This is a guest blog by Kate Marchant, explaining everything ‘Clearing and Adjustment’. Email BU Blogs or comment below if you want to share your experiences or give advice surrounding university?

Most of us have felt, at some point in our lives, that we are on the wrong path. Whether that be that we are in the wrong job, doing the wrong course, or not doing one when we feel we should be! When it comes to your university choice, you don’t have to think like that. With Clearing and Adjustment, it’s so easy to change your mind or even decide late. When I came home from travelling, I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do, and by coming home late June, I hadn’t given myself much time to figure it out! But in all of 5 days, I had applied and been accepted onto a course through Clearing. A course that will provide me with a career for years to come. Just a few weeks later I’d started and now, nearly a year on, I’m well on my way to achieving that goal.

Some people, especially mature students, may feel like it’s all set in stone once you’ve applied (or not!). Or maybe you didn’t quite get those grades you were expecting, and now everything isn’t looking quite as smooth sailing as expected. But it’s these times in which you can end up finding a place that you feel you belong, and finding the course, you’ll love.

The key going forward is preparation. Clearing is the opportunity to apply for courses that have open spaces after the initial intake. Often, they will be lenient on the admissions policies and could get you going in the right direction. It can be used to save you in those dreaded moments when you realise you’ve picked a university or course you’re no longer passionate about, and can also be used when your grades don’t quite meet your expectations. It can even be for when, like me, you haven’t applied at all and suddenly realise that going to university to get your desired degree is exactly what you want to do, and you want to do so now!

So, to sum up, if you feel like you’re not going in quite the right direction, or you’re worried that your exams didn’t go to plan, then start preparing now, find what it is that you love, and what you want to do, and shoot for it.

All the courses available through Clearing at BU can be searched here: https://www1.bournemouth.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/clearing-adjustment

Good luck!