On course with Clearing

Students at Manchester University. Photograph: Alamy

Last year's Clearing round was more concentrated, and involved more potential students, than ever before, but a record number of applicants also achieved places – and this year's prospects could be even better.

More than 55,700 people gained their university or college place through Clearing in 2012, while another 1,329 gained a place through adjustment, the process by which those with better results than expected can try for a more demanding choice of institution or course. This was more than double the number that went through adjustment in 2011.

"A lot of applicants came out very pleased that they had found a place they wanted," says Andrea Robertson, director of relationship management at the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas). "It was a very successful year for them last year."

But it was a challenging one for universities. In the past, the number of applicants an institution could recruit was restricted. But, last year, there was no limit placed on the recruitment of students achieving AAB or above at A-level. With some institutions snapping up more of these applicants than in previous years, and with a fall in the number of A and A* grades awarded, others were left scrabbling to fill places, which meant some prestigious research universities entered Clearing for the first time.

"We hadn't intended to be in Clearing," says Cathy Gilbert, director of external relations at Birmingham University. "But there were significantly fewer AAB people in the?pool, which meant we had vacancies we didn't expect to have. We put in Clearing helplines and open days to encourage students to come to us. We are building on that significantly this year."

Last year was also the first time students faced paying up to ￡9,000 in tuition fees. After a spike in applications to university in the previous?year – as students spurned gap years to escape the fee hike – the number going through Ucas in 2012 was down by more than 46,000 compared to 2011, and by 43,000 compared to 2010.

It seemed prospective students also took longer to make up their minds about whether to apply, with around 30,000 fewer holding confirmed places a day after A-level results day than in 2011.

Gilbert expects 2013 to be just as?competitive for universities, but says this is good news for students: "If you want to be placed at a good university, and have good grades, it's a great opportunity."

This year is less of an unknown because higher fees are now established, but there is a slight change: universities will be able to recruit as many students as they like who achieve ABB, slightly lower than last year. Students with these grades or above have a very good chance of getting an offer, while those with grades slightly below this are still likely to find course vacancies.

Robertson says there are usually spaces in every subject as long as students are prepared to travel and to act quickly. As a rule, vacancies in?medicine and related disciplines, plus other vocational courses, are rare, while those in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) and some humanities subjects are more common.

While the most popular courses go quickly, says Robertson, some will still be advertising vacancies at the end of September, while there is an increasing trend for courses starting in January. Ucas currently lists around 370 of these and individual institutions list more.

But for most applicants, their futures will depend on a few days – or even hours – around 15 August. "It will be incredibly busy," says Robertson. "The period of time does seem to get shorter every year, and it is very important to do as much research as soon as possible."

However, students should remember that, while they are anxious to find places, universities are?equally anxious to fill them.

Paul Tonkinson is an awardwinning standup comedian and TV personality

"I went to Northallerton Grammar school in north Yorkshire and had applied to do a degree in politics at Leicester University. But while waiting for my A-level results, I changed my mind.

"I'd never done anything dramatic, but in the summer of my last term at school I played the lead role in a restoration comedy – and I absolutely loved it. I was getting loads of laughs and people said I was a natural on stage. It was a eureka moment. So when I got my A-level results, I decided to apply through Clearing to do drama at Manchester University. I chose Manchester because a girl in the year above had told me it was really good!

"I remember waiting for the phone call and then I heard I'd got in, and it was amazing. University massively exceeded my expectations. I had a fantastic time and, two months into the course, I performed a piece of drama that I had written – and it was really funny. I remember being on stage and making people who didn't even know me laugh, and I was aware that, at that moment, my life had changed. I decided I was going to be a comedian.

"I made lifelong friendships at Manchester and some of us formed a theatre company that included Toby Jones, who is now a famous actor in Hollywood. I started performing standup comedy and I was earning money in pubs and clubs before I moved to London.

"I was lucky enough to hit London when the comedy scene was growing and I won New Act of the Year in the 1992 Time Out competition. I now do standup around the world and have recently been touring in South Africa with Michael McIntyre. My career has been, and remains, a constant delight, and it all started with a change of mind.

"To anyone applying to university now, I'd say follow your instincts and choose the subject you are passionate about – and don't be scared to take a risk."

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Clearing 2013: what about a gap year instead?

Volunteering is a great way to see the world and meet new friends - and it looks great on your CV. Photograph: Jonathan Cole/Alamy

Whether or not to go to university will probably be the biggest educational decision you ever make. After trawling around open days and battling with student finance, deciding whether or not to take a year out can be as terrifying as deciding where to move to for the next three years.

Some students will have planned their year out for months, but, for others, slipped grades may force a gap year, either to retake exams or to apply to different universities. Others might just need time to think. Thankfully, for UK students, taking a gap year remains a viable option and it can be one of the most productive and fulfilling years of your life.

Whether you've planned and budgeted for a year abroad, or have made a last-minute decision to defer your first year, the options are endless. Travel, volunteering, work placements and internships are all there for the taking. With so many things on offer, it's crucial to remember that 12 months won't be enough time to do all of them, so decide early and work towards making whatever you want to do a reality.

