The Student Room Group

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Reply 1
There aren't any spaces. Uni's use any surplus to increase the number of offers they make the next year. I'm afraid they only the people they've selected for medicine : /
Reply 2
I doubt it! But maybe!
Reply 3
Eskamo
There aren't any spaces. Uni's use any surplus to increase the number of offers they make the next year.


That wouldn't really work logistically - different years do different things... so the big year would be completely overcrowded and teaching their specific courses would be impossible, although the small year would be loving it! :p:
But I'd agree - there generally aren't any places, look back at Clearing supplements to see if any were advertised this year.

It's in the interests of the medical school to have exactly as many students as they have room/funding for - fewer and they won't get the money, more & they'll be overstretched. It's probably also in their interests to avoid clearing = last minute faff, they'd probably rather take their time with the UCAS form selection then interviewing that they typically do.
So they try to work out how many offers they should make, taking into consideration: how many people will put them as firm, how many will put them as insurance, how many will miss the grades.
Then they have flexibility come results day in that they can refuse anyone who didn't meet their offer (if they accidentally over offered then they can be harsh about everyone needing to meet the grades) or they can still accept people who didn't make offers (e.g. if they under-offered then they might prefer to accept someone they selected for interview and really liked who missed the grades slightly over someone on the other end of a phone in clearing).
Some then have the added net of a "waiting" or "reserve" list of people who were next in line for their offers to have gone to that they ask to phone up on results day if they haven't got any other offers but have made the grades.
Reply 4
It does happen, but not through clearing as you understand it. Unis will always have a few people lined up who they'll flex the grade boundaries for if they have a spot or two left over. The thing to remember is the odds are so small and unpredictable that it simply ain't possible to make plans around it. If it happens, consider it a gift but don't expect it. Pretend it doesn't exist.
Reply 5
i don't think a prestigious course such as medicine would be available through clearing...most uni's offer far more places than they can hold due to reasons such as people not doing well on there A2's
Reply 6
it happens but rarely, and especially unlikely if you never applied to the uni in the 1st place. my friend got rejected from edinburgh this year without interview (and all her other choices after interview), however she got a call from edinburgh the day after results day sayin that they had put her on the waiting list when she applied which she didnt know anything about and they offered her a place. you can imagine how happy she was, she was plannin a gap year as well.
Reply 7
It's not quite clearing, but Sheffield have a reserve list for applicants who didn't quite make the cut after an interview, just in case there are a few openings left by people who didn't quite make it.
Reply 8
I got into medicine through clearing this year, i got into keele and i hadnt originally applied there. So medicine through clearing does happen.
Reply 9
How did you get in?Did you phone keele on results day?
Reply 10
I've read there are lots of places that are in clearing but they aren't advertised.
Reply 11
kirstinx
I've read there are lots of places that are in clearing but they aren't advertised.


This is true. It's been known for people to get into oxford through persistent badgering/good research...
Reply 12
Stressedxx
How did you get in?Did you phone keele on results day?


YOUR REALLY LUCKY! I phoned them up on results day (having not applied there before) and they said they weren't in clearing :frown:
Reply 13
Persistent badgering will not get you in, I can tell you that for nowt. Admissions tutors are more likely to call the police than give you an offer (And that's from the mouth of a head of admissions).
Reply 14
yeh i also phoned up and they said that they werent in clearing but i also faxed all the unis my application and i got a phone call the next day inviting me for interview.
it's not likely... they intentionally over offer so that even IF people do m iss thier grades then there will be enough people to fill those places who have gotten those grades. Normally badgering them does no help - I tried haha.
Reply 16
Someone3
it's not likely... they intentionally over offer so that even IF people do m iss thier grades then there will be enough people to fill those places who have gotten those grades. Normally badgering them does no help - I tried haha.


lol I tried badgering too and it obviously does not help, even went to manchester university after results day (admissions dean was not pleased). However, a friend of mine was rejected from all his unis for dentistry, he kept bugging manchester by emailing em, sending them letters and phonin. In the end, he ended up with an interview the day after results day and hes got in. Badgering does not help but in his case it did, ah well
Reply 17
Ash89
yeh i also phoned up and they said that they werent in clearing but i also faxed all the unis my application and i got a phone call the next day inviting me for interview.


woahh! darn it! i wish I'd have thought of that.....
Reply 18
Yes someone at my school did get phoned up post results, not sure what happened though - methinks he was in Egypt. Not sure about the Oxford claim although I do know someone who successfully asked Cambridge to release him for Oxford in the same year.
Zigi
lol I tried badgering too and it obviously does not help, even went to manchester university after results day (admissions dean was not pleased). However, a friend of mine was rejected from all his unis for dentistry, he kept bugging manchester by emailing em, sending them letters and phonin. In the end, he ended up with an interview the day after results day and hes got in. Badgering does not help but in his case it did, ah well


LOL I went to Leeds university after my resutls and I was basically told to get the hell out of the building, by the admissions tutor's ASSISTANT! He wouldn't even tell me to go away by himself :frown: lol.

Your friend is lucky, good for him :smile: