Thursday 31 July 2014

Clearing has just began

Monique
In the coming week, our borrowed lab will become full of telephone operators, live chatters, emailers and academics over a number of bays.

There are a number of courses available and we will be here to assist Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. Whether it is through the phone by calling 0208 331 9000, through live chat or email us at clearing@gre.ac.uk with your Clearing query. We are only a phone ring or click away.

You can search for these courses through our website and even through UCAS. As a student who came through Clearing and has now graduated, it's never too late. It's not about how you started or how it finished; it's about the journey in between.

Results day was busy last year, no doubt it’s going to be busy this year, but don't let that stop you. We will try our best to guide everyone. We will also take experience into consideration as well as your results. Just remember, every little helps. Whatever you have under your belt, it may be relevant as we understand everyone has come from their different routes and paths.

If you are not sure if the University of Greenwich is the university for you? Feel free to check out the following social media sites:

Our Facebook page – https://en-gb.facebook.com/uniofgreenwich
Our Twitter account – @UniofGreenwich
Our Student Union website – www.suug.co.uk

Our Student Blogs - http://www.suug.co.uk/aboutus/studentblogs/

If you haven’t had much luck during the last month why not look into doing another qualification to boost up your grades like an ACCESS course. A year or more will fly by if your set on taking this step for your future. And never forget, your age is just a number, you're never too old to do anything.

In order for a new chapter to begin, you have to turn the first page. In this case, going through clearing maybe the start to a new chapter.

From all of us here we wish everyone the best of luck!

Wednesday 30 July 2014

My Role In My Words.

Mary
Working in the Enquiry Unit has come with a lot of knowledge and understanding, while working here I have gained a lot of knowledge out of things I wasn’t even aware off! In fact every day I learn something new.

Yammer (which is a social network for businesses to share information) has also come in useful because I see it as an avenue to share knowledge to help others, once you learn something you can share it around on Yammer so other people can learn as well.

The whole Clearing period can be fun as well as very busy as it gets further into August. Working as an Enquiry Unit staff member has taught me a lot as well as academic knowledge but it has also taught me transferable skills that will come in very useful once I go into the working world like listening skills, being patient and gaining excellent communication skills.

My advice to anyone  when applying via Clearing would be to stay calm and patient because many of us here today got to university via Clearing (like me) so we know exactly how you are feeling. I would also advise to spread your options as far as possible, don’t believe if one door closes another can’t open and remember we are here to help you right through to the end.

Tuesday 29 July 2014

Mature Students

Joyce
Hi my name is Joyce; I am a mature student who gained admission to study Public Health (BSc) through Clearing and I have just recently graduated.

Clearing was a life saver for me, as I was bold enough to ring by the last week of Clearing in August 2010. The lady I spoke to was very helpful and ironically I am in that position now to advise students like me then who are confused.

I also chose to study at the University of Greenwich as it is one of the best Universities for Health and Social care programmes, you get a lot of help from both teaching and non-teaching staff, the environs are very serene and suitable for studying lastly it was not very far from home.

As a matured student and having previously studied in Africa, I had to equip myself with the necessary knowledge and qualifications required for my course. I completed the Access to Nursing course, which comprises of 45 credits at Level 3 and 15 at Level 2 including the important English and Maths (which covers your Level 2 grades).

As an employee of the Enquiry Unit, I find a lot of mature students do not gain admissions as they do not meet the entry requirements. Hence my tips to give you the best possible chance when applying for any course especially in Health and Social care:


  • If you have not studied for a long time or do not have the required Level 2 and 3 qualifications, your best bet is to enrol in an Access to Higher Diploma course with your local college. It is for a year but that goes really fast!
  • If you have those and calling us during Clearing, be prepared to send the required certificates or transcripts to us.
  • Things happen fast during Clearing, so be prepared for a fast paced response. Not a good time for a holiday, as if you do not accept your offer at a specified time it will be withdrawn. 
  • Lastly, be prepared when invited for an interview. Remember there are a lot of people in your shoes and they only pick the best. 


I wish you all the best!

Monday 28 July 2014

Thinking Long & Hard

Carney
Hi guys! My name is Carney and I am one of the Senior Clearing Assistants. This will be my second clearing and I work primarily one the phones.

