After weeks of relaxing and putting exams behind you, now the day is dawning when the results come in and you need to start focusing on what happens next. It is important to be prepared for receiving your results and we give you a step by step guide as to what to expect in different scenarios.
Preparing for Results
Receiving the results - The results are embargoed for students until 6am UK time on Thursday 15th August. At this point they will be released ready for students to be notified. Check how you are expecting to receive your results – are you collecting them from school? Are they being emailed through to you? Has the school got your current email address? Call the school to check if you are not sure. UCAS TRACK will be updated at 9am UK time.
University offers – if your UCAS application was submitted by a school, the results should be automatically sent through to your firm choice university. Universities may want to contact you so make sure that all your contact details such as email and mobile numbers are up to date on TRACK and that you are available all day to take a call.
The back up plan– however well you think you may have done, there is no harm in having a look at what is available in Clearing, just so you are familiar with what is out there and whether there are other courses that could be a good fit for you.
Need help with Clearing? Contact Carfax for expert advice on +971 4 438 5276 or at enquiries.uae@carfax-education.com
Be available on the day –Fingers crossed all will go well but if things don’t quite go according to plan then you will need to be near good internet and a phone so that you can quickly move into Plan B.
Don’t panic – stay calm – it can be very stressful waiting for the results to be released so try and keep busy and not to get too anxious. Plan some fun things to do in the next couple of days.
The Results are in……
Here we run through the what you need to do depending on how your results match up to your expectations.
Plan A
Met your Predictions?
If all has gone well and your results were what you were expecting then you should have secured your firm choice University place and you can relax and celebrate your success!
Exceeded your predictions? This means you are eligible to enter Adjustment and apply to courses with higher entry criteria than you were predicted. Check out the Adjustment site on UCAS to see what is available. www.ucas.com/adjustment
Plan B - Just missed the grades?
Call the Uni
If you have just missed your grades then you should call the University directly and ask if they will still consider you. This call must be made by the student and you need to be ready to plead your case; make a list of the reasons you want to go to this particular university and the reasons they should take you. Many Universities would rather take a student they have already vetted who has narrowly missed their grades rather than start again so it is definitely worth a shot. Make sure you have your UCAS ID number and Log in details.
Re-marks
Check if it's worth having the exams remarked – there has already been a lot of publicity about the inconsistency of marking in the humanities subjects. Take advice from your school on this one. If you are having re-marks you must let the University know and they should delay confirming or withdrawing your offer until the re-marks come through.
Exam results not what you expected? Our expert consultants can give you impartial advice on your options. Contact us at +971 4 438 5276 or at enquiries.uae@carfax-education.com
Plan C - Insurance Offer
If your grades were not sufficient for your Firm Choice offer and even after calling them they will not consider you, then you should automatically default to your Insurance offer. If this is the case it will be reflected in TRACK. If you are happy to take up the place then confirm with the University quickly as you will need to move fast on the accommodation front.
Plan D – Clearing
If your results are below your expectations do not despair. There are still lots of great opportunities out there through Clearing. On results day last year UCAS noted 240 logins per second, in the first 24 hours 280,000 applicants had accessed the site and 1 in 10 students got a place through Clearing. If you are signed up to Direct Contact then universities will reach out to you with potential courses.
If you have already prepared for results day you will have drawn up a list of possible alternatives that you feel would be a good fit for you. Make sure you have their numbers as now you need to act quickly and call them to find out whether they still have availability and what grades they are accepting. Most Universities will not accept you without having spoken to you first and given you a mini interview plus let you ask questions. Make sure you have a copy of your personal statement to hand and your GCSE results.
With Clearing if you are determined to go to your first choice university be prepared to consider other courses that might be similar to the one you applied for maybe a joint honours with your original subject or one that is closely aligned such as Politics rather than PPE or Bio Chem rather than Medicine. However, if the course is the key driver then check out similar courses at other universities but be sure to look at the course content, Law for example varies widely from University to University so make sure the degree is offering what you are looking for.
Most importantly do not rush into accepting an offer. There will be pressure to make a quick decision but it is important to do your research and make the right choice. Bear in mind that even if you have accepted an offer through Clearing there is a cooling off period where you can change your mind.
For more advice on Clearing, see last month's article here.
Plan E – Retakes
If your grades mean that you are going to have to severely compromise your choice of university then it is definitely worth considering retaking some of the exams. There are chances to do this in November and next summer. Reapplying with a better set of grades can significantly improve your chances of getting into a good university and will be better then settling for second best. Be sure to check out which Universities will accept retakes as not all will unless there are extenuating circumstances. This option also gives you a chance to plan a productive gap year which will help to support a new application.