- This year’s A Level results are released on 15 August
- Those who don’t have their expected results will use clearing to secure their place on a degree course
- An Aston University graduate advises that clearing is a second chance at taking control of their future.
An Aston University graduate is urging A Level students to view the higher education clearing process not as a sign of failure but as a chance to trade up.
This year the A Level results are released on 15 August and many young people will achieve the specified grades for their course of choice. However, some will have done worse or much better than expected and will use clearing to secure their place on a degree course.
Monique Gunter, 26, who went through clearing in 2016 and now works in social media is advising young people to view the process positively and view it as an opportunity to explore their options.
She said: “Don’t view clearing as failing, it’s a second chance at taking control of your future and gives you the ability to ‘shop around’. You are just 17 when you initially apply to university and in that time, you may have changed your mind about what you want to study or what sort of career you want.”
Monique who is from Dunstable in Bedfordshire very narrowly missed out on her original choice of course in social policy. Like many applicants she held an insurance place to fall back on but felt there was a better course for her somewhere else. Through clearing she gained a place at Aston University to study social policy and sociology. As part of her course she was given the opportunity to explore career options within marketing thanks to a year long placement. After graduation she secured a marketing assistant role at the University and has now been working there for almost four years.
Now a social media specialist, she says that clearing opened up a door to possibilities of which she had never have thought. She added: “Clearing can seem horrible and to me at the time it did seem bleak but now I look back and realise that it has been a ‘happy mistake’”.
“I knew I wanted to study in Birmingham because it has a big city vibe without London prices. The day after I received my A Level results I visited the Aston University campus, had a tour and discussed the course. I was offered a place on the spot which I accepted.
There is more information about clearing at Aston University at https://www.aston.ac.uk/clearing
- Notes to editors
About Aston University
For over a century, Aston University’s enduring purpose has been to make our world a better place through education, research and innovation, by enabling our students to succeed in work and life, and by supporting our communities to thrive economically, socially and culturally.
Aston University’s history has been intertwined with the history of Birmingham, a remarkable city that once was the heartland of the Industrial Revolution and the manufacturing powerhouse of the world.
Born out of the First Industrial Revolution, Aston University has a proud and distinct heritage dating back to our formation as the School of Metallurgy in 1875, the first UK College of Technology in 1951, gaining university status by Royal Charter in 1966, and becoming The Guardian University of the Year in 2020.
Building on our outstanding past, we are now defining our place and role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (and beyond) within a rapidly changing world.
For media inquiries in relation to this release, contact Nicola Jones, Press and Communications Manager, on (+44) 7825 342091 or email: n.jones6@aston.ac.uk