You can finally breathe. You’ve opened your results and there’s nothing you can do about them now; it’s finally time to start focusing on the ‘what next?’
The next steps after receiving your A Level results depend on what you actually got. At the end of the day, it’s not about whether you got the grades you wanted but about whether you got the grades you needed.
If you got your grades
If you managed to get the grades you needed to get into your first or insurance choice university, then congratulations!
Make sure to confirm your place, you can do this by checking UCAS Track and your university's portal to ensure your place is confirmed.
Then, celebrate! After all that hard work, you've certainly earned it.
Your next steps are finalising your accommodation and student finance applications, before doing ‘the big uni shop*’
(*The big uni shop is what most British parents refer to it as when they’re helping their child collect all the university necessities)
If you didn’t get your grades
As disappointed as you might feel about not getting the grades you wanted, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve missed out on a spot at uni.
The Student Room says: “If you've only narrowly missed the offer conditions for your firm choice, you might find they still confirm your place anyway. Check your Hub: if your status has changed to ‘unconditional’ then you're in!”
Another option is that you might get offered a place on an alternative course but at the same university. UCAS calls this a ‘changed course offer.’ To proceed with this you’ll need to accept or decline.
If you didn't meet your conditions
First thing’s first – don’t panic! This doesn’t mean you can’t go to university, it just means you have to explore what other options are available to you.
Get some advice off teachers or career advisors (most colleges have them, if not you can contact the National Careers Service for guidance.)
Next, check out clearing. You can search up courses via the UCAS website and contact universities directly to see what vacancies they have. There are lots of other people in the same boat as you.
If you can’t find a Clearing course that interests you, maybe consider taking a gap year or finding a way to boost your grades (maybe see if you can resit some of your exams.) Apprenticeships and other career routes are also an option.
More about Clearing
To apply for a place on a university course via Clearing, there are a few documents that you will need on hand:
- UCAS ID number and log-in details.
- UCAS Clearing number.
- Phone numbers for universities you’ve applied to or wish to apply to.
- Personal Statement – you may be asked questions from universities about what you wrote, so it could be good to refer to it where needed.
Results day is over, what happens now?
Once you have received your results and you have managed to sort a university place (whether this is through your firm choice, insurance choice or Clearing) there are a few more things to tick off the checklist:
- Finalise your accommodation choice
Get searching as soon as you can because the best options tend to run out first. - Get your finances in order
Find out what bursaries or student finance schemes you can apply for, so that you can factor in a budget. - Find out more about the area you will be studying at
Tak a trip or do a quick online search to find out what’s in the area.
