Preparation

Carney

Hi guys! My name is Carney and I am one of the Senior Clearing Assistants in the Clearing team

Working Clearing at the University of Greenwich is hard, and long work, however it is good fun. Sometimes someone may call and be unhappy with a certain situation and although it may not be the operators fault, sometimes they just need to let out their frustrations. While those calls can be a bit disheartening, we often receive a call where the person is far happier. The little things we do, by simply doing our job (yet still going above and beyond) can make an applicant very happy. Tears of joy are actually quite common.

Working clearing is rewarding, because you get to work with a great team of people towards the same goal, helping applicants. Although I didn't apply through Clearing, my colleagues and I know that for others, this is a very important time in the progression of their education. To that end, my advice would be for all those in Clearing, be prepared!

Think long and hard about what you want to do and where you want to go. After all it is your choice, you are the one who will be repay the student loan. Once you have made a long and considered decision, contact the university you wish to apply to. But before you do contact them, make sure you are prepared!

• Make sure you are actually in clearing, i.e. not holding offers with any other university.
• You know what course you want to study
• You know what your grades are.
• Also, that you have your UCAS details ready to give over.

All of this will help you in your application.

Finally, don’t be afraid to ask questions. The only stupid questions are the ones you don’t ask. Ask whoever you’re speaking to what’s on your mind and I am sure they will do their best to help. You can email us, phone us or speak to us on Livechat at www.gre.ac.uk/clearing.

Good luck in clearing friends!

Carney

How to get the best out of Clearing

Laura

We are now a few weeks into clearing and I’m sure many of you are eagerly awaiting your exam results and I wish you all the best of luck! If you feel as if you may not have done as well as you thought you would, or maybe even you’ve done better than you expected, you may find yourself in clearing this summer. Choosing the right University and programme for you is very important, so I am here to give you some advice on how to get the best out of Clearing.

1. It is important to have all of your details and information to hand, especially your UCAS ID.
2. Find a quiet place to make your phone calls and make notes throughout the call.
3. Research the University and the programme.
• You are investing 3 years of your time and money, make sure it is the right University for you!
• Look at the history of the University and the surrounding areas. 
• Read the student statistics for the programme.
• Are there good job prospects after you have graduated? 
4. The clearing staff are here to help you, ask questions! You could ask about:

• Accommodation.
• Bursaries.
• The Student Union.
• Does the University have student blogs? If so, read them.
5. Keep organised, but do not panic!
• Keep an eye on your emails, including your junk mail.
• Meet the deadlines for accepting any offers.
6. If you can, come and look at the University. As well as getting the opportunity to look at the University that you will be attending, you may also have the chance to talk to academics and students to get more a feel for the programme. 

I hope that this advice is helpful and I wish you all the best with your University applications!

If you have any questions regarding the clearing process or the University of Greenwich itself then please give the Enquiry Unit a call on: 020 8331 9000, or come and chat with us on LiveChat here: http://www2.gre.ac.uk/clearing

Not now doesn’t mean not ever

Ann

In the Clearing team, our work is about communication and delivery. Every day we are delivering news to applicants; some good news and some not so good news. Unfortunately, we cannot always tell you what you really want to hear. 

For those of you who do not get offered the place that you had wanted so badly, it can be helpful to remember that decisions are rarely a “never” and some applicants, particularly for oversubscribed courses such as Midwifery, can be successful when they apply for the next intake.

Below are some of the things we can do to help you: 

Firstly, we can sometimes look at your qualifications and see that you may be suitable to be considered for an alternative course. We will then ask if you would like to be considered for this.

Remember that if you are offered an alternative course, you will have a limited time to accept the place, so take some time to decide whether it is definitely the right thing for you to do. Three years is a long time to be doing something that your heart is really not in. 

Secondly, we may find you do not hold the correct qualifications at Level 3 to move on to Higher Education. Often, we are able to suggest that to progress to an Undergraduate programme, applicants may wish to consider taking an Access to Higher Education Diploma. This is a one year course and during the year, you can apply for a place at University for the following September once the new UCAS main cycle opens. 

You might decide that you want to wait until next year and work on improving your qualifications, or gaining extra work experience. This is something I did myself, both studying for additional qualifications while working in a relevant sector.

