Clearing success story: Newcastle University

Clearing success for Meghan and Alice at Newcastle University

UCAS Clearing can feel daunting, but it doesn't have to be. Below, Newcastle University students Megan and Alice share their very different Clearing journeys – including the moments of doubt, the people who helped them, and why they'd encourage other students to embrace the opportunity.

Megan's Clearing Experience

On results day, 8am I looked at my results, realised I hadn't quite gotten the results that I wanted; I was two marks off one of the grades I needed. But I'd already researched Clearing over the summer, so I knew what I needed to do.

I had my grades. I knew what course I wanted to ask to go on to. I called the Clearing hotline that was on the website – couldn't get through because obviously on Clearing on results day, everyone is trying to get through.

So I decided, you know what? I'll go home, speak to my family, speak to my friends. Forget about it for now. And then about noonish I called up again, got through, gave my grades that they asked for. After a bit of back and forth, the lady that I spoke to she came back to me and she gave me the offer that I wanted basically.

I found it quite positive overall. The staff that spoke to me on the phone, she was, really helpful. It was really accessible to, like, find the course that I wanted and find all the information I needed, like what grades I needed.

So I'd heard from a lot of people that Newcastle was a lovely city. It was a great place to study. I was at the UCAS website to look at what courses they offer, and they offered an Astrophysics course, which is the one that I really wanted, so it was a no brainer for me.

When I got to Newcastle I was incredibly excited because I'd been thinking about studying at university for ages. It was just really exciting being able to be here and move out and do what I wanted.

My top tip for Clearing would be just make sure you're prepared, like research it beforehand. Make sure the courses that you want are going to be on there. But then you can also go on the, you know, Newcastle University website. You can sign up for Clearing Alerts, everything.

Alice's Clearing Experience

I thought Clearing was going to be a really complicated process. I thought that they'd want to know loads of things about me, and I have to come up with loads of information, but it was really easy.

I wish I'd known that the steps between results day and University look very different for everybody.

I think my top tip for Clearing would be that you do need to be prepared. I think my experience was slightly different. Starting on results day. Just because I'd quite narrowly missed an Oxbridge offer, and I ended up in a reconsideration pool, so I had to wait slightly longer to find out what was going to happen. But the university was really supportive through all of that.

I spoke to quite a few people on the phone, especially straight after receiving my results, and over email. And then once I had been officially rejected and I could sort of get back to the normal process, everything was really smooth. Exactly kind of as you would expect it to be.

I think the best thing about Clearing was definitely how reassuring everybody was.

I was on the phone at 8.02 in the morning and the lady I spoke to on the phone was just so kind, so understanding. Because my experience was slightly different cause of the situation I was in, she was so helpful in terms of giving me information on how to sort out once I got into school. And I think just having really supportive people around for that process is hugely important.

I think it was a massive relief, when I got here, to know that everything was okay, everything was sorted. All of the stress of having to figure things out quite quickly in a couple of weeks.

I love the accommodation that I'm in. I know a lot of people say that: 'Oh well, you know, you're getting the last choices' but everybody I know who also came through Clearing is really happy with where they've ended up. It doesn't seem to have made a big difference to them.

To be quite honest, I didn't think it was really any different from everybody else's start of uni experiences. You would be surprised the amount of people that do come through Clearing; I thought like that there was going to be barely anyone who came from Clearing. And I wasn't going to be –  maybe a self-perception – I wasn't like, as important, I guess.

But actually, like, it's a really normal part of the university applications process and it's something that's really, luckily quite easy to do, and that the university is really supportive about. And so I think I'm just glad that I, I found a really new, exciting opportunity and a way to come to university because it's been the best nine months of my life so far, I guess.

I think things fell into place really quickly during Clearing. I obviously once I had officially found out that it was my offer and I had secured my place, I had a webinar with really useful information on what the course was going to be like, what the social life is like, accommodation. I was able to talk to my degree programme director, which was a really helpful opportunity just to be able to like voice concerns and questions about the course.

And then once I got accommodation sorted the next day, everything fell into place really quickly, it was super simple. I just had to go and do all the normal things, like buy loads of pots and pans and cutlery, and then after that, you know, didn't really feel any different. I think it was just the first hurdle of getting everything sorted all over again.