Getting Ready for Results (follow up post!)
Hello! As you might have seen in my earlier post talking about summer, I said one of the things to definitely do this summer is not stress about results day. I still stand by that – however I found a few things that really helped me prepare for the day without stressing me out, so thought I’d share them in conjunction with earlier!
1. Familiarise yourself with the UCAS website
Just a quick look round helped me figure out where I was going to be finding my offer results, so I didn’t have to click through page upon page. Simple, but really useful. Remember that UCAS doesn’t show your grades, just whether your place at university is confirmed, so make sure you still go and collect your results.
2. Plan your day
For some schools, you can only collect your results in person, often after 8am (which is when UCASTrack opened for me, however not sure about this year!), which is what mine was like. My friends had theirs emailed to them from their school, to contrast, showing the different ways you can get your actual physical results! I planned my day so that I’d be ready for when Track opened, find out about acceptance, and then would worry about results later on. This included getting breakfast in, making sure that if I did need to do more than just look at Track, I’d be ready (and I’m glad I did as I would have been unprepared if not!). Knowing what you’re doing really does bring some control back into the day.
3. Find something to do the day before that cheers you up
I ended up going down to London the day before results day and meeting up with a friend who was also hoping for a place at Warwick this year, to try and distract from any thoughts about the day after. Being able to spend the time having fun meant that it felt less scary (bar on the train back) and any worries either of us did have were easily shared. No matter what you choose to do that day, try and do one thing you really love!
4. Be prepared for the unexpected
Whether that’s reaching adjustment, having to slightly modify your course (as I did), or going through clearing, I found it was best to not expect anything. It meant I had a clear head going through results day, getting in contact with my department and having conversations about the course. While plain sailing is what everyone hopes for, and I hope it for you too, please at least keep in the back of your mind what you might do if there’s a snag somewhere, and you’ll feel much more in control than if something just came out of the blue.
5. Get ready to celebrate
No matter how results went, you’ve still managed to finish one huge section of your life, and you’re about to start one big new part too, which is worth a celebration! Go for a coffee, go out in the evening, just spend some time with family, whatever you do, let go of your stress at the end of the day!
I wish you all the best of luck on results day, and hope that it all works out for you – don’t forget that Warwick has a confirmation hotline open on results day for if you have a query about your application (for example, having had no feedback on your place success) – keep an eye on university media channels for the contact details!
Meredith