We aim to treat all enquirers fairly and professionally. I am reminded of the poem by W. B Yeates: ‘He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven’ which contains the following lines:

 'I have spread my dreams under your feet;

Tread softly, because you tread on my dreams.’ 

Good luck with your applications.

Ann

Socially Speaking

Sophi

As you all probably know you can contact us via phone on 0208 331 9000, this is most peoples preferred method of communication with us. Personally being a telephone operator is my favourite job role at the Enquiry Unit as I love the personal interaction with the applicants and being able to ask them lots of questions to make sure that they are getting all the help they need. However you might not like talking to people on the phone, it can be quite a scary and daunting thing to do; especially when making an important phone call. We do have other ways in which you can contact us. 

Chat with us online

We have a live chat service, where you can ask all of your questions to our operators without having to pick up a phone. Don’t worry you won’t be talking to a robot, our chat service is staffed by our enquiry unit assistants who are there to help you with everything from student life questions to clearing applications.

Clink the link below and a chat box will pop up in the corner:
www.gre.ac.uk/study/courses/clearing

Social Media

If you’re on the go or you just have a quick question you can always message us on social media. It’s an easy way to find out some more information about us. See what the students are up to, have a look at what events are taking place.

https://twitter.com/UniofGreenwich
https://twitter.com/sugreenwich
https://www.facebook.com/uniofgreenwich/info?tab=overview
https://uk.pinterest.com/uniofgreenwich/

Where it all started

Ahmed

Hey guys!!! Whats up? So as we have entered July we have entered Clearing!!!

Clearing has begun and I have already made my first offer and taken several applications in the past week, so you should apply as soon as possible, if you are thinking of applying. Clearing can really be daunting process for some, however, I have few tips that can actually help you successfully negotiate clearing.

Tip 1:

Prepare in advance; when applying for a programme through clearing, and it is the first time you are looking to apply for that programme, look into the career paths and what it can provide for you.

Tip 2:

Register with UCAS before applying for clearing, and check that you have been entered in to clearing.

You need to register with UCAS beforehand, as we will have to have a look at your UCAS profile before we can make a clearing application for you. You must also be in clearing, so you can’t make a clearing application if you are holding an offer. You will need to get yourself released. If, on results day, you don’t meet you conditions with your Firm or Insurance, you will be automatically placed into clearing.

Tip 3:

Don’t just pick a course at random. We understand it’s can be difficult if you don’t get your first choice and that all you want to do is get into university. But you’ll be paying about £9,000 a year, without having chosen the course you love (NOT A GOOD IDEA)! Look around for alternatives, like a foundation degree or extended programme, in the subject that interests you.

 
That’s it for now, but any questions remember to use our LiveChat services or you can email into us at clearing@gre.ac.uk or call in on 020 8331 9000 and we will gladly help you out.

The Vacancies are Open!

Stacey

Hello everyone! As you may have read by now, Clearing has officially started! It’s quite exciting actually, as I’ve already had tons of calls about people wanting to join us in September! And to be honest, I don’t blame them as I think we have so much to offer! (As you’ve probably already read over on my own blog gre-stacey.blogspot.com).

Now, about Clearing. We are open 9-5, Mon-Friday so if you have any sort of query please feel free to give us a call on 020 8331 9000 or you can always open a chat over on our website (www.gre.ac.uk) and have a online talk with one of my colleagues.

As for applying for Clearing, you must remember that you must have an application ready on UCAS for us to get the process started (and remember to pay UCAS’ fee, as sometimes this is the reason why we cannot get onto your application), and you cannot be holding any other offers from other universities. It’s fairly straightforward but if you do have any queries don’t be scared to give us a call!

We still have plenty of courses which are still open, so if you’re thinking about applying for university through clearing, there’s no better time like the present!!

University itself is an absolutely amazing experience and I would recommend the University of Greenwich to anyone and everyone. Not only are the students friendly but the lecturers are extremely helpful too. There are tons of sports teams and societies you could join, you can view our Student Union website here: http://www.suug.co.uk/ - all the activities for Freshers ’15 are already available online as well.

Today, clearing vacancies are officially published so keep an eye out for any course you are interested in!

And a huge good luck to those who are receiving their IB results today!!!

We look forward to hearing from you!

Stacey x