Official Year 13 Chat 2023-24

1.

Have a back up plan. Just in case things don't go your way on results day, it pays to check out alternative courses and unis via clearing. This also might be helpful if you've changed your mind about where you want to go or what you'd like to do - there are a lot of really good opportunities and high-ranking unis who have clearing places. Its a good idea to have the contact details of your firm, insurance and a few other unis you may be in interested in on hand on results day. here's a list of tons of UK universities' clearing pages which will include this info.

2.

Save yourself up some money over the summer! here is some advice from Save the Student on this. Consider creating a personal budget spreadsheet of your monthly income and outgoings, get yourself set up with a good bank account and potentially a savings account too, consider a summer job (also good CV experience!) and try shopping for yourself on a budget. Its a great skill to have whatever your next steps are!

3.

Learn to cook 5 good meals over the summer - perhaps try these out on the family or friends. Its all good practice for university!

4.

Keep your stress levels down! Take some time out to get into a positive, calm headspace ahead of results day. Read a good book, take a walk, bake at home, see friends, write in a diary, go to town. There is nothing you can do to control what results you get - you can control how you react in the run up to results day, and what steps you can take after you pick them up if the outcome isn't as expected. Use your friends, use your family for support, and if you are worried and have questions, use your university's admissions line.

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Chat to an advisor! It's the easiest way to speak to someone from a university you are interested in and they can help discuss your options, process your place, and often give out verbal offers.

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Speak to family and friends! Often it can be a difficult decision to make and feel very rushed when it wasn't plan A! But friends and family are always a good place to start chatting about your options and what's the right decision for you.

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Research some universities you didn't consider before! It might not have been on your radar but check out some universities you didn't know too much about before. Chances are that they'll have some places via clearing so contact them, check out their website, and speak to students on platforms like The Student Room and Unibuddy!