Well, it's both exciting and terrifying and as an A level student fresh out of college I thought I'd share my experience along the University journey and beyond, if only to ease a few minds for the following years leaving students.
First things first lets start where it all begins, at results day. You've googled about the procedure on the day, you've had advice off your teachers and friends but it doesn't stop your mind whirring thinking about the day ahead and whether everything will go smoothly or not. But don't worry, if you've worked hard then there's no reason why you can't get into your first choice University, and if not, that's what your insurance choice is for. And even still, if that doesn't work out it's not the be all and end all! You can still get a place in another University through clearing or get a job or even just apply again a year later, the possibilities are endless.
(Disclaimer: I can only use my personal experience and those of my friends to explain the procedure on the day, this may not be the same for everyone.)
So if you're venturing onto this post you are probably already very familiar with the UCAS website and the way it works, the day before results day all of the UCAS application forms on the website (www.ucas.com) will be unavailable until around 8AM the day of the big event, sometimes this will be moved to earlier but if not just be patient. Go to sleep and set your alarm for 8 so you can log onto the UCAS website and see if you've got into University.
Now again, I can only speak for personal experience but if you've successfully secured your place at your firm choice this is what the website should look like for you, and I'm assuming this is what it will also look like if you got into your Insurance choice instead. If this is the case for you, you need to click the button that says 'View your confirmation letter'
Just in case, print this letter off so that if your college needs confirmation of your University attendance then you can just whip this out without the hassle of printing everything off in a rush. Now, if this is the case for you then congratulations, you got into University! Today's going to be a lot easier for you now, you can go back to sleep if you want or go and get your results straight away (like I did!).
If you unfortunately didn't get into either of your Universities, don't panic! But you can't really go back to sleep right now, it's best to get to college straight away so you can snag the best clearing place possible.
Next step is to go to college and get those results, prepare some tissues either way because either you or someone around you may need them, it's a very emotional day. Your college will probably make it very clear when you are allowed to come and get your results and where to go, so relax, get in line and collect your hard earned qualifications.
This is what my results looked like, very pink and important. Don't be afraid to smile if you got what you wanted, you earned it, and if not, you tried your very best and that's all anyone can ever ask of you. Your college will then tell you where to go to either confirm that you got into Uni or to go through clearing and they'll guide you through the procedure.
Clearing usually involves looking at what course places are left at what universities so take your time, make sure the university is somewhere you want to go and the course is something you want to do then call up the uni, keep calm and negotiate a place for yourself. There are sometimes apps that let you access the complete list of clearing spots across the country so look out for those the day before the big day, UCAS usually has a list on the website as well.
Now that all of the boring stuff is out of the way, it's time to celebrate! You're taking the biggest step forward that you ever have in your life, so many opportunities are going to open up to you and I guarantee you're going to have a great time so get excited and enjoy it.
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