Working Clearing at the University of Greenwich is hard, tiresome and sometimes tedious work, however it is good fun. Sometimes someone may call and be unhappy with a certain situation and although it may have nothing to do with you, they just want to rant, scream and let out frustrations. While those calls may be disheartening, you often receive a call where the person is so happy. The little things you have done, by simply doing your job (yet still going above and beyond) you have made them ridiculously happy and grateful. Tears of joy are quite common. Although even when it is tears of happiness, it’s always awkward listening to someone cry down the phone…

Working Clearing is also rewarding in other ways as well, discounting the very good money you earn, you also get to work with good people and have a good time.

In all of my regular blog post I do for the university, which you can find here (http://gre-carney.blogspot.co.uk/) I always like to have a purpose to them and this one is no different. While Clearing may be simply work for me, it’s a very important time for others in their progression in 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 that pays the loans in time to come. 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. 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 too what’s on your mind and I am sure they will do their best to help.

Good luck in Clearing chums!

Carney

Friday 25 July 2014

If you have a question:

Chevonne
Hello everyone and welcome to UCAS Clearing 2014!


For the moment, it's going to feel like everything is up in the air until results day. It is fast approaching but hopefully the excitement is outweighing the nerves. This time of year can be very stressful and as difficult as it may be try not to panic. Here in the Clearing office there are lots of people that can help. You can contact us either by email (courseinfo@gre.ac.uk), by telephone (0208 331 9000) or by Live Chat (which can be found via our website).


My top tips for those that have questions:

1. Don't be afraid to ask a question - We will always try our very best to answer any questions that you may have no matter how silly or strange you may think they are.

2. Basics of the email - When emailing us with a query, it is always handy to include your full name and Banner ID/UCAS or Applicant number as it means that we can hopefully deal with your query more effectively.

3. Questions about courses - It always helps to state the specific course that you are interested in when emailing us. By doing this, it means that we can provide you with as much information as possible to help deal with the query.

4. Bombarding us with emails - Please don't feel that you are constantly bothering us, we are more than willing to answer, so email away!


It's important that you remember not to panic! Think of Clearing as a new or alternative opportunity because, in essence that's essentially what it is. It gives you the opportunity to still go to University even if you didn't get the grades that you thought you were going to get. You can always pick something similar to what you wanted  to do (but not the same course) or choose to do something completely different, it's entirely up to you. I know what it's like as I, myself came to the University of Greenwich through Clearing. I chose to do something similar rather than something new as I wanted to try and stick to my original path. As difficult of a process it may be to have to go through, try to stay calm as you will get through this!

My fingers and toes are crossed. Good luck on results day!!

Thursday 24 July 2014

Clearing Reception

Olivia
Hello all!

We are now ready to receive prospective students to our Clearing Reception in Queen Mary’s Building at Greenwich Maritime campus.  So if you haven’t already secured a university place for September 2014, call in to see us weekdays 9am-5pm.  This is your opportunity to chat in person about your university application, how clearing works and discuss options available to you.  

One important thing to remember about the application process is that in order to apply for a course through Clearing, you must first register with UCAS.


We will be here until early September and can advise on what programmes are available throughout the Clearing period.

Wednesday 23 July 2014

Foundation degrees - Explained!

Gavin
We are approaching that time of year where A-Level results start stealing headlines, and the telephones are ringing off the hook at universities up and down the country. No doubt it has been mentioned before, but keeping a level head during Clearing is key. Clearing is a stressful time for applicants, parents & tutors, but we are here to help. Our advisors are available via Email (courseinfo@gre.ac.uk), Telephone (0208 331 9000), or via the LiveChat service on our website, and we will do all we can to make sure the process goes as smoothly as possible.

As previous bloggers have stated, the University of Greenwich is linked with a number of other partner colleges, nearly all of which offer foundation degrees. There can be a lot of confusion as to what a foundation degree is, how long it takes or what it is worth. Grab a seat and get comfortable, I’ll explain it all :)

Foundation degrees take two years of full-time study, and are equivalent to  the first two years of study on one of our BA/BSc programmes. The majority of them are based at our partner colleges, and can offer the potential for progression – for example completing a foundation degree in Health and Social Care can potentially lead onto the third year of a BA in Health and Social Care. The foundation degree in Early Years Education can potentially lead onto the third year of our BA programme of the same name.

