This is a guest blog by current student Rachel Morley, currently studying BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing.

Hi I’m Rachel and I am going to talk a little about my experience of applying through Clearing at Bournemouth University.

This time last year, university was only mentioned to me and the thought of applying was terrifying. I was thinking things like: “am I good enough?”, “I’m too old now”, “will I be liked?”.

However all my anxieties faded with one simple and very friendly chat with a member of the clearing admissions team. Initially I only called up to enquire about the application process, was there a part time route, would I be accepted based on a long term working history or did I need to go and gain additional certificates from college first? This enquiry quickly turned into a direct application and I was asked if I could send over a personal statement.

The admissions team gave me helpful websites to help me learn what to write on a personal statement and when I sent it in, they updated me on the next part of the process. All the way through I could contact them at any time to ask a question or ask for guidance on what I should include in the application, they were friendly, helpful, and informative.

Once I got offered an interview, they explained how this process would work – I did mine on skype. The Skype interview was a totally new experience for me, but interviews in general were not. I had a lecturer called Karen interview me and she was and is so down to earth, approachable and realistic. She explained the process to me, was chatty and made me feel at ease throughout the whole session. She answered my questions fully and was very honest with her expectations of me as a prospective student and as a student if I was successful. She then explained the waiting time and how I would hear. Again throughout this wait period the admissions team were on hand.

After I got accepted I also spoke to a final year student, who was also a mature student, this was fantastic as I got to have a very real conversation with someone who had been in my shoes and he was very helpful with advice and also what to expect in the coming weeks.

All in all, I would say the clearing process is nothing to worry about, don’t panic, be yourself and be open-minded. EVERYONE at BU is so easy to speak to and they will always find someone to help you if they can’t help you directly.

Rachel Morley
BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing

Ask Rachel directly about her experience studying at BU.

Thinking about applying through Clearing? Find out more information on our website, or call us at +44(0)1202 966777.