Researching a gap year is exciting and daunting, and often the best place to start is at home: family and friends can be a great source of inspiration. Your school or college might be fully equipped to advise you on what to do when further education is on hold, especially if it's a work placement or internship you're interested in. Don't underestimate the power of the internet, either: typing "gap year" into a search engine might seem too obvious, but plans to travel the world for months are not going to materialise by themselves.

To stay at home or go abroad is likely to be the first question you tackle, but, in this era of budget flights, doing both is feasible. A European inter-rail ticket can be as little as ￡159. For those with more wanderlust (and a bit more in the bank), if travelling is what you want to spend your year doing, don't allow yourself to be ripped off in the process. Agencies can organise your year abroad for you: statravel.co.uk is recommended by previous gap-year students as a good place for inspiration and basic country-to-country flights. But, often, it's more cost effective to do the bookings yourself. Flights and other forms of transport within Asia and South America are much cheaper when bought in the country rather than beforehand.

Staying in the UK is not as exotic as?backpacking around Thailand, but if giving back to the community and doing a bit of graft for free?is your bag, it could be the best place to start.

There are many volunteering organisations within the UK that offer accommodation in return for help or labour. Go to the workaway.info website for a work-exchange organisation that lists places in the UK and abroad and does not require a lifetime of saving to become involved with.

Whether you're heading to Scotland or Australia, your year off should be designed to help you grow and develop as a person, before what will, arguably, be three years of your life that will change you the most. Make the most of it: use it to make friends, further your knowledge and understanding of cultures and people – and don't be afraid to try new things. Now, more than ever, is the time to do them.

You may be tempted to look only at websites designed specifically for young travellers, but, as with all adventures, it's good to get off the beaten track. Keep an eye out for forums and discussion boards on which people share their travel stories and tips: the best advice could come from someone you may not know on the other side of the world.

There are many different options to explore, but one site that's definitely worth checking out is gapyear.com. It is designed for the traveller, but also for those who want to volunteer, or work at home or abroad. It is user-friendly and has a lot of information to help you to start your research.

A lot of students will plan to spend as much of their gap year as they can afford travelling. For those who are only after a few weeks away, organisations such as World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (Wwoof) could be a solution. In return for work on their land, farm owners offer bed, board and hospitality to Wwoofers, as the volunteers are known – so you only have to find the price of an air ticket.

Understandably, many gap-year students want a complete break from learning, but you might consider taking a Tefl (teaching English as a foreign language, tefl.com) course. You will get a qualification that opens doors internationally and, for one month, you can study abroad, staying with a host family or other students. If you prefer to learn at home, intensive weekend courses are also available.

Tefl is a great idea for those who feel their wanderlust will return after university: with a degree and a qualification in teaching English to people abroad, the world will most certainly be your oyster.

‧ Going abroad for a few months may seem like the ideal thing to do with a big group of friends, but choose your travelling companions wisely. Spending all of your time with the same people can be a true test of friendship. Go away with someone you can trust and who you know will be flexible and open-minded – and be flexible and open-minded yourself. Being away from home for so long will be incredible, but patience-testing.

‧ Some of you will need to spend that year out working just to fund your time at university – remember it's a means to an end and try not to?begrudge your friends when they're off enjoying freshers' week. When it comes to improving your CV, you will have lots of new skills and experiences to make it stand out.

‧ There are hundreds of things you could do in 12 months. It may be tempting to do as many as possible, but be realistic. Research well, make an informed choice and back your decision. This is just one year out of many and everything you weren't able to do is likely to still be there when you've finished university.

Becky Peake-Sexton is in her second year studying English and history of art at the University of Birmingham

"I went away for nearly seven months between college and university. I'd known for a long time that I wanted to take a gap year after seeing the positive change in my sister when she returned. From then on, I started collecting pictures and articles about possible travels.

"In the end, I was entranced by the stories I had heard about India and wanted that to be my first stop. I would have been happy to stay there for my entire travels, but, as I was going with friends, a compromise was made and we also went to south-east Asia, including Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Finally, we ended up in New Zealand.

"Travelling is exhilarating and exhausting, particularly if you are on your own. You can never let your guard down as you can when you are with friends."

Ellie Franklin, studying English and communications at the University of Liverpool, used her year out to gain experience and save for her studies

"My gap year was unplanned: I (narrowly) missed the grades I needed to get into university and had to resit an exam. For this reason, I had no money saved to travel and no plans for where to go. I could have worked and saved, and then gone abroad, but I chose to work and save for my first year of uni instead.

"My parents wisely advised that I look for work experience, which I did, alongside working as a waitress. I was at MEC Global, an advertising agency, for a month, and Spotify for three weeks. I found out by asking a family contact if she knew of, or could get me, any work experience.

My work experience taught me a lot about those industries and whether I wanted to seek a job in them in the future.

It also instilled a good work ethic in me: my boss at the wedding venue where I worked as a waitress said I was much more proactive and responsible when I came back to that job after the internships I'd been on."

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