Foundation degrees can make sense for a lot of applicants – the foundation degree can work out cheaper than the full degree programme (currently £6,000 per year as opposed to £9,000), and take the same amount of time, including the top-up year, as a standard undergraduate BA/BSc. They can be a way to ease the transition between further and higher education, as despite the fact they are based in colleges they employ similar teaching methods to universities.


Hopefully this has shed a little more light on what a foundation degree is, but if you have any more questions feel free to contact the Enquiry Unit on 020 8331 9000. In the meantime, I wish you all the best of luck for results day!

Tuesday 22 July 2014

Awaiting 14th August

Sophi
Hello everyone,

A-level results day is slowly creeping up on us, we now have 3 weeks to go. Here in the Clearing office everyone is filled with anxious dread as well as excitement for the 14th August.  Even though we know it’s going to be a long day (Phones/chat opens at 7am – 8pm) it’s always a fast past and exciting.

When calling (or chatting) with any university here are my TOP TIPS-
  • Have your UCAS number to hand – This will just make the process go quicker and easier.
  • Be clear and concise.
  • Have a pen and paper to write down email addresses/telephone numbers or just useful information you might need to remember.
  • No questions are silly questions – Believe me we have heard it all; we are here to answer any of your questions on all parts of university life.
  • Keep calm – It’s going to be a stressful day, you might have to wait in a queue before you can speak to us but we are trying to help as many people as possible.
  • Stay positive – Even if you didn’t get into your first choice of university or course there are always many other options out there for you.
  • Remember we cannot talk to your parents (unless they are your nominated person on UCAS) – It’s always best to talk to us yourself, we know it’s scary but it’s an important step.

Here is a useful videos of things to check before result day.

Monday 21 July 2014

Don’t Panic!

Jenna
Last year, over 150,000 students were reported by UCAS to have entered Clearing after results day. You aren't alone in this process. Many people don’t get into their first choice of University but this does not mean that you have failed anything. Universities across the country have places in Clearing, the University of Greenwich being just one of those. We have experienced advisors within our Clearing Team to advise you on courses you can apply for and any other enquiry you may have.

We are currently in Early Clearing so our lines and chat service are quieter than they will be after results day. If you have any queries or think that you may be able to apply now rather than wait, contact us and we will advise you.

Here are some tips for Clearing:

  1. You can’t apply for the same course at the same institution that you applied for in Main Cycle so be prepared to possibly compromise
  2. Be proactive and flexible. Call as many institutions as you want when you are in Clearing to maximise your options
  3. Do you research. Look up courses at other institutions before you apply. This will enable you to make an informed decision.
  4. Be prepared. Once you are made an offer, you will only have 10 days to respond to it so keep checking your emails and UCAS Track
  5. Do not refer yourself on UCAS until you have been made an offer for that course at that University. 
  6. DON’T PANIC. If you are in Clearing now or are entered into Clearing later, it is possible to find a course somewhere. We are here to help you achieve your goals.

Friday 18 July 2014

Different Alternatives

Beste
Although Clearing has become more and more popular there are still many enquirers who question what Clearing actually means. Clearing is for potential students who have been unsuccessful in their main 5 choices on UCAS, or students who have been successful but have had a change of mind on what they actually want to study or where, or even people who have just decided to get into higher education in late July! The process starts with a phone call, then providing there are spaces on the programme of interest, the applicant is assessed for entry criteria and either made an offer there and then or submitted a Clearing application form sent to the faculty for a final decision.

It can be a very stressful period and nerve racking wait while applications are being processed. It’s important to keep calm and be patient and try not to panic. The most important thing to bear in mind would be that an unsuccessful application does not imply that it’s no longer possible to route onto higher education degree and there are always alternative options available.

