Options for university

[Bushwinder]

My DD is not confident she will get her 1st choice of Bristol when results come out. And she is really is not that interested in her second choice option. She made it in a panic.
Either way she is taking a gap year and will start uni in 24/25. Assuming she does not get her first option, what is her best strategy?

1. Accept 2nd option, defer for a year and at same time start looking at other courses to apply for in upcoming ucas application.
2. Decline 2nd option, look at clearing and if finds a course she likes and is accepted, then ask to defer.
3. Do neither of above and just look to apply to ucas this year, knowing her results.

I think she should do no. 3 and take some time to look at options and universities she likes. She also has a European passport so I think she could look at irish or NL universities. But is there any advantage in doing eiher one or two?
We think her results should be OK, just not high enough for her first choice.

Thank you in advance for any advice.

Keep in mind her first choice may still give her a place even if she misses the grades, especially if she is close I.e. drops one grade in one subject. They liked her application enough to offer her a place, and she has shown commitment to the course and university by making them her first choice.

It makes sense for them to take her rather than a completely new candidate unless her grades are substantially down (unless they have filled all the places from other first choice candidates who got the grades they needed).

So the first thing if she doesn't achieve the grades she needs is for her to call her first choice immediately and see if they will still take her.

Fingers crossed. That's interesting about how it works and how involved real people will be in admissions process. More nuanced than an algorithm somewhere accepting and rejecting candidates

we looked at clearing last year and there were places in top (not niche) courses at top unis eg Durham, Lancaster, York etc so you might be very surprised. Numbers of students are falling so always worth a call

@Bushwinder Be very careful about clearing. You might not have visited the Uni or city/town. It’s a stab in the dark. Also be very careful about accommodation. What is left, if anything? What cost? DD was an insurance student over a decade ago and there was no accommodation. She did get something 6 weeks after A level results but it was a nightmare. She would not start again for the following year and it could have been a real problem. Starting over means better choice of accommodation. I do hope she’s ok tomorrow!