BU features in The Guardian’s Guide to Clearing 2014

Staff and students from Bournemouth University gave their advice on the Clearing process for several articles in The Guardian’s Guide to Clearing 2014.

The guide is used by students across the country to help them prepare to receive their A-level results, and explains the process of Clearing.

An article on Clearing phone calls quoted askBU’s Helen Elsey, who advised students on the importance of keeping calm when talking to admissions tutors.

She said: “Don’t panic! Stay calm – the people on the other end of the phone want to help you, not catch you out.”

She also warned students against blindly accepting their first offer. “Think it through. This is a big decision – and you can contact as many universities as you like.”

Kyle McClellan, a first year economics and finance student at BU, was interviewed on his experience of Adjustment.

He spoke about choosing and applying to BU after receiving better grades than expected, saying: “I explained what grades I’d got and the course I was interested in doing and they said there was room for me. It’s worked out really well.”

In an article explaining the importance of Open Days, BU marketing and communications officer Sarah Jane Knox said: “Open Days give you the opportunity to look around the campus and facilities and make sure the course you have chosen is right for you.”

“Open Days are your best chance to chat to lecturers and students and get a real feel for what the courses are like – so make sure you don’t leave and then realise you’ve got lots of unanswered questions.”

The article also detailed the importance of visiting the town and areas around the campus when visiting a university.

BU was noted for offering free bus tours of Bournemouth, and Sarah said that even going for a wander round and having a meal “gives you a good feel for the place where you could be spending the next three years of your life.”

The supplement appeared in The Guardian’s 9 August 2014 edition, with many of the articles available on The Guardian’s online Clearing pages.

By Harriet Gilbraith

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

Student Queries

As this is a particularly busy time of year for the university and all our staff are working hard to answer queries as quickly as they can, you may find the following information helps answer your queries:
New students starting in September 2013

Arrivals weekend

  • If you’re moving into your BU accommodation this weekend or next week – here is the link to all the information you need
  • For details about getting to Bournemouth, including maps, click here
  • To speak to someone on the day about moving in, here are the contact details:
Accommodation Number to call
Lyme Regis House 01202 319247
Purbeck House 01202 589581
Corfe House 01202 649670
Okeford House 01202 519252
Dorchester House 01202 941020
Chesil House 01202 319618
Cranborne House 01202 210000
Unilet Shared Houses Speak to the askBU Student Services Team – details below
Student Village

 

Query regarding Award Ceremonies? 
Click here:  studentportal.bournemouth.ac.uk/help/award-ceremony/index.html

Forgotten your password or account locked?
Click here:  http://studentportal.bournemouth.ac.uk/learning/it-support/getting-help/account-information.html

Accommodation query?
Click here:  http://studentportal.bournemouth.ac.uk/services/accommodation/

Timetable query? 
Click here:  http://studentportal.bournemouth.ac.uk/help/arriving-students/timetable.html

Social Media
Check out our Facebook Blog which will give you up to date information on the most common enquiries we are currently receiving:  http://microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk/apply-2013/2013/08/02/askbu-current-students-team/

Exam query?
Requesting transcripts of results (including syllabus requests),
Click here: www.studentportal.bournemouth.ac.uk/help/replacement-documents/transcripts-syllabus.html
For overseas exams:
Click here: www.studentportal.bournemouth.ac.uk/learning/exams/timetable.html
General enquiries for external exams:
Please email Avril Cooper direct on acooper@bournemouth.ac.uk

For help and advice
Our askBU Students Services Team, will be on hand to support new and returning students with information, advice and guidance. 

Email us at: askbu@bournemouth.ac.uk
Telephone:  +44 (0) 1202 969696 (press option 1)
Website:      www.bournemouth.ac.uk/student/askbu 

or visit us at TALBOT CAMPUS at the Base, Poole House, or LANSDOWNE CAMPUS at the Library Helpzone, First Floor, Bournemouth House during the following term-time opening hours
Monday 14 October onwards 08.30 – 18.00 Monday – Thursday and 08.30 – 16.30 pm Friday.

To keep up to date with what’s going on:

BU Makes Clearing Clearer

Featured

If you are one of the thousands of students nervously waiting to receive your A-level results tomorrow, we wish you the best of luck.

If your results aren’t what you expected – or you haven’t applied for uni but decide that you want to attend in September after all – then it’s important to remember there are still options available.

Bournemouth University will have a team of expert advisers on hand to talk you through what to do next.

Clearing

Clearing is the point in the admissions cycle where students can apply for a course which still has vacancies for September 2013.

To find out which courses still have places available at Bournemouth University, you can visit our Clearing web pages, download our toolkit or speak to an adviser on our Clearing helpdesk – 01202 966777 – which is open from 8am until 8pm on results day, 8am until 6pm on Friday 16 August and from 10am to 4pm over the weekend.

“Don’t panic and make a hasty decision,” advises Karen Pichlmann, Head of Admissions at BU.

“You will be studying for your degree for at least the next three years, so make sure the university and course are right for you.”

This includes asking questions about important things like course content, placement opportunities and how degrees are assessed.

When you call the university, you will be asked questions about why you want to do that the course, so make a few notes before you ring.

Karen adds: “It’s a really big decision, so make sure you do your research before calling a Clearing hotline.

“Check UCAS, university websites and newspaper supplements to see what courses are available, and then look into them in more detail – universities and courses you may have initially disregarded because their entry requirements were too high may be more flexible at this time of the year.”

It’s also important that you call for yourself, and don’t get parents or teachers to do it for you, as universities can only make offers to prospective students themselves. Have your UCAS number, GCSE results and A Level/BTEC results to hand when you call as you will be asked for this information.

BU Events and Leisure Marketing student Emma Craig found her course through Clearing after missing out on her firm and conditional choices by 20 UCAS points.

Emma, who is about to enter her final year, said: “Anyone who finds themselves in Clearing should go into it with an open mind.

“Initially, I thought I wanted to do sports management, but when the person on the phone told me about this course, it was perfect. Now I want to work in events and my dream job would be running festivals in Australia.

“Clearing was a second chance really – I mucked up in my exams at college, but now I’m on course for a 2.1 in a degree I love, and getting better grades than people who did well in their A Levels.”

Adjustment

If you exceed the conditions of your first choice university offer, you can choose to reconsider what and where you want to study through a UCAS process called Adjustment.

Your original uni place will be held for you (for a limited period) while you find out about other options.

If you are eligible for Adjustment, you can find out more about options available at BU by visiting the Adjustment pages on our website, downloading our Adjustment toolkit or by calling the helpdesk on 01202 966777.

BU also has an unlimited number of Academic Excellence Scholarships available for students who have achieved ABB or above at A-Level, or equivalent – worth up to £2,000.

Open Days

A lot of universities hold post-Clearing open days, so see if you can visit them and get a feel for the place.

We have Open Days on Friday 16 August and Saturday 17 August, running between 11am and 3pm, where you can tour the campus, find out more about life at BU and see some of our accommodation.

There are also Campus Tours running on Wednesday 21 August, and you are welcome to visit and do a self-guided tour during working hours any day – just pick up a guide from reception or download one from our website.

Find out more and register for upcoming Open Days

If you have any questions about your place at BU or the Clearing process, please call the helpdesk on 01202 966777