Working within the Recruitment platform for the University of Greenwich, I have had a great amount of mature applications seeking to enrol on an undergraduate degree. A number of these enquirers are new to the system and are clueless of where to start. Undergraduate degree entry requirements usually include Level 2 and Level 3 qualifications. Level 2 qualifications are General Certificates in Education and do not make up UCAS points, Level 3 qualifications are A level and BTEC equivalences and make up UCAS points. UCAS points are calculated through the use of UCAS tariff tables and accordingly benefit to gaining entry onto an undergraduate programme.

Those who did not continue education after school and do not hold these qualifications may consider doing an Access to Higher Education course. Access courses are usually offered by local colleges and have a wide variety of options available. The most common ones I have had enquiries about have been Access to Nursing, Access to Social Sciences, Access to Sciences, Access to Business, Access to Humanities.

Those who have level 3 qualifications but maybe do not have just enough to the standard expected for the undergraduate degree they want, may consider doing a Higher National Diploma (HND)/ Foundation Degree. These qualifications are equivalent to the first two years of an undergraduate degree which you may find can be cheaper and lead to the same outcome. In most cases the HND/ Foundation Degrees are two year programmes and can be used towards a top up programme or direct entry to 3rd year on a Degree programme. 

Thursday 17 July 2014

UCAS Clearing 2014

Raaesah
Hi Everyone, Hope your all well. UCAS Clearing 2014 has finally started.
I know how confusing and scary being in Clearing is, I applied to the University of Greenwich through Clearing and it wasn't easy. As I hadn't gotten into my firm or insurance choices to study Neuroscience, I was not entirely sure what to study or where to study.

I picked the University of Greenwich because I thought it was close to home and from the online reading I had been doing I knew that it was a good University. I decided to study Biomedical Science because I have always enjoyed studying and learning about science. I knew that I wanted to go to University and thought it best to study a subject area I enjoyed. Honestly, this was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

The University of Greenwich has 3 main campuses. The Maritime Greenwich, Avery-Hill and Medway Campus. Each campus is home to a different faculty. For example; the Faculty of Engineering & Science is at the Medway campus; Faculty of Education & Health is at Avery Hill; while the Faculty of Business and the Faculty of Architecture, Computing & Humanities are at the Maritime Greenwich campus.

The key thing to remember when in Clearing is to stay focused. If you know what you want to do/be/work as in the future, do not let the fact that you are in Clearing prevent you from following your dreams. Just because route A or B to your dream has not worked out, start planning route C and maybe D. Universities are here to help you take that next step to reach your goals. You must utilise all their facilities and resources. Don’t hesitate or be shy.

The University of Greenwich has 11 partner colleges. It is at these partner colleges that our foundation degrees take place. We also offer some HND and HNC courses.

Call us on 020 8331 9000 or our partner colleges if you have any questions and keep reading our Clearing blog posts because all of us current students will be talking about our experiences. 

Wednesday 16 July 2014

Don't stress, Stay focused

Jamal
Hello everyone, and welcome to UCAS Clearing.

If you’re applying through Clearing, you are probably going through some degree of confusion, and this can cause us to forget what is really important; that we are about to choose what we want to do with our lives.

Stay focused, If you want to be a Lawyer, don’t change your mind because of clearing, and end up doing Business or Computer Science because they have lower entry requirements, if it means spending another year preparing or going into a Year 0, don’t lose focus of the career you’re after.

These days there is a lot of pressure to get a degree, and this sometimes means we become content with ANY degree. And we want it as quickly as possible, and we want to graduate at the same time as our friends, and we don’t want to be the person that “didn’t get in” etc. All of this clouds a lot of people’s minds during Clearing to the point where they forget the most important thing. “I wanted to be a Lawyer”!

If you genuinely change your mind during Clearing, about what you want to study (or be) then here’s a little litmus test. Write a personal statement, if you struggle to do a first draft, and are looking for things to say that are interesting rather than them coming naturally, you may not really be interested in this subject.

When we have a genuine interested in something, we can really enjoy our degree, and we are motivated to do well, and we will hopefully enjoy are career too. This is really invaluable, so think before you change the course of your education in Clearing.

BTW we don’t have a Year 0 in Law.


On that note, don’t get stressed, stay focused and enjoy your future.

