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Is Clearing Risky, in my situation?

Sarah_Andrews

But omg if i withdraw my offers now..i have no university to go to if you think about.. i mean what if clearing flops. This thought is actually scaring me!

But you don't want to go to those universities anyway - they'll just hold you back when you're wanting to apply to others through Clearing..

Reply 21

Good bloke

19

RosiePosiePuddingAndPie

But you don't want to go to those universities anyway - they'll just hold you back when you're wanting to apply to others through Clearing..

Quite! OP, you have told us that the offers you currently hold are of no interest to you (and were a mistake on your part) - how are you risking anything by letting them go?

Reply 22

Sarah_Andrews

OP

Thanks, thats very helpful!

Reply 23

free_one

Sarah_Andrews

But omg if i withdraw my offers now..i have no university to go to if you think about.. i mean what if clearing flops. This thought is actually scaring me!

That seems to be more in line with my current situation... agh, this sucks. :frown:

RosiePosiePuddingAndPie

But you don't want to go to those universities anyway - they'll just hold you back when you're wanting to apply to others through Clearing..

What would you recommend for me? (As it all depends on my grades...) If there are places in clearing I'm willing to go for it!

Reply 24

jon###

so glad i found this forum!!!!! i'm considering doing the exact same thing as most people here; i really want to get in2 my firm (lancaster uni for psychology), but dont think i will, so i'll have 2 go 2 my insurance (Aberdeen Uni) which i'm not that fussed on! Therefore, i really wanna go 2 clearing if i dont get in2 my insurance.
Anyway, i've just rang UCAS for an official comment on the whole confusing situatuion. They said students going through this situation can either do one of two things;

Decline your firm and/or insurance now, and you will definately, automatically, be eligible for clearing

OR

Wait until results day. This is slightly more complicated than declining now. In order to get into clearing on results day, if you've been accepted into one of your choices, you will have to ring the university youv'e applied to and ask them to "release" you. The guy I spoke to over at UCAS said the release of a student had nothing to do with them, and it was at the universities discretion (ie, they could be awkward and decide not to release you, dunno why they'd do that, but the UCAS guy said it does sometimes happen). If ur uni does decide to release you, then you inform UCAS and then, finally, you'll get into clearing.

Reply 25

jon###

and yes, like most people on here, im terrified of declining choices in case i dont get to go anywhere else on clearing.

Reply 26

Sarah_Andrews

OP

We just need to stick together guys, help each other out and we should be fine :smile:

Reply 27

free_one

jon###

and yes, like most people on here, im terrified of declining choices in case i dont get to go anywhere else on clearing.

Yeah, I'm really scared but it's worth the risk - I'll be happier getting what I need through clearing! :biggrin:

Sarah_Andrews

We just need to stick together guys, help each other out and we should be fine

Well said! :smile:

Here are some links (chances are, you've probably already seen them - but still worth posting):

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Being_released_from_your_Firm_or_Insurance
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Guide_to_Clearing
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Top_telephone_tips_for_Clearing_calls
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Ten_golden_rules_for_Clearing

I have a couple of questions, though:
from http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?p=12172042&highlight=clearing+juno#post12172042

"Do I have to wait until I receive my Clearing Passport to apply?"
No. As soon as you know you're in Clearing you can start phoning unis. If you had to be released by either your firm or insurance, you will need to wait for confirmation that this has been done, which may take a few weeks.

That's a bit of a problem. So does this mean I can't start calling the universities that I want to go to (through clearing) on the day? Do the universities check whether or not you've been released from your previous offers?

EDIT: I've started making notes on the universities that I want to go to (all for the same course). Notes include the contact details, details about the course itself and notes about the university (if I'm asked why I want to go to X over the phone). I really recommend this, it'll be really helpful when the time comes and it's obviously great to read up on the unis.

Reply 28

iainmacn

10

IMO it is all a bit of a lottery - you might get a place somewhere else but your choice will be limited by where has places, and the more popular places may well not have places in clearing. If however you really feel you couldn't stand the places you've got offers from then it may well be the best option. If it turns out you don't then get a place at soemwhere you'd be happy with, there is always the option to take a year out and re-apply. It depends a lot on how strongly you feel pro/anti a particular place.

Sorry not to be able to give a more clear cut answer but once you get into this situation it really does depend a lot on factors totally outside of your control - like which uni's other people chose, what their grades were etc.

good luck!

