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"How do I find out about course vacancies?"
They
will be listed on the UCAS website
in The Independent, The Independent on Sunday, and Daily Mirror.
When
looking at alternative courses, remember...
- Be realistic. You didn’t get the grades that you were
hoping for, so you may need to re-consider areas, institutions
and subject areas that you had previously rejected.
- Keep
an open mind. Especially if you were hoping to do a popular
subject such as English, Law or Psychology. Are
there related subjects or combined subject courses that you
might also find interesting?
- Get
the information. Look at websites of institutions, and their
prospectuses for more information.
"How
do I apply through clearing?"
Some
vacancies will be filled almost as soon as they are advertised,
so it is important to act quickly.
Contact
the institution in person – it really doesn’t go down well if it’s
your Mum or your teacher ringing the university for you. An admissions
tutor may be able to tell you over the telephone if they will offer
you a place or not, or they may want to see you.
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 ...It
really doesn’t go down well if it’s your Mum or your teacher
ringing the university for you. 
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Isabel
Warren, Connexions adviser
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Be
ready to answer questions about yourself and why you’re interested
in the course, and also to arrange interviews and visits at very
short notice.
If
a university or college is interested in you, they will ask for
your clearing entry form, and it is preferable to take it yourself
if you can.
They
will either then send you a letter of confirmation if they are offering
you a place, or will return your clearing entry form, in which case
you start again with another course. This all happens fairly quickly
between mid-August and early September, and it’s very useful to
be prepared for clearing beforehand – just in case!
Again,
it can be very helpful to talk all this through with someone who
knows the system and can offer impartial advice - a trusted teacher,
elder brother or sister, or a Connexions adviser, for example.
"I want to re-take my A levels"
You
should think very carefully before deciding to do re-takes. Were
there any special circumstances – illness, family crisis, changing
school – that stopped you doing your best this time around? If
not, what’s going to be different next year?
 Many
students re-taking courses find that they can only improve by one
grade or so and institutions will often ask for higher grades from
re-taking students. Try
talking to your teachers about why you didn’t do so well in your
exams, and whether it’s worth another try.
It
could be useful to talk through your options in confidence with
a Connexions Adviser - perhaps it would be better to look at what
you could do with the grades you have now. Have
you considered Modern Apprenticeships or other non-academic courses
that could still get you to your goal?
"There
must be a mistake!"
Perhaps
your grades are far worse than you expected. It may be worth going
back and talking to your teachers – mistakes in exam marking are
rare, but they do happen, and your school or college can ask for
papers to be re-marked if they think it would be justified.
For
more information…
If you’re between 13 and 19
you can talk in confidence to a Connexions Adviser for impartial
advice, at school, or college, by:
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St Helen Court
St Helens Street
Ipswich
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Suffolk
House
London Road North
Lowestoft
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43
St Andrews Street South,
Bury St Edmunds
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For
information on university application and the clearing
system visit these websites:
UCAS:
Universities
and Colleges admission service»
Connexions: support for 13 - 19 year olds»
Department for Education and Skills: Aim higher»
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