I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.
Estée Lauder
Around the world, primary school children invariably face the question: "What do you want to be when you grow up?". It's great that the youngest students get this level of encouragement to dream about their future. However, the inevitable platitudes - "apply yourself, be diligent, make your dream come true" do little to shape our path.
Ms Lauder's rebuke comes closer to the advice we need at this stage in our academic careers. Still, it doesn't outline any concrete steps to take. We can't plan ahead if we don't know what awaits us, after all. So, as we wait for UCAS Results Day 2024, we explore:
- what your application status means
- the options your application status gives you
- what to do if you're still not sure which direction to take
- the practical, financial side of university education
🙋🏻♂️Understanding Your Application Status
Waiting for A-Level results can be torture. It's a long slog from our General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) results, through sitting A-Level exams, and to the day when our efforts pan out. The nearly two months between our last A-Level exam and our published results seem endless.
Students who know their future's path are on the knife's edge, frightened that their efforts might have fallen short. Those of us unsure of which goals to pursue fear being pigeonholed into a future we don't necessarily want.
We feel hope, despair, excitement, and a whole slew of other emotions. This whirlwind of feelings stops abruptly on Results Day. Once the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) publishes results, we plunge head first into a different kettle of emotional stew.
UCAS will post A-Level results on 15 August 2024, around 8:15. In Scotland, the Qualifications Authority will publish results on 6 August 2024.
You may receive your UCAS results one (or more) ways. The first is logging into UCAS; note that you'll need your UCAS number. You may also collect your results from your school; be sure to ask your teachers what day and time to do so.
Finally, you may receive your results by post - if you can wait that long. Scottish students will receive their results via post, even if they've registered on the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) website. In all cases, you will receive one of the following decisions.
Your place is confirmed
your chosen university accepted you, you will receive instructions on how to proceed.
Your place is conditional
your grades are good but the university hasn't yet decided to slot you.
Your place is in Clearing
your grades don't justify a university slot at this time, or you declined previous offers.
Students worried about UCAS deadlines may suffer mild panic attacks if they don't get their results on time. It's not uncommon for the status update schedule to fall behind, sometimes it takes an extra few hours to get everything online.
Should your results not appear immediately, take a deep breath and relax as best you can. You'll have them soon enough.
😵Battling Uncertainty
Being a teenager - caught between childhood and your adult self, is not easy. We compete for social position and future security, all while still trying to figure out who we are and what we're about.
Students often talk about how unfair it is to have to decide your entire future when you know so little about life. Julius Caesar said: "Experience is the best teacher", but we've yet to experience that which could teach us about life.
Few aspects of our way forward are clear-cut. However, if you developed a sound strategy as an A-Level candidate, you already have a map for your next steps in education. Such plans might involve following a non-tradition path into a career, or adjusting your aim, like Kevin describes in this podcast.
Whether better or worse than expected, your university results are not the end-all of your future. You may receive good results but not be wholly sold on what's ahead for you. You may like your path forward and have the grades to follow it, but still want or need a break from school.
In both of those instances, a gap year could be just what you need. Travelling, volunteering, or working on projects you're passionate about could help you define your life goals. Along the way, you may decide that higher education isn't for you. That's okay, too.
You have options; none of your decisions are set in stone. You have the right to change your mind and pursue other interests. You can always return to higher education once you know better what you want for yourself.
🤔What Are Your Options?
Based on the previous chapter, we should say your options are limitless. However, that can be frightening, too. It's called the Paradox of Choice - too many options overwhelm the decision-making ability.
Thus, we focus on the choices your grades present you with, once you receive them. If you're (mostly) satisfied with your uni results, you have five to choose from.
Accept an Offer
This is the traditional path. Your university results satisfy your preferred school and degree program's entry requirements. You will receive either a conditional or unconditional offer of placement. You have the right to accept (or reject) the offer.
Once you accept it, you're bound by the conditions the school/degree program set forth. You have nothing left to do but follow instructions, attend classes, and graduate.
Appeal for Your Grades
As they stand, your grades qualify you only for conditional offers or Clearing. You know you did better than your grades reflect, so you might ask your school for a grade review. You may even appeal your exam board to go over your papers one more time.
You must let your prospective university know you intend to appeal your grades.
Some students decide to resit their A-Levels if such reviews don't help. This is a risky move, mainly because of the time it takes to do so. They must wait a year for their retakes and then, go through the same turmoil again.
Enter Clearing or Deferral?
For many who are undecided about their future, Clearing presents the best option. They can read through the course catalogue, marking possible subjects of interest. Once Clearing opens, they know which degree program(s) to jump on.
Undecided as you are, you may opt to delay your university start for a time. You may defer university entry whether you receive a firm offer or a conditional one, or are placed on the Clearing list. If deferral is your plan, be sure to let your university know.
Consider Apprenticeships
Increasingly, students don't see the point of university. This too is a perfectly legitimate position. Should you choose to take it, you must notify your school(s) that you will decline all offers.
You then have access to either Higher Technical Education or apprenticeships in various trades. Either pathway will see you in the workforce - and earning a living, sooner. The best part of this plan is that it trims away unnecessary courses. You learn what you need for the job at hand, without lessons in history or theory.
💳Student Finance and Accommodation
The cost of higher education is one reason students squirm at the thought of university learning. Should you decide to change course - to reject or defer university offers because of fees, you must inform all relevant parties. The same applies if you accept an offer from a different school than the one(s) listed on your applications.
First, sign in to your student finance account and record your update(s). If you filled out applications for any student loans, you must notify those companies separately.
Deferrals, Clearing and changing universities present challenges for student housing programs, too. Remember how you followed every step in your 2024 A-Levels guide when you registered for UCAS? You may have applied for on-campus housing when you selected your preferred school(s).
The moment you decide to either put off your university learning or abandon the idea, you must cancel or withdraw your accommodation request. At best, this helps schools house other students in need. At worst, you may have to pay a fee for failure to withdraw.
Earlier, you read that we students are too new at life to have much experience. That's a true statement, but it's also an excuse. The decisions we make - about our university results, or whether to pursue higher learning, are the experiences we're clamouring for.
Momentous as these decisions seem, remember that nothing is set in stone. You may change your mind, reverse a decision or change paths altogether, if you believe that's the right choice for you. Be sure to notify everyone involved - UCAS, your school, and other agencies. And then, you're free to carry on as you see fit.
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