Hi everyone, my name is Sephora Zola. I’m a first-year student currently
studying English and Philosophy at the University of Nottingham.
And today I’m going to be talking about my Clearing experience, how I ended up coming
to the University of Nottingham through Clearing. Before we get into the rest of the video,
I want to plug my own YouTube channel. My YouTube channel's Sephora Zola where
I have an in-depth story time about my personal experience of Clearing.
I have some advice there on my channel, make sure you check some of that out.
I’m going to be very very candid and just highlight that my Clearing experience was
not what I had expected on results day. On results day we aim to get specific
results and go to specific universities that we had applied for, but that wasn’t the case for me.
I had been rejected from certain universities. I had to go through Clearing.
I woke up, I saw my results and I just was not happy with them at all.
My personal experience with education has always been, that I’ve always worked hard.
I’ve always put in effort, so I kind of expected to do as well as I’d hoped.
After I had seen my results, I wallowed in sadness for a brief period.
Then I realised I had to go through Clearing. So, the day before A level results day
I had already prepared for Clearing. I didn’t intend or want to go through Clearing,
I just made sure that I was prepared. Make sure you consider Clearing as a possibility.
It’s not a specific person that will go through it, anyone can go through Clearing.
I had call up multiple universities to secure a place.
I just want to say that when you go through Clearing you are allowed to feel, you’re allowed
to have emotions, you’re allowed to cry. But just making sure that you still have
in mind that it’s all going to work out in your favour, it’s all going to be ok,
even if it is not what you intended. I’m quite a dramatic person,
I thought my life was over. I was genuinely really really
upset with my grades. However, I had to still
put that aside and complete the process of Clearing, which was contacting universities.
Just multiple calls and emails had to be made. I was lucky enough to have my sister
supporting me along the way. And the support of friends and family.
After I had called multiple universities, I then looked at the options.
Some of them did get back to me and they basically offered me a place.
I decided to create a pros and cons list. After completing my pros and cons list,
I found that the University of Nottingham would be the best place for me.
I contacted the university back to just secure my place.
After I had secured my place, I was still upset. I spent the whole day very emotional
because it was such an intense time. I feel like I haven’t explained how
draining and how confusing, frustrating the whole experience of Clearing was.
I am thriving at the University of Nottingham. I have made so many amazing lifelong friends.
I have broadened my horizons by meeting new people.
Coming to the University of Nottingham was the perfect fit for me.
If you do go through Clearing, making sure that you don’t compare yourself to anyone else.
Your experience is specific to you but it’s perfect for you and it will be
perfect for you at the end of it. Before I went through Clearing,
I never even considered it as a thought. After Clearing I was able to understand,
not everything goes according to plan, but it can still be amazing at the end of it.
Clearing, it may have seemed very very negative. Clearing as a whole was such a,
important part of my A-level experience. If you are a student that is looking to
go to university, and you’re worried about Clearing, do not be worried about Clearing.
When you come out of Clearing, you start to realise that everything starts to fall into place.
That experience allowed you to end up at the university that you’re meant to be at and
a university where you're able to thrive. Use me as an example, my whole world had,
at that time, been like thrown upside down and I was like "oh my gosh my life is over!"
Now I’m literally I think happier at the University of Nottingham than
I would have been anywhere else. As long as you are relaxed, calm,
you have people there to support you. You’ll have your teachers.
I wish the students good luck. Results day is going to be fine.
Just enjoy the experience, enjoy your summer. Enjoy results day.
Be proud of yourself no matter the outcome. You’ve worked hard and you
deserve to reap the benefits. Thank you so much for watching my experience
of Clearing I hope this video has helped you. I hope that this video will benefit
future students that will be gaining their A-level results.