‘A year later I’m confident that I made the right decision’
BA (Hons) Graphic Communication graduate Designer, Clout Branding BSc (Hons) Psychology
Having taken some time to work and travel since completing my A-levels, I decided in early 2016 that I wanted to return to education and study psychology.
But I had a problem – I wouldn’t be in the UK ‘til April and therefore wouldn’t be able to start the application process in time. It’s fair to say that at this point I was quite sceptical about being able to enrol for the upcoming year!
After I returned home I did some research and found that Clearing would give me exactly what I needed – more time and freedom to be able to make the right decision as to where I wanted to study.
I began to look into where in the UK I would be happy living, as this was always a really important factor for me. I had few places in mind, and Cardiff was one of them. Once I had an idea on location, I began to look into various universities, what programmes they offered and the grades they were after.
As Clearing came around I had a shortlist of universities I hoped would be offering places but kept an open mind, knowing my preferences may not have had places available.
Looking back, I am really glad I had a loose plan in mind, as when it came to it there were so many universities offering places that I might have been a bit overwhelmed otherwise.
Cardiff Met was the first university I contacted in Clearing. I initially felt very apprehensive about the phone call, not knowing what to expect and what I would be asked.
I was quickly put at ease when I realised it was just a case of a quick informal chat and letting them know what my grades were.
After receiving a verbal offer on the phone, I then went onto to accept via my UCAS profile. The whole process was quick and definitely not as daunting as I had built it up to be beforehand.
A year later I feel happy and confident that I made the right decision to study at Cardiff Met. I’m really appreciating learning lots of new things and genuinely finding the subject very interesting, which helps – a lot!
If I were to offer any advice to anyone finding themselves going through Clearing, for whatever reason, I would say that Clearing doesn’t have to be seen as a disadvantage.
In my experience it was an advantage, and there were a lot of options available – it may be that you find something you hadn’t expected or a course that is better suited to you.
A practical tip would be to download one of the Clearing apps available. I used one last year and found it a really useful and easy way to view all of the places available and the information you need in one place.