Reply 29

Paulwhy

13

If you want to know what was in clearing in 2007 check out this thread:
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=466983&highlight=clearing+2007

Reply 30

free_one

Thanks for the replies, guys!
iainmacn, wouldn't there be places at courses because of people getting into their firms (i.e. a number of places at some uni courses would be for people's insurance offer)?

Paulwhy

If you want to know what was in clearing in 2007 check out this thread:
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/show...=clearing+2007

Those lists are kinda encouraging. But the thing is, since I'm gonna wait 'til results day to get Kent to release me could I start ringing up the unis and explain that I'm in the process of Kent releasing me and ask them to hold me a place? Is it even possible to ask a uni to hold a place for me?

Reply 31

mrs_bellamy

18

You must decline your firm and insurance before you can go into clearing. You can do this on results day, but your uni will be in no rush to release you becuase they will have other things to do, so you might miss out on the best stuff in clearing. Clearing may seem risky, but when I initially missed my offer this year (met it in the end by re-mark) I got loads of offers through clearing and it was soooo much easier than applying through UCAS, I just rang a few places I wanted to go to for biology related things and got offers from all of them really quickly (York, Sheffield, Nottingham, can't remember where else, had ABC at the time). A lot of places lower their offers a lot for clearing. I guess it depends a lot on the course but I found clearing so simple, if you don't have the offers you want now clearing might be the way to go. Could also try extra, but I don't know much about that, have a look at the wiki.

Reply 32

Minerva

17

Extra no longer applies; it finished a couple of weeks ago and doesn't start again until Feb/March next year. From now on it's meet your offer or go through Clearing if you don't or you have persuaded your choice/s to release you.

Reply 33

Paulwhy

13

free_one

Thanks for the replies, guys!
iainmacn, wouldn't there be places at courses because of people getting into their firms (i.e. a number of places at some uni courses would be for people's insurance offer)?

Those lists are kinda encouraging. But the thing is, since I'm gonna wait 'til results day to get Kent to release me could I start ringing up the unis and explain that I'm in the process of Kent releasing me and ask them to hold me a place? Is it even possible to ask a uni to hold a place for me?

Not sure that ringing around before results day will help much as at that stage unis will not know their vacancy levels. And I can't see them holding places for you when that is non-binding on you.

Reply 34

free_one

Paulwhy

Not sure that ringing around before results day will help much as at that stage unis will not know their vacancy levels. And I can't see them holding places for you when that is non-binding on you.

I actually meant (sorry, I wasn't clear anough) that I could start calling on results day and go through the phone interviews (if there are) and all that, and then explain my situation.
To be honest, I like the idea of reect my firm and insurance right now as that'd make clearing so much easier for me. But that's quite scary as I don't want to end up with no where to go... :s-smilie:

Reply 35

Good bloke

19

free_one

To be honest, I like the idea of reect my firm and insurance right now as that'd make clearing so much easier for me. But that's quite scary as I don't want to end up with no where to go... :s-smilie:

I'll say it again - you are hanging on to places that you have said you don't want to take up. Why handicap yourself? Would you really take up a place you don't want just to go somehere? If so, that is a recipe for dropping out later on.

Reply 36

free_one

Good bloke

I'll say it again - you are hanging on to places that you have said you don't want to take up. Why handicap yourself? Would you really take up a place you don't want just to go somehere? If so, that is a recipe for dropping out later on.

Good bloke, that is true. But the thing is, that it all depends on my grades. Hopefully I'll have done well, but just in case...

Do you guys know when the last possible date for me to reject my offers is?

Reply 37

Paulwhy

13

free_one

Good bloke, that is true. But the thing is, that it all depends on my grades. Hopefully I'll have done well, but just in case...

No, how you feel about your current uni and offers does not depend on what grades you will get.

Reply 38

free_one

Paulwhy

No, how you feel about your current uni and offers does not depend on what grades you will get.

That is also true :wink:

Otherwise, I'll have to go and do a foundation year, which is better than nothing I suppose... I better have a think about all this and decide, right now I must admit that I kinda feel like rejecting my firm and insurance... But it's such a risk...
But thanks for the advice!

Reply 39

Good bloke

19

free_one

That is also true :wink:

Otherwise, I'll have to go and do a foundation year, which is better than nothing I suppose... I better have a think about all this and decide, right now I must admit that I kinda feel like rejecting my firm and insurance... But it's such a risk...
But thanks for the advice!

The biggest risk in your situation is in commencing a course you don't want to do. That way lies useless debt, unhappiness and failure.

Is Clearing Risky, in my situation?

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