My Clearing story

Becky's story

"When I didn’t get the grades I needed for my original university choices, my head of sixth form sat down with me and said “right, do you still want to go to university?” and I was like “yes, definitely, I can’t imagine anything else!” She talked me through what I needed to do, then I contacted different universities to find out what was available in Clearing. 

I called lots of universities, including one I'd originally applied for. But after looking at different university comparison sites I really liked the location of the University of Salford and the Zoology degree course sounded good. I was interested in the trip in the final year, which was to Brazil. Because I was offered a place at Salford I went on the Clearing visit day and I made my choice from there.

I felt really nervous before I called Salford's Clearing hotline because I thought I might have missed out on my chance to go to university. But the people on the other end of the phone made me feel a lot better. They were really kind and they helped calm me down. When I called up, I knew I was interested in Zoology but I was willing to go for anything Biology or Zoology based, so I told them what I was primarily interested in and we also discussed related courses. But after talking through my options I knew that I still had my heart set on Zoology.

Looking back, the whole process was much easier than I’d thought. I thought I’d have to answer lots of questions but it wasn’t like that at all. The person I spoke to just wanted to get to know me and find out whether I’d be right for the course. They were really kind, too. They asked me how I was doing, which was something other universities didn’t, and that made me feel really supported. When they asked me if I’d like to apply, it was just a few questions over the phone. Then after a quick chat with the tutor I was offered a place.

Studying at Salford is probably the best decision I’ve ever made. I didn’t expect to come here but I couldn’t imagine myself going anywhere else now. The course itself was wonderful and the lecturers were fantastic – really supportive and approachable. I loved every part of my degree and I’ve even progressed onto postgraduate study. 

I stayed on at Salford to do a research master's in palaeontology – a topic I gained an interest in through the modules I studied during my undergraduate degree. When I was writing my undergraduate dissertation one of my lecturers suggested this route to me, and said he’d be happy to take me on as a student. I’m now in the final stages of my master's and I've loved the challenge of doing a research qualification. It's been great to work on this niche topic within my field, with an academic who shares my interests." 

Aysha's story

Aysha, who studied BSc (Hons) Fashion, also applied to the University of Salford through Clearing. In this video she speaks to fellow Salford student David about her Clearing experience, and tells us more about her time on her course.