Tuesday 15 July 2014

Early Years – Tiny Human Teaching :)

Nell
A lecturer came into the Enquiry Unit to explain the BA Early Years courses and the new ones, PGCert and PGCE. I thought I would share with you the information given to me, to further enlighten you if you’re interested in this area.

As the title suggests, it is the teaching of the tiny, tiny humans; so ages 0 – 5. You will be working in nurseries both during your course (work placements) and hopefully afterwards. Below are the courses and the details about them:

Via CLEARING: UNDERGRADUATE COURSES:
Early Years BA Hons – This is your normal 3 year undergraduate degree. In your 3rd year you can do an Early Years Teacher Status which means you can go straight into teaching when you graduate. To get in you need: GCSE Maths and English (also science if you want to do the teacher status in your 3rd year) plus 240 UCAS points from A Levels/BTEC/IB etc.

Early Years BA (Top-up) – This is for people who have completed a 2 year foundation degree course looking to top up with a final year to complete their degree, (to make it a BA Hons). You can do the teacher status alongside if you have Maths, English, Science GCSEs and passed the Professional Skills Test.

Via UTT: POSTGRADUATE COURSES:
Yes there is Clearing but have you heard of UCAS Teacher Training? This is for postgraduate teaching degrees and you can apply up until the 15th September as long as it’s before your start date. YEY.

Early Years PGCE – This is a postgraduate degree that you do after doing your degree. Your degree can be in ANY subject as this full time 1 year course will teach you what you need to know and you will also gain a Teacher Status which means you can go straight into teaching after completion. To get on to the programme you need a degree 2:2 and above, (You’ll get a bursary for a 1st and 2:1 degree), English, Maths and Science GCSEs plus a pass in your Professional Skills Test. You also need to provide evidence of 2 weeks work experience with 0 – 5 years.

Early Years PGCert – This course is for people who already hold a childhood related degree who are ALREADY working in an early years environment. You need to provide evidence of working with the 0 – 5 age group. This is a part time masters, so you work at the same time. As well as the university paying your £7000 tuition fees, we also pay your EMPLOYER the same amount to let you leave your place of work for study, work placements etc.

Monday 14 July 2014

Entry Requirements

Josh
It’s Clearing again! However unlike last year I now have a lot more information that I can use and put into practice. One main point that I would address about Clearing is ENTRY REQUIREMENTS!

University staff can never state the current entry criteria to a degree in Clearing for many reasons. The main reason being that the requirements constantly fluctuate and change so it would be unfair for anyone to say what they may be as they could change within a matter of hours. However we do understand that prospective students will be eager to find out what they need to gain entry onto a course via Clearing. We can either let you know whether you meet the requirements or alternatively you could look at next years to get an idea of what you might need.

In relation to this we here at the Enquiry Unit can make an application for you in Clearing, and we can advise that you may be eligible for the course. However we cannot guarantee places to prospective students we can just advise on eligibility and making an application. Many people believe that we can definitely state that a student will gain admission with us and this is not the case.

Also a heads up to staff and students alike we here at the Enquiry Unit can disclose whether an applicant is successful or not but we cannot give out the reasons as to why. This is because by word of mouth information can be misconstrued and misinterpreted.

Within Clearing no feedback will be given to applicants on their application, we can only provide feedback to those who have applied via the main cycle.

Friday 11 July 2014

Access to Higher Education Diploma

Terry
Hello everyone, we are now two weeks into clearing and the applications are still coming in. Today, I’m going to talk a bit of the Access to Higher Education Diploma, also known as the access course.

The Access to Higher Education Diploma, for those of you who don’t know, is a qualification which prepares people to study at University if they don’t have any Level 3 qualifications. The access courses are delivered by colleges in England and Wales, they are available in a wide range of subjects such as nursing, law and art and design.

If you wish to apply through Clearing with an access course, then you won’t be able to get accepted straight away due to the fact that access courses don’t carry UCAS points and therefore are assessed on an individual basis.

If you wish to study an access course then you can just visit their website at: https://www.accesstohe.ac.uk/Pages/Default.aspx in order to look for the closest college to you that will offer these.

