Is ‘Clearing’ a second chance or a flawed gamble?

Last Thursday afternoon, after initial A-Level results had been released, a record 41,000 university places via clearing were advertised on the UCAS website – in comparison with 37,000 in 2015. This corresponds with a record number of 64,000 students who found their place at university last year through the clearing, almost a 70% increase from 10 years ago.

Clearing gives students a second opportunity for those who missed out on their initial five choices. It means that most can continue their ambition of studying at university, and save many from a sense of failure having not obtained the grades they needed. However, with thousands applying for a limited amount of places, many of them are already taken by lunchtime on results day leaving very little time for a decision. It is rare that the clearing options are a close match to your original choice, making it quite a sizeable gamble.

Many students are now finding their university places via clearing, with many sidestepping the initial process and being placed directly through clearing. 3,600 students have currently been placed like this, compared with 1,200 in 2012. With all these statistics in mind, UCAS is now considering altering the university entry system. The problem with the clearing process, is that despite increasing numbers of students now being accepted into a university, a lot of these choices are made in the heat of the moment and mean that many students end up unhappy with their choice and drop out.

Half of 18 year olds that miss out on their chosen places, re-apply a year later with a 90% success rate. This raises the question of whether the clearing process is an effective way of getting students into university? With a year to reconsider their options, students are perhaps more likely to be happy with their choice of university and course. Having not been through the clearing process, I cannot comment on how unhappy or happy students are that have been through the process. However, a working party council set up by the Academic Registrars Council has recommended that changes being made to the system should include the ability to reactivate previous offers, but more importantly be given more time to consider their options after having seen their A-Level grades.

Student Mental Health – an Epidemic?

For most, university represents the best years of a person’s life. However, for many, university is a mental pressure cooker in which the stresses of being away from home exaggerate financial, relationship and academic issues. In December of 2015, a survey by the National Union of Students (NUS) found that the majority of students (78%) had suffered from mental health problems at university, a third of which said they had suicidal thoughts and over half (54%) admitting they did not seek support. Anthony Seldon, vice-chancellor at the University of Buckingham and a mental-health campaigner, has said: “Britain has a near epidemic of mental health problems among its students.”

These thoughts have followed from a recent survey carried out by the Architect’s Journal found that more than a quarter of students studying architecture at university are being treated or have been previously treated for mental health problems. With architecture being a seven year course, anxiety over increasing debts and heavy workloads that frequently require all-nighters, were sourced by undergraduates as the causes for these mental health issues.

These rather provoking figures are leading to some important questions being asked. Are universities doing enough to help with those students suffering from mental health issues? Are the huge student loans contributing to this increase in mental health issues?

With the recent news that some universities are increasing their tuition fees for the first time since they trebled, the stress and strain over financial security will only develop further and consequently increase the amount of students suffering from mental health issues. On top of this, as of this month, maintenance grants have now become maintenance loans for those poorer students. Jane Duncan, president of the Royal Institute of British Architecture, has said: “I am concerned that the combination of tuition fees, rising student debt and the necessity for many students to take on paid work outside study can trigger or exacerbate mental health problems.” The rising debt for students is becoming a major issue in the UK. Not only is it preventing some prospective students joining university in the first place, but for those who are there, the extra stress that is being added by debt worries is potentially causing a rise in mental health issues.

Questions have been raised over whether the institutions are providing suitable services to help combat the risk of mental health issues, and support those who are suffering from these problems. However, what must be asked is whether the stresses that are leading to the rise of mental health problems are being caused by the institutions themselves, and the high prices of university. With university inevitably only becoming more expensive in the near future for all students, it appears that this “epidemic” will only get worse. It is up to the universities themselves to prevent these mental health problems, rather than exert more effort into services that support students with issues.