The best mindset to approach Clearing, from a former admissions tutor

Every year, students worldwide anxiously wait for their A Level results. 

Not only are these results a direct outcome of all their hard work and in all their years of studying, but they’re also a crucial key for many to the next phase in their life: entering university — more specifically, a UK university.

On August 13, 2024, Cambridge International Education (CIE) announced that 631,405 entries had been received for their AS and A Level exams. These entries were undertaken by 316,008 students in 3,143 schools in 128 countries.

A little over a month later, on September 19, 2024, UCAS – the premier UK university and colleges admissions service – revealed data that there have been as many as 498,340 acceptances into full-time undergraduate programmes in the UK.

But not all of those offers will stand as not everyone receives their desired grades. 

Making the most out of Clearing or a gap year

We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again: failing your exams, or not meeting your university’s requirements, is not the end of the world. 

It’s not a full reflection of who you. Neither is it the end of your journey towards studying abroad and earning your degree from a UK higher education institution.

There is one more way to get your foot in: Clearing.

In short, Clearing is how universities and colleges in the UK fill any remaining places on their programmes. The 2024 Clearing started on July 5 and will remain open until October 21, 2024. 

“Clearing season brings its challenges, mostly with how people perceive clearing as a step back based on their current goals and aspirations for university,” says Dr. Rachael Molitor. “It’s an opportunity for people to look at different programmes or different locations that they may not have necessarily considered previously.”

Dr. Molitor always wanted to pursue a degree in psychology, but when her A Level results weren’t up to her own standards, she decided to take a gap year to reflect and improve. Now, she’s a chartered psychologist and a lecturer in psychology. Source: Dr. Rachael Molitor

A chartered psychologist, lecturer, and admissions tutor at Coventry University, Dr. Molitor experienced her own share of disappointment when she didn’t receive the A Level results she had hoped.

During that time, instead of going through Clearing, Dr. Molitor opted for a gap year instead to consider her options and decide where to go from there.

“I’ve always been one to aim for high grades and felt I wanted to improve on my psychology grade in particular to give me the best possible outcome for my future,” says Dr. Molitor. 

“At that age, I believed A Level were the be-all-and-end-all, and with a lower grade than I hoped (still a good grade but not in my mind at that young age), I felt that future doors would no longer open in the areas I planned to go.”

Dr. Molitor reflects that it was a different time and environment then – a number of her friends were staying within apprenticeships and professional work capacity instead of pursuing higher education at university. 

“I therefore did not necessarily have the push as we may nowadays have to jump straight to university with the grades I had received and make do,” she says. 

“In hindsight, a conversation with a university expert or education supervisor would have supported my going to university through Clearing. However, I felt I wanted to take the year and retake the exam to improve my psychology grade while earning money during that time to support me with my university plans going forward.”

Still, Dr. Molitor spent her gap year well.

With her initial interest and determination to pursue a degree in psychology, she took up the opportunity to work full-time to gain experience and knowledge in the field outside of the educational setting.

Securing the job also meant that Dr. Molitor could earn money to fund her university education. “I had more opportunities when at university to do things that maybe have been financially challenging with the funds straight out of sixth form,” she says. 

What to do when you’ve missed out on their A Level grades

There are four important pieces of advice Dr. Molitor has to share for those who didn’t meet their required A Level grades.

First, you’ve got to shift your perspective.

“While we might not have much influence over the situation that led to disappointment, we do have control over our thoughts and responses,” she says. 

“It’s okay to feel sad, frustrated or annoyed by the situation for a while, but it’s crucial to address the disappointment in a way that helps us learn from it or emerge from it as a stronger and more well-rounded individual.”

Second, you need to take charge of your thoughts. 

“Preparing for what comes next can restore a sense of control in your life, which might have felt temporarily shaken,” says Dr. Molitor. “Keeping a positive mindset is especially important during this process and recognising that the challenges we’ve faced in the past contribute to our understanding of success.”

Next is embracing opportunity. 

“One example of how to shift disappointment into opportunity is to reframe the narrative of Clearing,” explains Dr. Molitor.

Clearing is not a failure to achieve what you originally set out to do. 

This common misconception leads people to believe that they are not good enough, which results in disappointment and feelings of stress and anxiety about the future.

“Clearing is a chance to explore new options and a new direction you may have not originally considered,” says Dr. Molitor. 

“If you felt you did your best in your exams, or as well as you could do given the exams, factors and confounding variables, then there is no reason to be disappointed in your grades, as they were the grades you have achieved with the hard work and determination you put in months before.”

And last but not least, you need to create a path for your future. 

“You have your grades, and those are what you have now to work with,” says Dr. Molitor. “Taking ownership of your grades can help you make a path for yourself and drive you forward, not backwards, to your next adventure.”

“Being realistic with the universities and courses you wish to take, where you’d like to go, and what you’d like to use your degree for can help carve out a path for your next direction and choice of university.”

One of the biggest pieces of advice Dr. Molitor has to share is that you should always take the path you enjoy the most. Source: Dr. Rachael Molitor

A proven success story

“I always believe that taking the path you enjoy the most will support you in a job you love doing,” says Dr. Molitor.

In her case, Dr. Molitor enjoyed psychology so much and took inspiration from her A Level teacher that she considered a career in teaching psychology. 

This drive, which pushed her to take a gap year to improve her A Level psychology grade, helped her move forward in life – through her bachelor’s (BSc Hons) from the University of Birmingham and then onto her master’s (MSc) in Health Psychology and further PhD at Coventry University.

Not obtaining the A Level results you want isn’t the be-all-end-all; for Dr. Molitor, it just meant she could use the time to rediscover herself and figure out the path onward. Source: Dr. Rachael Molitor

And it was during her master’s programme that Dr. Molitor discovered a passion and interest in eating behaviours and behaviour change. 

This, combined with her interest in teaching, her research, and her current PhD studies, allowed her to move between academic research progression and teaching. Now, she’s a charted psychologist and lecturer at Coventry University.

“I think it’s important to recognise that each path we take is unique and based on our own merits and decisions,” says Dr. Molitor. “By taking others’ pressures and expectations to heart, we can move into a pathway that is potentially made for us and not created by us.” 

“I believe it is so important to get advice and support from others when needed, but do what’s right for you and yourself at the time. Choosing a profession, university programme, and career in something you enjoy will mean your interests and passions will go hand-in-hand with your success forever more.”