Author: Megan Pilliner, Criminology and Sociology student
My Clearing Experience
I came through Swansea via Clearing as I did not have the chance to apply the traditional way, being a new mum to a newborn definitely did not grace me with the time to do so! However, I had heard of clearing and thought I would give it a go. When I rung the phoneline, I did not expect the journey to be as easy and relaxed as it was. The person on the other end of the phone was so kind and understanding, it was just like talking to a friend.
I am so glad I went through clearing; the anxieties and stresses that come beforehand completely vanished and the clearing visits that Swansea hold are incredible. Everything clicked into place on that visit, I fell in love with the campus, the academics were so kind and I knew I wanted to spend the next 3 years studying in Swansea.
If I could do the journey over again, I would not hesitate to go through clearing. It is truly an amazing option for those who utilise it.
Why Swansea?
I had the aim of attending University in the year of 2021, prior to this I had dropped out of 6th form, worked full time for two years and subsequently went back to college to finish my A-Levels. However, I fell pregnant with my daughter who was due just 2 months after my start date in university. I still had my heart set on university and thus decided to apply when she was just eight months old. Due to having a little one, I knew I needed a university that was going to offer me a lot of support and understanding.
I had heard amazing things through friends that had studied in Swansea and thought it may be a great choice for me. I also knew that to go to university, I had to find one that was close enough to commute to, so I applied through clearing to Swansea and attended the clearing visit. I feared that I would have to go to a university that I didn’t really love as I was limited to distance, however when visiting Swansea, I could not believe how amazing it was and I felt so lucky to have such an incredible university and community to close to me, it was so relaxed but also so picturesque.
I am positive that if I did have the option to choose a university further from home, I would absolutely still choose Swansea every time.
My Swansea Experience
It is hard to put into words how amazing my student experience has been in Swansea. When I first arrived, I planned to keep my head down, attend my lectures and then go home and study. I knew my university journey was not going to be like most as I was a new first-time mum, I was a bit older than a lot of my cohort and I didn’t have the option to live in halls and socialise the traditional way. However, with the numerous opportunities that are consistently presented to you as a student, I soon found myself becoming an ambassador after being involved in a clearing live stream. I fell in love with this role and decided I wanted to be even more involved within my course.
I am now not only an ambassador, but a peer mentor, a student rep, and will soon be starting an internship proposed by my course director. Through all of these opportunities, I have found such an identity for myself and I truly am not ready for the experience to be over. I will hopefully be going on to do my masters and PHD at Swansea when I have completed my undergraduate degree!
My Advice
Attend open days or clearing events.
It is really important that you feel the university you choose is the right one for you. Don’t be afraid to reach out or ask questions, choosing a place to study for a minimum of three years is a really big decision, but I can assure you that Swansea will help you every step of the way.
There really is a huge community of people here that want to help you, make sure you utilise them.
Top Tips for Clearance
My biggest tip for clearing is to not stress. I know it is easier said than done and it is naturally a stress inducing time - but I can assure you that as soon as you are on the phone, you will wonder why you were so worried!
Secondly, clearing is not a sign of failure so don’t be hard on yourself, if you didn’t get into the course you thought you wanted to do, clearing is an incredible option to see what else is out there. I promise it will all work out and make sense, you will look back and realise that everything played out the way it was supposed to.
A practical tip is to make note of the opening times and the phone numbers of the clearing lines and their corresponding universities beforehand. It is a good idea to look at the course’s you are interested in for each of the universities you are calling, as they may slightly differ or have a different name to one another. Clearing line operators may also ask you questions on why you are interested in doing a course so make sure to have a think about that beforehand too!
My last tip is to attend the clearing visits that universities hold. These visits tend to be a lot quieter than traditional open days, giving you a chance to sit with the academics from the course you’d be studying on a one-to-one basis for however long is necessary. There will also be student ambassadors there to help with any student life questions, everyone is really friendly and loves to help.
