first thing is the sheer brilliance of the lecturers,” she says. “The wealth of knowledge of the geography lecturers is insane. They are world leading scientists on climate change. The student union is also amazing and the campus is beautiful.”
All of the students agreed that once you get to university, the route you’ve taken doesn’t matter. “For students going through clearing I would say you’re going to end up where you’re meant to be,” says Marchant. “And if you go to Lincoln you will have the best three years ever – so just throw yourself in and make the most of it.”
Find out more about clearing opportunities at the University of Lincoln at lincoln.ac.uk/clearing
