I’m Rose Edwards, a second year Medical Pharmacology student at Swansea’s Medical school. I’m from America but completed GCSE’s and A-levels in the UK. I got into Swansea University through clearing and it has been an amazing experience that hopefully I can continue in further study at Swansea.
Why Clearing?
I ended up going through the clearing process because I didn’t get the grades I needed to get into my firm university option. I didn’t feel like a gap year was a good fit for me, so I decided to go through clearing in order to get into a course that was interesting, engaging and still allowed me to get on a medicine course afterwards.
What was the clearing process like?
The process was very straight forward and much easier than I expected. I used WhatUni and UCAS to find a course I was interested in and contacted the universities to receive an informal offer.
Some universities had a clearing form to fill out for the course of interest and they had clearing hotlines to speak to students and staff so they could answer any questions I had.
Once I had an informal offer, I went on UCAS to add my clearing choice and then the university accepted my choice on UCAS.
Why Swansea?
I chose Swansea University mainly because of their pathways to medicine, which would give me another chance to get on a graduate entry medicine course. I had also been to Swansea before and really enjoyed my time in the city and at the beach. The staff were so nice, helpful and ready to answer any questions I had.
Swansea is also a small enough city that you can walk anywhere you need to go but still big enough to get the full university experience which is what I was looking for instead of living in a big city.
There are many different and beautiful places to explore, and Santander bikes can be used to ride along the beach’s bike path. The beach is right across from Singleton campus, so it was easy to go down there and relax in between lectures or whenever there is free time. I could easily see myself living there comfortably and happily for three years.
My top tips
I know it is sad but remember that not getting into your original university choice is not the end of the world. There are many paths that can be taken to reach your end goal so don’t give up.
Try to visit the university and speak to current students if you can because they can answer your questions from the view of a student and make it easier for you to imagine yourself at the university.
When you get into university try to get involved in as much as you can and fully enjoy your time because it is where you spend three or four years of your life and make great memories.
