Daily Telegraph needs your thoughts on university clearing please

[GeraldineMumsnet]

Specifically what parents can do to help their children get through what can be an anxious time.

Any contributions in the next hour would be very helpful.

Thanks
MNHQ

Just to elaborate, they're doing a Q&A type piece

Have lots of money to pay the bills/fees

I found the most stressful part of being a Uni was the money, and the huge amount of debt i was getting into, i didnt have finacial support from my parents, i had to work part-time to fund myself

A few random thoughts:

Universities can't discuss results with parents/teachers without prior consent from the student concerned under the data protection act. It's worth checking the university admissions pages for the institutions concerned to see if your child can submit a request to give you permission to act on their behalf/access their data. Especially if they'll be out of the country when results come out.

Have your applicant number handy.

My db missed his grades and was looking at clearing, but instead took a year out and re-did some modules to bring his grade up, got some work experience and took some time to have a bit of a gap year. Stood him in good stead when he did start his course, as he was far more mature - otherwise he would have been 17 when he started.

Firstly I would ensure that DC is sure that he/she wants to go through clearing rather than take a year out and re-apply/re-take modules.
I would be there to provide information - check out all suitable courses that were in clearing and give DC information on what sort of town the university is in (most 18 year olds don't seem to have a clue about this).
I would make a list of places to call and suggest what DC would need to say when on the phone, but it would be for DC to do the phoning him/herself and to keep phoning round anywhere decent.
I would counsel DC against being panicked into choosing a course at an obscure university just because everyone else was going off to university in October.

I think it's equally as important to support your child if they did not recieve the exam results they were expecting and go through the options with them. They don't have to go through clearing, sometimes their choosen university will accept them if their grades are lower then expected so it's worthwhile asking them. Their child also has the option to resit the A'level, either at school or at a college and go to their choosen university the following year.
There are (acccording to some newspapers), less places availiable this year so a student choosing to go through clearing needs to act quickly. Encourage your child not to change their choice of course in an effort to get away from home (as I did )and do research on the University before your child accepts a place (which I didn't and regret).

Don't panic, there's a way around everything. The student with lower marks is going to be very disapointed at their marks and loosing the place at University they have previously been offered, it is going to be deeply upsetting so patience and understanding is very helpful.

thank you everybody

I myself went through clearing. Errr..... Twice
I panicked. Big time. The first time i decided to resit some modules in the end but then i still didnt do too well. The second time was easier as i had done it before but very stressful nonethe less.
Tips

have a copy of the independant. It contains all the clearing listings. It will do for the following few days, until the places have been filled.

Try to help by looking up phone numbers. In prospectuses, online, whatever. cant remember whether they were in thr paper but im sure This was one of the most time consuming things.

Be ready with highlighters.
Ok, so its not on a computer, but all spread out in front of you, you can see it all in a newspaper. Highlight possibilities. Different colours could mean different things.

Dont do what my parents did and say "well, were only dissappointed for YOU"
take your child out to dinner to show them that ok, they didnt do too well, but its
NOT THE END O THE WORLD!!
i think my parents were the only ones not to take me out
if you cant afford to take them out, make them something nice for dinner, get siblings to make a card.

Have just realised what paper this is for... Think they are unlikely to post my paper idea!!

I misunderstood the question didnt i?

I was grateful someone responded! You helped to bump the thread

Could you ask the telegraph not to print and medicine clearing spaces and send the details to me please?

I've got to try hey!

I have my uses

So has the telegraph got the clearing stuff this yr?

as a foreigner to the system, I still have absolutely no idea how it works or what it means so I suspect that, when the time comes, I'll be the one crapping myself!