The Clearing System (last-minute university applications) - Sixty Symbols

We discuss the UK's "clearing" system, where students make last-minute applications for university... often after disappointing high school results. More links and info below ↓ ↓ ↓

This video features Professors Meghan Gray and Philip Moriarty... Meghan is the undergraduate admissions tutor for The University of Nottingham's School of Physics and Astronomy... Phil is her predecessor.

Also in this collection of videos...

This project features scientists from The University of Nottingham

Sixty Symbols videos by Brady Haran

[DamienJones]

These videos about how the system behind the science/university works are really fascinating, I'd really like to see more, though I don't know what topics I'd suggest.

[davidgustavsson]

I really appreciate this "admissions series". I'm about to defend my PhD so it doesn't apply to me, but it's an amazing use of a platform. I hope many prospective students watch these and get something from it.

[numbtubeyou]

My first choice turned me down, after I missed on my results. I felt like a failure, this was a disaster!
My second choice was Nottingham University. They have accepted me. In hindsight, I am so glad I ended up at Nottingham. Feels like I have won the lottery in life.

[IamTills]

I've not thought about it for nearly 20 years, but I bungled my maths A-level below the grade I needed and had to call to see if I still had my place - the most nerve racking call I'd ever made, and now just a moment in

[SalmonPenny]

In Belgium you automatically get into the university you signed up for if you have the correct highschool diploma. Only a few courses have entrance exams like medschool, and you can redo them the next year if you failed. I know someone who got in after having failed twice and now she's thriving.

That's why I love the system here in our small country. There's no pressure from a single one exam that will decide your entire future. That's why people from the Netherlands come to study here. Everyone gets multiple chances to follow their dreams.

I can't imagine the amount of wasted talent that never got to come to fruition by ruthless grade-based systems.

[Njald]

Listening to this as a swede stresses me out on the behalf of uk students.
The swedush system is much less dependant on last minute exams and ss such you have a much clearer appraisal of your chances

[acuk]

To anyone who didn't get the grades and has to go through clearing: don't worry about it too much. I fell short and didn't get into any of my 3 choices. Ended up going somewhere without ever having even visited. I wouldn't change a thing. You can never predict where things will lead, and you can always make the best of a bad situation. The best laid plans of mice & men, etc. These things aren't the be-all-and-end-all you've been lead to believe.

[collectorguy]

Before I started university, my physics teacher told us that getting in is just the beginning, and staying in is much more difficult. I didn't understand at the time, until I realized undergrad was always about weeding-out a portion of the students over time. Often students talked about a quick death being better than a protracted death later. I managed to get the degree, barely, but those were hard years. It's no different than evolution by natural selection, where most fail (die) as a means for selecting the best. I realize failure is not death, but there's no distinction when you're working so hard to just survive, and have a sunk cost.

[dylancope]

I hope everyone finishing their A-levels sees this video! It's been 10 years since I was in that position, but this made me realise how unprepared I was for the possibility that I didn't get my grades. Luckily I got into my first choice, but I hadn't even considered shopping around with my grades.

[ZeoR]

One thing that's made this worse over the last decade or so is that, when I was doing them, A-levels were really quite modular, with AS levels counting for half, and doing some exams in January. This meant that when you were applying to unis at the beginning of your final school year, you actually could predict decently well what you were likely to get, and so you could prepare accordingly (it also meant that you were less reliant on one fortnight of your life going well...).

[notforwantoftrying]

14:05 finally a return of the classic "hyper zoom into the interviewees face while they're talking for no apparent reason"

[pauljackways]

In New Zealand, everyone gets in to whatever they want at whatever university they want, supposing they have basic university entrance, and we have some world-class universities. It's great in some sense because there is none of this stress and worry, but also it is terrible because most people in your class - especially in first and second year - really shouldn't be there. If you are actually smart/talented, you are guaranteed to carry every single group project the entire time you are at uni.

[oetgaol]

I think the last thing said is very important no matter how the student enters it is not a prediction of their success. It seems unnecessarily stressful and cruel to put students through.
Also the difference between high school and university is so large that students change very much in the first few months. Any achievements they accomplished beforehand are almost irrelevant of how they will be as a student.

[martineyles]

I didn't get the grades I needed, so called the university (not Nottingham) and left a message on the answerphone. It was probably only 5 minutes till I was called back, but it felt like an eternity. Thankfully they accepted me despite only getting Cs in Maths and Physics A levels, citing my D in AS Further Maths (My offer was B in maths and physics and C in a third subject). I wouldn't stand a chance today, as they now require A*AA including further maths.

[DTW]

It would be cool to see a video comparing different qualifications around the country (e.g. A-Level vs. Advanced Higher (Scotland) maths paper). I did advanced highers and it was generally known that it's content was more technical than A-Levels. Would be nice to have the academics' opinion on that :)

[Tyranitar]

The HK university system is also based on primarily grades and conditional offers, but you apply directly to the universities.

[SuperExtremeTNT]

I got 4 Cs on my Alevels and got rejected from Nottingham, then i did foundation year. Still have the sixty symbols card and ruler they gave me when i went for an interview

[cfgp]

this is interesting. here in portugal, application to (public) university is purely grades-based. the universities don't invite anyone.

your application grade will be a weighted average of your average high school (=secondary school) grade (from 0 to 20) and of your national exam grades (also 0 to 20, the same for the full country).
for a few courses you might need extra exams: if you're going to study physical education, you need to pass a physical exam; or if you're going to med school, you need to do a phychological exam.

the required national exams for differ each university course (say if you're going to study literature, you probably need portuguese, but if your're going to study engineering, you'll need math and/or physics), and the weight between high school grade and national exam grades is also defined by the university (usually 50-50).

then after the national exams, and once you have the grades, you apply to between 1 and 6 university+course combos (a preferencial order), and then all applicants are ranked by their application grade. the first N (with N being the number of vacancies) are then allowed to register and enter that university.

you will qualify for the university+course combo that you qualify first, according to your order. no interviews, no extracurriculars, nothing else.

[RicoElectrico]

This all would be alleviated if you did not need to apply BEFORE you know your grades. In Poland you do your exams in May, get results mid June and apply between June and July.

[goz]

As a UK graduate I've always wondered why this process still exists. It would make much more sense to apply to the universities in August once you have your grades. It's less stressful for the students and the universities; they will know exactly how many students they will have. To give suitable preparation time, the university year should then start January the following year. This gives students some time to do gap year activities (travelling etc) and sets them up nicely for the rest of the course, since the end of year exams will take place before xmas, and you can have xmas break to relax before starting in the new year. Sadly it's tradition and won't ever change