If you have already completed an access course and now wish to make an application then you will need to make a UCAS application form. When you create this you will not need to apply for any University degrees through UCAS as the deadline has now passed, instead you would need to fill in all the relevant information such as qualifications, personal statement, references, work experience etc. Once this is completed then you will need to leave it 24-48 hours for this to fully process and then you can call us on 0208 331 9000 or log on to our LiveChat system at: http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/courses/clearing/ug and we will be able to make that application for you.


If you have any further questions regarding the access course, applying for clearing or general University enquiries then just contact us here at the Enquiry Unit and we can help you with any questions you may have.

Thursday 10 July 2014

Basics of Clearing

Samantha
Hi All,

We are now into the full swing of Clearing and receiving a steady amount of calls, emails and live chats throughout the day!

Clearing is great as it gives everyone the chance to still be able to attend University even though they may not have met the required grades for their original choices. It also offers you guys the opportunity to apply to different institutions (or different courses, if you so wish!) if you have gone above and beyond your predicted grades through a process called Adjustment! I won't divulge into that too much, as I am sure you will hear lots more about all the options available to you over the coming weeks, if not feel free to give us a call here at the Enquiry Unit on 0208 331 9000, and we will be happy to help!

Clearing can sometimes be a little bit difficult to understand, but the basics of eligibility for Clearing are as follows:

  • You must have a UCAS application in place, and be able to provide your UCAS Personal ID
  • You are holding no offers from any other institutions 
  • AND, you must have the finalised results of all your qualifications! (Unfortunately we can not create an application for you guys if you have any pending results!) 

As mentioned above, we are available through live chat and telephone, 9am to 5pm every day, so feel free to contact us, even if you are unsure if you are eligible, we would be more than happy to help in any way we can!

Good Luck guys and most importantly enjoy your Summer!

Wednesday 9 July 2014

Many courses available :)

Stacey
Clearing is back! So this is my second year working in the Clearing department and I'm actually looking forward to it. Not the hours of course, or the days for that matter but working in the Clearing office there is just a lovely happy atmosphere! Clearing has officially started and so far we have already taken 48 Clearing applications and plan to take many, many more!! We’ve got a steady intake of calls and chats which is always good! J

Remember when you are making an application with us that you have received your exam results and are not holding any other offers with any other universities! Your status has to be that you are ‘In Clearing’ for us to make an application for you. If you are currently awaiting your A-Level results then unfortunately you have to wait until you receive them to make an application with us! If you have your results from other qualifications then feel free to give us a call and we’ll see if we can put together an application for you! J

Clearing is essentially if you do not meet the requirements for certain courses, for example you could be 20 UCAS points under for the course you wanted so you can apply for a similar course during Clearing! It is also for those who have recently decided to go to university or for those who have changed their mind about previous courses. There are still so many courses which are available for Clearing so feel free to give us a call to check. Also please remember that you need to have a UCAS account and Personal ID number for us to check your application and also make a Clearing application for you!


Good luck to everyone who has applied! J

Tuesday 8 July 2014

Options

James
Hey everyone,

We are now a week into Clearing and the enquiries continue to come in for the team. If you are anxious about results not quite going how you hoped, there will still be options. Clearing is a great opportunity to see if you can still find a programme suitable for you. Remember, to be eligible to make a Clearing application, you will:

  • Need to have your UCAS personal ID
  • Need to have all your qualifications (no results pending)
  • Not be holding any other offers from another university

There is lots more information about Clearing on the UCAS website and on our university website:

http://www.ucas.com/how-it-all-works/undergraduate/results/if-you-have-no-offers

http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/courses/clearing

We understand this can be a very stressful time and you will be facing big decisions. The team are here to help support you with those decisions and to help with making Clearing applications when you feel ready to do so. Please feel free to give the Enquiry Unit a call on 0208 331 9000 or speak to someone on LiveChat and we can make an application for you if you meet the entry requirements.

If you have any other questions about clearing or the application process, give us a call and our friendly student staff will be happy to help.

Good luck with everything this summer!

James

Monday 7 July 2014

Never the end of the world!

