Going into clearing is not the end. I went through it and got a result

Young people across the region will be eagerly awaiting their results to see if they are able to go to their choice of university, whether their results have proved good enough to match the offer made to them.

While many will get the results and points they need to go to the university of their choice, there will be just as many left wondering what to do next after poor results or no offer in place.

This will mean heading into the uncertain world of clearing to find out if the university they want still has a place for them or whether they might need to look elsewhere.

While it can seem intimidating to go into phone interviews with universities and almost plead your case, it isn't as intimidating as you might think.

I went through clearing in 2000 when I was looking for a university place, having been rejected by the five universities I had originally applied for while doing my BTEC diploma in Media Studies at Wolverhampton College.

While the system is different these days, in that you will be matched up to courses you might be interested in, the basic principle is the same in that you are making a choice of what you would like to do.

I wanted to study on a Journalism course, so sent out for prospectuses from a number of universities to read about the courses and see what the universities were like.

Having seen about five I liked the look of, I completed my course and was awarded a merit, so was ready to face the questions on the first day clearing opened, having registered beforehand.

The first call to University of Central Lancashire, one of the universities which rejected my application, saw me offered a Journalism with English course, not the course I wanted, but a starting point.

I then tried the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside, but they never picked up the phone, so I moved onto my first pick, University of Sunderland.

The conversation I had with the clearing officer was a positive one, talking about my Media Studies course and my prospective career goals, then talking about my GCSEs and about me as a person.

It concluded with an offer for the course I wanted and after further calls to Heriots University in Edinburgh and Falmouth University did not make an difference, I was happy to take the offer.

Clearing is not a place to go if all else fails, it is a way to help find courses that fit you and what you want to do and I would encourage anyone who is heading that way to embrace the experience and listen to what they have to say.