How to make a Clearing call

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Lots of people find clearing nerve-wracking 
and a big part of that is the phone call.

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If you aren't sure how the phone call is going to 
go or what universities may ask, this can cause a  

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lot of stress and anxiety for applicants. 
We're here to help. I'm going to explain  

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exactly what we ask for during a clearing 
call at BCU so you can be prepared on the day.  

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Going into the phone call confidently 
means there's one less thing to worry about.  

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A great tip is to have all your documents ready, 
including your results, before you make the call.  

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It'll be less stressful if you've 
done these four things to prepare.

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Know what subject you want to apply for and 
have backups. Once you have a subject you enjoy,  

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look into related courses with different entry 
requirements. Two subjects might lead to similar  

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careers but have different entry requirements, 
for example; Marketing and Digital Marketing.  

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This is a chance to be open-minded and think 
about courses you might not have thought of before.  

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Get the university's clearing information ready 
in advance, this includes hotline numbers, opening  

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times, and links to their websites. You could have 
a few tabs open for this, or put the information  

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in a Word doc or note. A great tip is to save 
the clearing number as a phone contact so it's  

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easier to call on the day. The last thing you 
want is to get mixed up with your uni choices.  

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Find out where you'll get your results, whether 
that's going in or through an online portal.  

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Collect your results and make a note of the 
qualification titles and your subjects. This means  

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for example what type of BTEC it is.

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It's time to make your clearing call and ring

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the hotline. Be in a quiet room with strong signal. 
If you're able to it's important that you make the  

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call, not a guardian or anyone else, but it's fine 
for them to be there for moral support.

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Here's exactly what we'll ask you on 
the Clearing call. To start the phone  

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call just say something like "Hi, I'm looking to 
apply to [course name] through Clearing please."  

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Then we'll ask what's your name, address 
email, and phone number? Do you have your  

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UCAS and Clearing number? You can find these on 
your UCAS Hub if you've applied. What course do  

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you want to apply for? if you're not sure let 
us know the subject you're interested in and  

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we can help. What results did you get in 
your A Levels, BTECs and GCSEs? You need to  

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let us know the subjects that you took and 
the grades. Do you have any questions for us?  

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If you have any questions about accommodation or 
Student Finance, let us know. And that's pretty  

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much it. Some courses like health and teaching 
might need you to come in for an interview  

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at a later date. Clearing can be a stressful 
time, but the person at the end of the phone  

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is there to help you. There's no need to be scared or
worried and there's no more tests. If you take all  

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the steps to prepare, the call will be easy and 
hopefully you will end up with a place at uni.

It’s results day, emotions are high and picking up the phone is probably the last thing you want to do. We’re here to reassure you that it’s not as scary as it seems and to explain exactly what you will be asked for on the call so that you can be prepared on the day.

1. Get ready

Firstly, grab a cup of tea and settle in for your chat with one of our friendly advisors. Remember, they are here to help you find your perfect course, so there’s no need to be nervous.

If you’re calling on results day, there may be a queue but don’t worry, you’ll get through! If you’ve been waiting to get through to someone on our hotline for more than five minutes, you’ll be given the option of receiving a callback. Meaning that you can hold your place in the queue without sitting on the phone for ages. We’ll call you back once it’s your turn.

Top tip: make sure you’re the person giving us a call. We can’t talk about your application with friends, parents or carers, so make sure you’re the one doing the talking.

2. The call

During the clearing call, we'll ask you a number of things, for example:

  • Your personal details (name, address, email, phone number).
  • Your UCAS number and Clearing number – you should be able to find these on your UCAS Hub account.
  • The name of the course(s) you want to apply for.
  • Your results – both A-Level/BTEC/T-Level and your GCSEs or equivalents. Make sure you tell us the subject and the name of your qualification (e.g. BTEC Extended Diploma).
  • Any questions you might want to ask us!

If you're applying directly to us without a UCAS account, then we may have a few more questions about yourself but don't worry, the application won't take too long!

Top tip: Make sure you have a pen and paper to note any important details down.

3. Get your place!

Hopefully, you're now fully prepared and informed ahead of clearing. When you have your results, give us a call on 0121 331 6777.

If there's anything you aren't sure about, we’re here to help you and give you any advice and guidance you need.

Good luck!

What's next?

If you receive an offer from us over the phone then congratulations! We'll tell you your next steps over the phone and via email. Here are some useful links for your next steps:

  • How to add a Clearing choice - If you’ve applied through Clearing and the university you’ve applied for has confirmed your provisional Clearing offer, the next step is to add this as a Clearing choice in your UCAS Hub account. We’ve put together a step-by-step guide on how to add your offer from BCU as a Clearing choice.
  • How does a Clearing interview work?Some Clearing courses will require you to attend an interview, so we can get to know you and see if you'd be a good fit for the course. They're a normal part of the application process and nothing to worry about, but to help you prepare and put you at ease, we’ve listed all the important things you need to know about Clearing interviews
  • Sort out your finance and accommodation -  There are a few practical bits to sort out when you join us. See our step-by-step guides to applying for finance and accommodation after receiving your offer.
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