Towsyn
The season we have all been waiting for has finally arrived. With Greenwich going 20 places up the league tables, it is now even more competitive to get into our prestigious university. A lot of really popular courses at Greenwich have even increased their tariff points. Hmmm. To be honest, nothing else has changed much since last Clearing; however I will do a little recap on how to apply for courses in Clearing. Clearing is only open to applicants who have complete results and a UCAS form for 2014. That means if you haven’t received your A-level or BTEC exams yet, then you cannot apply until you receive them in August.

Between now and the release of the A-level results it is pretty much quiet, especially since UCAS web-link has been down for a little over a week, there was no way for us to verify qualifications of applicants. This period is known as “EARLY CLEARING”, and is mostly for people who want to make last minute applications into university. “LATE CLEARING” occurs in August after the release of the A-level and BTEC results. Now this is the most busy part of Clearing, the days we all look forward to; the tears, the joy, the screaming and kicking; the days when students know which university they will be going to or not!
All in all students, it is never the end of the world, there is a chance for everyone somewhere.  Just think Bill Gates or even Mark Zuckerberg.

Toodles!


Towsyn

Friday 4 July 2014

Clearing Is Back Again For Summer 2014

Danielle
Once again we are here in another Clearing period working as Clearing Assistants ready to help enquirers make the right decisions with their further studies.  As you may already know, results are coming out very soon and more and more prospective students will be calling to enquire about the courses we have on offer here at the University of Greenwich.  You cannot imagine how busy this time of year can be for students entering university interested in applying for a variety of degree courses we offer.

Please, please take my advice and get applying quickly if you are interested in studying a course at the University of Greenwich.

We are here to help you so if you need any assistance at all we have a few ways for you to get in contact with us. Please give us a call on 0208 331 9000





OR


OR

Live chat – Let’s Talk

We are expecting a lot of contact with prospective students but that should not deter you from applying for a course with us.  If you are not sure about university or what course you would like to study at university, we are here to assist you.  Here are a few tips that may help you make the choice of what course to study at university: Think of what you are interested in and most passionate about.  Also, think of what career you want to have at the end of your degree course.

Another thing to think about is what the course can offer you and the benefits you will get from it as well as how well you will blossom on the course of interest.  Lastly, ask yourself if you are better of studying a FOUNDATION, UNDERGRADUATE OR POSTGRADUATE course (depending on if you qualify for it) and whether you want to study FULL-TIME or PART-TIME.

Please don’t wait till the last minute as places will be filling up very quickly so get in the process before it is too late and you become disappointed.

All the best



Do something you will enjoy!


Thursday 3 July 2014

Contact us & come and see us!

Anita
Hey guys, Welcome to the University of Greenwich. The Clearing period has started for all of you, whereby the Enquiry Unit are here to assist with your queries. All you need to do is call us on 0208 331 9000 from Monday to Friday (9am to 5pm) or we have advisers you can chat to via our website http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study, alternatively drop us email with your query at courseinfo@gre.ac.uk.  We are here to provide you with the best options to assist you in finding the right courses which will meet your career aspirations.

If you are wanting to know a little more about the university you may be studying at for the next three years, you are more than welcome to register and attend our upcoming Open Days; (for more information, visit: http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/opendays) where you will get the opportunity to speak with academics and students about your programme of interest and experience your very own tour around the campus and accommodation.

We also have social media pages (listed below) for you to get to know students who are studying at the university and are willing to share their experiences on student life.


I hope you all the best of luck!

Regards


Anita J

Wednesday 2 July 2014

Opportunities!

Anisa
Hi all!

You know when it’s Clearing, when everyone starts talking about UCAS out of the blue right?! I think people get confused with the meaning of Clearing. :/. They get it mistaken as a last ‘resort’ for those who didn’t achieve the best grades. The answer to that is a “NO!!!!!” (Emphasis on the exclamation marks). Clearing is just a stage of the UCAS cycle which is seen as an opportunity to correspond with different Universities about different courses that may be of interest to you. I think the brilliant thing about Clearing is that it is an advantage for those who may have not have considered about going to University but have now changed their mind. It doesn’t just have to be those that just finished their A Levels, it is open to everyone! I guess we’re never too late to apply for University eh?

