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Clearing puts Chloé back on course

Thousands of pupils hoping to gain a place at university have a nail-biting time in store waiting for their results. When those grades slip below the level required, it can be even more stressful, as students must then plunge in to the Clearing system if they want to find an alternative place. But as University of Kent at Medway student Chloé Dower found, all is not lost by entering Clearing. In fact, the chances are that students will still find vacancies in courses they are interested in, at a university they want to go to.

Chloé, 19, who has now completed the first year on her Social Sciences degree course, took the International Baccalaureate exams instead of A-levels. She was distraught when her grades fell just short of these needed for a place on the University of Kent's Psychology and Law degree, and at first she feared for her chances of entering higher education. 'I was so upset. The worst thing was the embarrassment and lack of confidence from not getting the right results. I especially didn't want to say anything to my friends,' she said.

But help was soon at hand once a University tutor advised Chloé to call Kent's Clearing Hotline - and to consider the Social Sciences degree programme. 'I soon found that by taking Social Sciences I could take options in areas I was interested in, such as Psychology, History and Sociology,' she said. 'It began to seem like the ideal course. I was nervous when I called the Hotline but the person I spoke to was friendly and reassuring, and the process was nice and straightforward. The Hotline operator put me in touch with the course director, who then invited me down for an open day. Probably the best thing about Clearing was that everything was sorted out very quickly - it didn't drag on.'

Chloé said her mind was finally made up after visiting the Medway campus and being show around by the course director, Dr David Wright. 'Dr Wright spent quite some time talking through all my subject options with me, and I was really impressed with the personal attention I received. After that I knew I'd found the perfect university for me and I decided to go for it,' she said.

One year later, Chloé has gone from strength to strength on her course. Having completed her first exams, she is beginning to consider her career options - which include forensics or criminal psychology - and is hoping to gain some valuable work experience with a psychologist's practice in New Zealand next year.

Looking back, Chloé is glad that she went through Clearing. 'My first year has been really good and I definitely made the right decision to come to the University of Kent at Medway,' she said. 'Social Sciences has opened up new opportunities for me. I've also had fantastic support from my tutors all the way.'

She also has a few words of advice for this year's students who may face Clearing. 'Don't panic. It's not the end of the world - and I should know,' she said. 'Be organised on the day and phone as many places as interest you. Be persistent and you will get the right place for you in the end.'

Contact: N.J.Ellwood@kent.ac.uk

Story published at 1:55pm 25 July 2006