So if it comes to clearing, is there any prep I need to do ? Other than call around?

[Mycatisanevilgenius]

I think you can look on the uni websites a couple of days before a level results day to see if they are advertising clearing spaces

So planning on writing a list of places dd would also be happy to go to, before results day, then if she doesn't get into her firm or insurance
Then start by calling the unis up in order ?

Ami I missing anything ?

She's being quite ambitious with her firm and insurance choice
So clearing maybe the way we end up going

She should be doing this. I know you want to help, but she really needs to be doing this research and readying herself.

She's working really hard, with study and working to save money, we've visited alot of places, I'm just making sure we are prepared and organised as we've never done this before

Stop doing it for her. My DD is the same year as yours. She's sorted everything out herself. In the unlikely occurrence she doesn't get the reqirred grade she's going to sort out clearing herself.

Anybody have any ideas od say things like, what time the lines open ?

For goodness sake you need to leave it to her. Worked in Admissions for years and it’s so obvious when the parents have done the work. And absolutely do not call.

my dd has the same offer for firm and insurance as she has used the ucas tool to look at actual grades achieved for her courses for the past few years and believes there’s ‘give’.

She’s also analysed Clearing for the past few years to know what’s likely to go into it and with what grades if she didn’t get either of her two choices.

too many kids panic at Clearing and either take something they don’t want or feel pushed into it, and then feel trapped and resentful. It has to be on them else they just blame you and expect you to fix.

i say this as someone who has been allowed to attend open days but not talk and not shown their personal statement, despite the fact I could help. Is what they’ve wanted and fair play

Or anyone have any idea, how likely it is to be to upgrade via clearing, say get into Bristol uni, because you've done even better than expected ?

I'm guessing, unis like bristol probably don't have many clearing places, as it's so much in demand they can easily fill all the places

"She’s also analysed Clearing for the past few years to know what’s likely to go into it and with what grades if she didn’t get either of her two choices."

How do you analyse clearing over the past few years then ?

She's done her own personal statement, she's chosen her subject, she's choose her firm and insurance and she's being ambitious with this
She will be the one calling in clearing if it comes to that

My ds went through clearing in Aug 23 and it is a good idea to be prepared as my ds was in a state of shock when he got his grades and missed both firm and insurance.
Ideally dc should do this preparation but somebody has to do it.
We found that 90% of clearing places were on Uni websites around 10pm the night before results day. Some appeared at 8am on results day. These showed courses avilable and grades needed. A small number gave courses but said ring for grades needed. A lot guarantee hall place for clearing students.

We found the uni websites more accurate and the UCAS website.
DS started phoning at 9 and didnt have to wait on hold for long, 5 mins or so.

Oh thank you, did he get in, somewhere he was happy with.
did he have to have a mini interview on the phone, or was it just like what are tour grades, OK you're in, type thing

Do you happen to know whatbtime the a level results come out ?
Is it 8am?

Had you written a list of where he wanted to try first in clearing ?

She looked at Clearing on a level results day for the past two years, I’ll ask her if there’s a tool available but I think the UCAS website gives it away a bit when it shows average offer grades and actually attained grades for entry to a course, where the latter is obviously lower then Clearing is likely.

You do you but PLEASE don’t ring unis on her behalf unless she’s incapacitated, it really is frowned on. And under GDPR we can’t share anything anyway. But by her doing the work now IF she doesn’t make her offers she should feel slightly less blindsided if she knows what plans b,c and d are.

I certainly won't be calling the unis, I'm just going to help prep.

I just don't know how likely it is to be able to upgrade via clearing
And get into say bristol or Leeds?

We'd looked a couple of days before at similar courses to see if there were any DD liked. Checked what their standard offers were - some had clearing offers shown. Not all actually lower the grades. Made a note of their clearing hotline telephone numbers.
Checked things like what the situation with accommodation was like - some do guarantee it for clearing students, rather than insurance place students!

She looked at Clearing on a level results day for the past two years, I’ll ask her if there’s a tool available but I think the UCAS website gives it away a bit when it shows average offer grades and actually attained grades for entry to a course, where the latter is obviously lower then Clearing is likely.

Lower grades can also be due to widening participation/contextual offers. Some unis have a very wide range of criteria for which such offers/grades can be given.

Why are there so many uni parents on here acting like it’s their own application? Being supportive is one thing but a lot of people seem to have taken full ownership. This is for your child to own and ask your guidance on, not be driven by you, even with the best intent

It will depend on the popularity of the course and how well the rest of the cohort has performed.
Not every course at Bristol will be fully subscribed, but likely more than some other unis.
If your DD has done really well, it may be worth taking a gap year and reapplying the following year with grades in hand at higher ranked unis. Much will depend on the subject though.

You don't need to do any prep, OP.
Your daughter might - it's part of being an adult.

There's plenty of time after exams. Use her original long list and see which still have places on UCAS in July and August. Keep checking as it does change. Check the day before results. Places are confirmed at 8am. Schools vary in when and how they release results so she may get her place confirmed (or otherwise) before she knows her grades. I think it's ok for a parent to offer support and advice. Good luck!

this doesn’t count for most of the discrepancy, dd is WP herself. Also unis do share their contextual offer info to account for that.

Her cousin got her levels in Covid via teacher assessed grades, and was massively lower than predicted and had an awful time going through Clearing. So it had spurred her to be prepared.

@Mycatisanevilgenius whilst Adjustment doesn’t officially exist unis to have targets so always worth contacting on results day if dd has done v well in case it’s been a bad year and they’d rather take her than drop grades for a current sinisant who’d missed their grades

Thanks pretty much seems like I’ve not forgotten or missing anything important then

will just remind myself of this a couple of days before results day

Thank you 💐

One last question, if she doesn’t get in her firm or insurance
is it worth calling them through clearing or is that just daft ?

I've heard of someone getting in, via Clearing, to a place which rejected them (no offer) originally.

But the firm and insurance unis should have considered the actual grades before accepting/rejecting, so if they have rejected at that stage then it feels v unlikely they'd take her via clearing.

That is what clearing is for, what were you going to use it for?
If she gets higher grades, she will have her firm choice made definite.
Adjustment does exist, you need to research the UCAS website about what to do if she gets higher grades and doesn't want to go to her firm choice.

It's not worth calling the universities who rejected her for her firm and insurance as they will still reject her. Though nothing bad will happen if you try. Or there's a different course that might suit.

No ! Unis get the grades the previous week so if she’s been rejected they will have looked at her in the context of the whole cohort. Simillar for mitigating circs declared at that stage, declare them when they happen so they know you’re not dressing for excuses