A-level results day can be a stressful time – after months of uncertainty, you will finally find out your long-awaited grades. There are three possible outcomes: you make the grade and get your firm or insurance choice, you exceed the grades you needed, or you miss your offer and wonder what to do next.
No matter what happens, there’s no need to panic! This guide will talk you through your options on the day, and what your next steps should be.
You did it!
First is the easy one – you got your target grades, and your firm choice has confirmed your place. Congratulations! You don’t need to do anything else at the moment. Don’t call up your university, as those going through clearing or adjustment will need the lines.
However, if you have made your offer but haven’t been confirmed, it’s worth giving them a ring for your own piece of mind. If you met your insurance offer, and you’re happy, great! If you would prefer to go to your firm university though, call them up and see if they will still take you. Often if you’re close to your offer, you will still be considered.
Adjustment
If you exceed your firm offer, then you can look at adjustment, which allows you to search for places with higher grade offers. You have five days from the confirmation of your firm choice to search, but you must accept by August 31. There’s no obligation, but your firm place is safe as you search, so if there’s somewhere that you were put off applying to before, you may be able to go for it with your grades in hand. Many universities now run open days for students going through adjustment or clearing, so have a look around if you get the chance.
Clearing
Finally, if you miss your grades for your firm and insurance, all is not lost. You should first call up your firm and insurance choices, as there is a chance they will take you if you’ve narrowly missed your offer. If that doesn’t come through, then there are a few options. Clearing is a system offered by UCAS that allows you to apply to unfilled university places. Even some top universities have clearing places, so there are bound to be plenty of choices for you to consider. Don’t rush into anything though – there are usually still places well into September, so while you don’t want to take too long, there’s no need to make a snap decision.
Reapplying
If you would like to reapply with higher grades, then you can take a year to resit. If you only need to resit one or two exams, consider getting some valuable work experience alongside your studies to make your personal statement stand out. Of course, there’s no point in resitting if you don’t have enough time to study, so don’t stretch yourself too thin. Similarly, if you’re happy with your grades, but don’t want to limit yourself to clearing choices, a year of work experience will be incredibly valuable. Some courses will be lenient on grades if you’ve worked in the field, and it will certainly help you stand out from other applicants. It’s also much easier to apply for courses knowing that you’ve got the prerequisite grades, so you can apply with confidence!
No matter what happens on results day, you have plenty of choices, and are bound to find a path that’s right for you. Almost everyone ends up loving their university no matter where they end up, so don’t fret too much, and make sure to celebrate afterwards, whatever the outcome!
How did your results day go? Let us know in the comments below.
Photo: Pete / Flickr
I’m Helena, a 21 year old recent physics graduate from Warwick university. In September I’ll be starting as a project management graduate with Transport for London. I love cooking, video games and writing, and I’m looking forward to taking the first step in my professional career!
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