News & Events

This year’s Clearing campaign has been a huge success with a number of media appearances.

Bournemouth University was mentioned in the following media outlets:

• Two Mentions on the Telegraph online
• Coverage on the Guardian online
• Five Mentions in the Guardian
• Coverage in the Independent
• Two mentions in the i paper
• Two reports on BBC Radio Solent
• A report on Wave FM
• A report on Fire
• TES coverage

Second year Law student Diana Dimofte explained her clearing experience and coming to Bournemouth University through the clearing system in the Telegraph online video that really showed off Bournemouth University and the local area.

“University Clearing was the best thing that happened to me,” said Diana Dimofte.

Team leader for askBU enquiry service, Helen Elsey, gave advice on what to say on the phone during clearing on the Guardian online website, adding; “We [the clearing team or person taking the clearing phone call] will look at your grades and talk about the subject you enjoyed and the career you have in mind.”

TES  shared multi-media journalism undergraduate, Emily Reason’s clearing experience.

“After almost having a breakdown, I noticed that Bournemouth University were advertising opportunities to get in through clearing. I rang the clearing helpline and was put through to a woman who was very helpful.” Emily added. “I went from crying my eyes out to screaming with joy, all because of clearing.”

Mark Ridolfo, Associate Dean of student experience at Bournemouth University, added comment to an article in The Guardian about balancing time. “Students have to balance work time, study time, social time and time for eating and sleeping; which is difficult.” He added, “Sometimes they [university students] sacrifice the sleeping and eating, and sometimes they sacrifice their studies”.

Matt Usher, student recruitment officer at BU, explained student funding in The Guardian during the clearing period; “The most important thing to say is that there’s lots of support available and students don’t have to pay anything up front”.

“Regardless of how much you’ve borrowed, your repayment is based on your graduate income. You’ll be charged 9% of all income over £21,000 – so if you get a £25k job, you’ll expect to be repaying around £30 a month”

Patricia Obawole, a law student at Bournemouth University and David Stock, manager of Bournemouth University’s Student Union advice service featured in both The Independent and the i Paper, adding comment about the essential skill of budgeting and finance. “We do all get a bit excited when the first loan instalment is in your bank account”, she added.

“For the typical 18-year-old fresher, it’s the largest amount of money they’ve ever had, and they’ve never had to think about setting a budget,” Stock tells the papers. The report claimed that he has encountered the odd student who’s blown several hundred pounds at a casino in their first night and students in £25,000 debt. “Even then there are some things we can do at that stage. It’s never too late to get help”.

Anastasia Stankovsky also featured in The Independent explaining her adjustment experience after adjusting her course to a BA (Hons) in Television Production at Bournemouth University.

“My predicted grades were not good, I really wanted to go to Bournemouth University because it is one of the best in the country for TV production, and was so upset when I found out my grades weren’t going to be good enough”, Stankovsky explained. “Opening the results was a strange feeling, because I had got such good grades, but I was going to a university I really didn’t want to go to. But on my results it actually said I was eligible for adjustment and then I was so excited.”

“I checked my points and called Bournemouth University and said my grades were higher than predicted. They checked my UCAS profile and then I had a ten minute interview on the phone with the TV production department. It was nerve-racking, but it was really much easier for me than for people who had actually had to go and attend interviews. It was all over surprisingly quickly. I thought I was going to be living at home and going to Middlesex University, but within a few days of getting my results I was on my dream course and getting ready to move to Bournemouth”.

Many thanks to everyone who featured in the papers and on the radio during clearing week.

By Dean Eastmond

Dean is a student at Budmouth College in Weymouth, who is working at Bournemouth University in the Press and PR Department. He joined BU on a Sir Samuel Mico Scholarship, which provides 10 students from his college with essential work experience for four weeks over the summer.