Samantha Matthews, Head of Admissions at the University of Westminster since 2018, spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live’s Rima Ahmed’s show about the options available to prospective University students regarding Clearing.
The interview covers a wide range of people talking about A Level Results Day this year, addressing topics surrounding Clearing and what to expect. Matthews said it was important for students not to panic, as there was plenty of time to look at Clearing vacancies. She recommended that the best place to start was UCAS website as they had all the vacancies listed, which saves time, therefore giving students more time to calmly go through the list of universities and courses available and call the universities directly to know more about their options.
She said: “By this point, it is mainly about being prepared. Clearing is not just about getting results that you want because sometimes, with Clearing now, people get better results, and it opens up a whole world of opportunities for them. Clearing is for everybody now.”
Matthews added: “At Westminster, we have experts on the line who will be there to answer course questions, concerns about accommodation and about living in London. Talking to experts on Clearing lines is not just about the course. There are people there to answer questions about everything.” She continued to talk about students also having the opportunity to reapply through Clearing to universities that had already rejected them the first time."
Matthews spoke about how much Clearing has changed over the years and said: “I understand that Clearing used to be a very different thing a long time ago. I used to work at universities to do Clearing at that stage, and it was for students who didn’t make their grades. However, it is very different now and there are lots of opportunities for students through Clearing.”
About the future for prospective students, Matthews said: “They have it in their head of where they are going to be. They have probably visited the university and arranged accommodation. They have a picture of how the next three years are going to be, so my main piece of advice is to be prepared with questions and the necessary documents and information and look at what is out there as there may be more opportunities than there were when they applied originally.”
Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds from 2:50:51.
Apply to the University of Westminster through Clearing.
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