So, you didn’t get your firm uni… what now?

At 8 am on 13 August (or around that time, as UCAS is notoriously slow), students who completed their exams this May and June will receive a notification that has been at the back of their mind since leaving the exam hall for the final time: the UCAS notification confirming where they will be heading in September.

For many, this notification will bring a sigh of relief as they are accepted into their firm university. However, for some, their next steps will either be unknown as they start ringing the clearing hotline or a space at their insurance university will be confirmed.

However, if you did not receive the news that you were hoping for on 13 August, do not see this as a setback. Embrace this new path.

Throwing yourself into preparing for your new adventure will help you to overcome the potential initial disappointment

My main advice is not to dwell on the decision, which is easier said than done. Instead, throwing yourself into preparing for your new adventure will help you to overcome the potential initial disappointment.

The day after I found out I hadn’t got into my firm choice, I started to create a list of all the essentials that I would need for my new room, and, of course, had to decide on a colour scheme. With this also came an immediate trip to IKEA to start picking out these items. Unsurprisingly, the majority of my flat, and probably my entire accommodation block, had the same version of my new purchases.

Researching what your new university has to offer is also a great way to get yourself prepared and start focusing on what comes next. Looking at accommodation to discover which one will best suit your needs, and also familiarising yourself with the course and the specific modules that you will be taking, will help you to prepare practically.

Try to consider what your new university can offer you that your firm couldn’t

That being said, university is not all about the academics. Exploring what your new university has to offer socially is equally as important as discovering what modules you can choose from.

If you are lucky enough to be joining the University of Warwick at the end of September, I suggest taking a look at the endless list of societies that the campus has to offer and making a note of any that appeal to you (you should also definitely add The Boar to that list!). Following them on social media is a great way to discover how to get involved with individual societies.

Discovering a society that you would love to join or a module that you are particularly excited to study can help to shift your mindset from comparing your new university to the one you originally were set on attending. Try to consider what your new university can offer you that your firm couldn’t. It is easy to spend the rest of the summer thinking about what could have been, or even where you went wrong in an exam that could have changed your results, but it’s also easier said than done to immediately get excited about your new university. Give yourself time to be disappointed, but don’t let that stop you from appreciating the new path that you have been handed instead.

If I had not been rejected from my firm choice university on A-level results day three years ago, I would not be writing this article as Editor-in-Chief of The Boar

Of course, knowing what there is to do off campus is a benefit, too. Make a list of restaurants and cafes that you would like to try in the local area, or maybe any shops that you would like to visit. You don’t need to arrive on your first day with enough information to be a city tour guide; part of the fun is stumbling upon new places for yourself, but familiarising yourself with the area is always a good idea.

It may sound cliché, but rejection is redirection. If I had not been rejected from my firm choice university on A-level results day three years ago, I would not be writing this article as Editor-in-Chief of The Boar or have formed so many of the relationships with people I now consider some of my closest friends.