If you do eventually come across Clearing, here are some of the main points that I would recommend that you have:

  • MAKE SURE you have a UCAS application ready and submitted before you enquire with the Universities about the courses that they have available, as the Personal ID (the 10 digit number) is crucial in order to review your application.
  • If you already had a UCAS application, make sure the status of your application is in ‘Clearing’ and not ‘referred’ or ‘placed’ or this will slow the process of your application as you will have to request to be ‘released’ from the institutions that hold the offer.
  • The criteria for the courses available during Clearing are subject to change, so they can go either higher or lower... So get yourself out there!
  • All the UNDERGRADUATE programmes which are to be studied in FULL TIME mode, are applied through UCAS. But, PART TIME, POSTGRADUATE and some FOUNDATION DEGREES, should be made through our online application form which can be found in: www.gre.ac.uk/olaf

As I work for the Clearing Team, I’ve dealt with many different scenarios. The enquirers, well majority of the time, tend to be quite nervous or agitated. To be honest, you shouldn’t feel like that. With Clearing at the University of Greenwich, if one programme doesn’t seem to be right, we will try our hardest to give you an alternative. It’s a crazy time during Clearing, and I understand that it can weigh you down. But as long as you got the above requirements, that will be the first step to enter the process of Clearing. Maybe you didn’t think of University couple months back, but now you feel as if it is right for you then process a UCAS application as soon as possible!!! And for those with the UCAS application and are in Clearing - get searching!!! With so many courses on offer, it’s up to you to find what course is right for you.

Before I leave, I shall leave you with the contact details of the Clearing Team for the University of Greenwich:

Number: 020 8331 9000

Don’t pass up on an opportunity like this; instead make the most out of it. You know what they say: “The Early Bird catches the Worm”. J


Best of Luck!

Tuesday 1 July 2014

Clearing 2014

Michael
Hello potential applicant to the University of Greenwich, I hope you are well. My name is Michael, and I have been given the task of starting the Clearing blog of 2014. So here is the first entry to get the ball rolling.

Today, the first of July, is not just Canada’s birthday (it has been a country for 147 years, today) but it’s also the first day of early Clearing! But Michael, what exactly is Clearing? Well, Clearing is the final opportunity to apply to a university, or college of higher education before the academic year begins. So you may be wondering, is Clearing something I need to think about? You only need to think about Clearing if you can relate to any of these statements:

  1. I didn’t receive the results I was expecting, and have not met the conditions for my firm and insurance choices
  2. I received better grades than I was expecting and want to apply for a university with higher entry criteria (also known as adjustment)
  3. I have only recently decided I want to go to university this year
  4. I wasn’t accepted on a course when I made my initial application

If any of the above statements apply to you, then Clearing (or adjustment) is for you! If not, then Clearing is not anything you need to consider. For some, Clearing can be a daunting time, and I can speak from experience, but there is nothing to worry about. We have a team of trained staff, who last Clearing took over 40,000 calls that are available to help with any queries you may have about Clearing, and what you will need to do.

So if you want to apply for a degree at the University of Greenwich, feel free to give us a call on 020 8331 9000 or visit our website to chat to an advisor, where someone will be available to assist. Alternatively you can check back daily to the Clearing blog to read the updates for Clearing 2014.

Good luck everyone!


Michael

Welcome to the Clearing Diary!

A little bit about who we are.

We are a trained team of Recruitment Assistants who have all had firsthand experience of the application process and know exactly what it feels like to apply to university. More importantly  we are all University of Greenwich students, with differing ages, programmes of study, undergraduate and postgraduate, who are either currently studying or have just graduated so the good news is we can tell you all about the Greenwich experience.  

Having been through the process ourselves we know it’s tough. It can be an agonising waiting game of not knowing exactly what’s going to happen next. Whether you’ve applied to UCAS during the year and are awaiting exam results or are going through Clearing for a last minute place at University we’re happy to help you into Higher Education and as fellow students of the University, we are able to offer you individually tailored information and support to help you get your dream University place.

As a team we will be blogging every day to keep you up to date with our Clearing experiences and letting you know anything and everything important about Clearing. If you have any questions just pick up the phone and talk to us on 020 8331 9000 or email us clearing@gre.ac.uk or you can leave us a comment. We are here to make your application to Greenwich as smooth as possible and no matter how big or small the question is we would love to hear from you.