A-level results 2018: What to do if you're having cold feet about university

The exams may feel like a lifetime ago, but it's almost time to find out just how well you got on in your A-levels.
How are you feeling about A-level results day?How are you feeling about A-level results day?
How are you feeling about A-level results day?

You may be having mixed feelings about what the results will be, but just how confident are you feeling about the university choices you made months ago?

More than a fifth of university students have revealed that they might have chosen differently, given a second chance, according to a study by The Student Room. Don't forget, if you're feeling anxious about the future you do have a choice.

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There are many options available and you can find out more by speaking to a careers adviser on the day if you're having doubts. Some of the options include changing course, changing university, deferring for a year or doing something completely different.

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Read more: How to survive going through Clearing after collecting your A-level r...

Each university will its own admissions policy - but deferring a course for a year could give you a little breathing space to decide what you want to do.

Sarfraz Ahmed, who works as a careers adviser, said: "It shouldn’t matter, as long as you can give them a valid reason.

"Wanting more experience or time is understandable. You don’t need to go into the nitty gritty.”

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Taking a year out is also an ideal time to carry out a short course or work experience, Mr Ahmed added. You could even ring companies directly to see what's available by way of unpaid work.

If you've had a complete change of heart, one option is to be asked to be released from your university choices and reapply someone else, or for something else, through Clearing.

The Clearing system helps to match students up with universities where places are still available on courses. Last year, more than 66,000 students found places using this route.

If you want to do this, you can always ring a university's admissions department to see what's available.

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There are also other options for you if you want to take a closer look at a career before starting at university. You can separately apply for an apprenticeship or study online while you're in employment. However you feel, there is choice.

Good luck to everyone collecting their results tomorrow.