Tia's Clearing story

When researching universities and going to their Open Days, I made a shortlist with a rating system – how much I liked the accommodation, what I thought of the town, and if the campus was nice.

The course was the most important thing to me though. I'm not the most academically-inclined so I knew I didn't want something that was really theory-based. I wanted something that felt a bit broader and more practical to align with my interests. I had properly compared everything before I made my choices and my heart was set on Sheffield. I hadn't considered UEA at that point. 

Then came results day... I remember it so clearly. I was nervous, as everyone was, and then I got the UCAS email. Within the first sentence, I saw the word 'unfortunately'. I was already crying before I'd even reached school to get my grades. It felt like my future had crashed before it had even started.  

But I remembered that this was not the 'be-all and end-all'. 

My brother had also gone through Clearing to UEA and said their process was really good. So he told me to start calling universities. Some others left me on hold for an hour or two. In the end, I got offers from Brighton, Brunel and UEA. 

I remember the person on the phone at UEA being really, really nice. The whole process was really simple. They gave me time to think about it as well. Then I looked properly at the course. It offered the flexibility of coursework instead of in-person assessments to cater towards my ADHD, and I could mould the content to my interests by choosing my own modules. I realised I could do a study abroad semester as well, and that really caught my attention.