Clearing is not the end of the world!

In the year 2023, there are so many opportunities for students to take up, with Clearing being one of them! Unfortunately, there are multiple negative angles that people have fabricated about going through Clearing. You may believe that it is a ‘last resort’ or ‘a bad option’, but these are both false narratives that have been made to stop thousands of students each year from chasing their dreams. We aim to put an end to that narrative. So, let us make Clearing an opportunity for you this year! 

Why you shouldn’t view Clearing as bad: 

Clearing shouldn’t be seen as a negative. If anything, it should be seen as a positive. It is a chance for you to start your future. With so many amazing options out there, you could be left spoilt for choice. So, if you haven’t had time to process all your options, that’s fine, you can’t rush greatness! 

You may believe only a small percentage of students try to go through Clearing, which is not true. Thousands of students each year go through Clearing and over half of them get the course they desire. Last year (2022) a large number (over 60,000 students) went through Clearing, meaning you shouldn’t feel ashamed for choosing Clearing; you are one of many students that care about their future. 

Many believe the process of Clearing is hard, but students have described it as ‘rather straightforward’. You simply need to: 

- Gather the courses that you are considering 

- Contact universities that are offering Clearing that you wouldn’t mind going to 

- Wait to see if you receive an offer you are pleased with 

- If you decide to accept an offer, start to: 

- Find accommodation 

- Update your student finance application 

- Get ready to start your new journey 

So, don’t believe the horror stories that Clearing is a battle of who can get an offer first. Take your time and don’t accept anything that you are not 100% sure about. 

Reasons why you may choose to go through Clearing: 

People tend to believe Clearing is purely for students who do not receive the results they were expecting. Although this is a possibility, there are many other different reasons why a student might decide to go through Clearing. Let’s go through a few of the options that may have led you to Clearing and bust some myths along the way: 

The current cost of living crisis 

You may have held back on applying to university due to the current cost of living crisis the country is going through. Many students are in a similar position. This is because of the stereotype that university is going to leave you in high amounts of debt as well as the harbouring fear of having to provide for yourself without any support. And this can make the idea of staying at home a lot more reasonable. However, what if we told you that these fears should never hold you back?  

At university, you are given support through student maintenance and tuition loans that will be given to you from the start of your journey till the end. To find out more about how you will receive financial support during your learning experience, have a look at our ‘How to Budget as a University Student' blog.  

At the end of the day, the most important thing to remember is that you will never be left with no help or support as a university student, especially if you decide to study with the University of Bolton! There are multiple student services in place to ensure you are supported. 

You aren’t sure where your future lies  

Thinking about the future can be scary. And having to choose a degree that determines the route you are going to take can be terrifying. Unfortunately, this is what many students believe to be true, that the course they choose will be their destiny. This could not be any further from accurate. 

We understand that choosing a course can be difficult, especially within a short amount of time. However, if this has held you back from applying to university then this is an excellent reason to go through Clearing. A great thing to keep in mind is that the course you choose doesn’t lock you in that industry for the rest of your life. Many degrees teach skills that graduates can use in careers completely different from the course they took.  

What you decide to choose will never tie you down! So, don’t let this hold you back. If you have one or more courses in mind that you like the sound of, it’s best to:  

- Research more about them 

- Look at the skills and knowledge you will gain from them 

- Find possible career options  

And after doing this you should find you aren’t limited to one thing. 

You may also just be indecisive and haven’t seen a course that stands out to you yet. That’s okay! If you just know that you want to go to university; Clearing is great! Clearing doesn’t judge anyone for their reasoning and it can help you get the best out of your future.  

We have a quiz for you to take that could help you find the right course for you; if you are interested click here and find out where your future could start. 

There are too many universities to choose from! 

There are over 160 different universities in the UK, meaning narrowing your choices down to only a few can be hard. We know that this decision might be the reason why Clearing is the next option for you, and we completely get it. Just by taking a brief look at some universities, you may believe they are all the same. This isn’t true and that’s why it is important to try and tick off boxes in order to come to a conclusion. 

Important things to take into consideration when picking universities are: 

- Do they provide the course you want to do? 

- How far away from home is it? Are you comfortable with the distance? 

- Would you prefer a small or a big university? 

- Would you like to study in a city or a town?  

- What are your expectations from a university? Do their standards align with yours? 

There are other personal things you may also want to include in this list that will help you find the universities that are best suited for you! To make it simple for you; if you are considering the University of Bolton, we have answered these questions for you: 

- Take a look at the Clearing courses we provide by clicking here 

- We are based in Bolton, Greater Manchester. With Manchester City Centre only being 20 minutes away, you are never far from a wide variety of transport links 

- We pride ourselves on the small class sizes we provide for students, enabling us to offer one-to-one support to all students and form stronger connections 

- Get the best of both by studying in Bolton! We have been ranked the friendliest town in the UK and are also close to many major cities including Manchester, Blackpool and Liverpool 

- We are dedicated to providing a #UniAsItShouldBe experience for all students and have been ranked number one for Student Satisfaction for the past four years by the Complete University Guide 

If these answers tick your boxes, check out our Clearing page for 2023 by following the link here.

Where do you go from here?: 

After taking a read of this, we hope that you have realised Clearing is not the monster people make it out to be. In fact, it is a reason for a lot of student’s success; without Clearing they may have not had the opportunity to start their future. 

You may now feel better about starting your Clearing journey, which is what we hoped this blog will do. If you relate to any of the reasons mentioned above or have another reason to apply through Clearing, remember that it isn’t the end of the world; it’s the start of a new beginning! 

Don’t be afraid to start your future, aim towards success with the help of the Clearing process. For more information contact us via WhatsApp, email us at enquiries@bolton.ac.uk, or give us a call on 01204 900 600.