Clear route through the darkness

Disappointing results? The Clearing process is more than just a last-chance shop.

The end result

The value of space as well as support

New flexibility benefits all

A means to a more positive end

Answering the call of the wild

Happiness is... sorting out worries promptly

What every digs-hunter should know

The assorted contents of a student's suitcase

An education with good and bad surprises

Back to intellectual riches

Give them room to be themselves

It is in the interest of the institution to support people

Parents help with cash

More loan mean more debt

Benefits of extra-curricular activities

At the end of this month, 20-year-old Jigna Patel will be turning up for work at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in Fulham, London. She'll be doing the job she's been looking forward to doing: radiography. But this particular happy ending couldn't have been foreseen three years ago when her hopes of any university career were, she thought, dashed as a result of one phone call to King's College in London – after her A-level results had arrived.

Jigna had not succeeded in getting the necessary two Bs and a C to study pharmacology at King's. "They just said 'No, sorry, we can't take you'," she says.

"I was disappointed and worried that I wouldn't be able to get into university at all. I felt embarrassed about my grades and I knew I could have done better. The school knew I could have done better as well and I didn't feel like seeing my teachers. But during my exams there was a family bereavement and I think this affected my performance."

Jigna and her family were worried that she would have to resit A-levels. But some useful advice from a teacher prompted her to keep calm, do some research and see if she could use the Clearing process which matches students who want higher education places with institutions that have vacancies – and still get into university.

She was in good company. UCAS figures suggest that about 12 per cent of the total number of accepted applicants for full-time undergraduate courses find their places through Clearing. It is a well-honed process that universities and colleges are well geared up for, and they will often have a team of specialist admissions advisers who will help out at any time during the application cycle.

For Jigna, the work was just beginning. "I sat down with the UCAS handbook for three days and just phoned around," she says. Research confirmed that she could still do pharmacology at the University of the West of England or pharmaceutical studies at Kingston. "By this time I had decided I wanted to move away from home and decided to come to UWE," she says.

But as so often happens with students entering Clearing, the process had prompted thoughts not only about a change of location but about a change of subject. "Obviously at this stage students are free to contact any university for any course," says Sue Montague, director of communication at UCAS. "If they are offered something different, they should think carefully and take all the advice they can from careers officers or from the universities."

In Jigna's case, the change was beneficial. Looking through the courses on offer, she had become interested in radiography. And UWE came up with the right advice: visit a local hospital and find out about radiography as a career.

"I'd always wanted to work in a hospital with people so I was attracted to the radiography course. I contacted a hospital near where I lived and arranged a visit for a couple of days to find out more. I really liked it and phoned UWE to say so.

"But I was still interested in pharmacology. I was unsure when I got to UWE for the start of term. I had signed up for the radiography course but I arranged to see the pharmacology lecturer to talk to him about my options. Once I had spoken to him I was sure I was making the right choice by opting for radiography – pharmacology was more maths-based and I wasn't so keen on that. Radiography suits me. It involves dealing with patients whereas with pharmacology I would have been stuck in labs most of the time.

For parents and students faced with a similar situation and entering Clearing, there are three golden rules:

* Understand the process. When students enter Clearing they complete the Clearing Entry Form (CEF) which is automatically sent to them. This is the key to the whole system.

The student should contact institutions directly and ask what places are available. If they receive a suitable offer, they accept it by sending their CEF as proof that they want the place. But a student can only send their CEF to one university or college at a time – so if they are not convinced the offer is right for them, they should carry on looking. There is of course an inherent risk (which will be higher for the popular courses) that they lose the place. But it is equally important to get the choice right, and not jump at the first offer.

It is also vital that the person making the calls is the student. "Universities want to hear from the student," says Sue Montague." And it is good practice for them – if they've got to be independent at university, they might as well start now."

* Put in the work. That long-awaited holiday may not be such a good idea. A Clearing application is a bit like a job application and needs an equal amount of work. Look on websites, ring helplines, talk to staff and students. Students should be prepared for on-site visits – either with their parents or by themselves. Universities and colleges often run open days during Clearing.

* Take Jigna's advice and don't be disheartened. "My advice to anyone in this situation is to ring the universities that offer the course you want to do and see what they say. It's best to find out as much as you can about what a job involves and what the course involves before opting to do something. I would say to anyone going through Clearing: Don't give up and don't let it get to you!"