Results day advice

I will remember the day I received my results for my entire life. I stayed up until 2am checking UCAS, despite their assurances that results wouldn’t be available until that morning, before succumbing to inevitable sleep.

When I woke up, there it was, unbelievably (Southampton required higher grades than I had been predicted) I had done it and I was going to my first choice! My Facebook feed was filled with my friends posting which university they were going to, and the feeling at my school when I went to collect my results was one of elation.

It was some time that afternoon when the excitement calmed down that the reality hit me: I was actually going to University. Before then it had seemed like a pipe dream, something that I was desperate to do, but before then it had never seemed real. And when it hit me that it was all actually going to happen I panicked. I didn’t have anything for University, no kitchen supplies, no bedding, I could only cook pasta, and then that wasn’t even very good pasta…

I couldn’t cook, but I could bake. I could live off home-made treacle tart… right?

So for anyone facing the crazy idea of leaving home for some strange city that you may have only been to once, I have a little advice:

Calm down, and enjoy your day, you deserve it! Remember that you have absolutely bags of time before you move.

When shopping, for those of you who don’t want to break the bank, supermarkets catch on to the ‘Going to Uni’ craze and offer loads of discounts on essentials such as duvets, sheets and kettles.

For anyone that hasn’t made it into their first choice, or isn’t sure how to handle the clearing process, again, don’t worry! If you’re not sure what to do, try phoning admissions at the universities you applied to, they are always more than happy to explain the clearing process, and how they deal with it, and what you should expect. Since every university does things a little differently, phoning or emailing them is a great course of action. Southampton has all of their Clearing information online too.

For those lucky people that have discovered they will be joining us at Southampton in September, welcome! From now on, keep an eye on your email, as the University will use that to contact you with vital information about what to do next. You can also visit their website for Welcome information!

If you have any concerns about things like accommodation, paying your fees, or anything else, just get in touch with the University or ask them on Twitter or Facebook! If you are stuck on any part of the process over the next month, feel free to leave a question below – we’re always happy to help too.

Congratulations to everyone on their results and I look forward to seeing the new Southampton Freshers at the Bunfight and Freshers’ Week events on campus!

Emma