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Robin Barton, Head of University and Careers at the Bangkok Patana School, offers advice to students who have not achieved their expected grades or not gained acceptance to their first choice universities
No matter what secondary school, and no matter what secondary school programme being pursued (IB Diploma, A Levels, AP or other), a great deal of preparation goes into the university application process along with a great deal of hope and fear. The question then arises about what to do if you do not achieve your expected grades or miss your first choice university.
This question to a large extent applies to students applying to the United Kingdom and similar university systems. In North America, for example, you do not usually have specific conditions but must maintain your academic standards. Therefore much of what follows is directed to the UK /UCAS system.
I would like to first note that much of this anxiety and stress can be avoided by careful research and planning before applying.
Like at most schools, students at Bangkok Patana School are strongly encouraged to apply to a range of universities (Dream, Safe and Insurance). For UK students this range must also apply to accepting their Firm and Insurance Choice. We generally recommend four to five IB points between their top and bottom choice. An important point is that the United Kingdom has a serious shortage of places for universities, so this range of universities is essential.
Our students are also encouraged to remain in contact with their target universities throughout the process so that the university admissions team has a good sense of who you are what you have to offer. This also shows the university that you have a ‘demonstrated interest’ in their course and university, which never hurts.
In the UK system, if a student has missed their Firm Choice the first step is to immediately telephone the university admissions, as they may accept you despite your having missed the conditions of your offer. Be polite and try to bring some good news to the conversation. Did you achieve higher grades in one of your subjects? Do you have a strong piece of coursework that demonstrates your skills that are related to your course? Offer to send them a PDF. Be confident enough to be a little persistent but always respectful. The university admissions are trying to make difficult decisions under a great deal of pressure. Shouting will not help your case.
If you miss the conditions of your Insurance Choice then the situation is more difficult, as you will have to enter Extra and possibly Clearing. Again, prior preparation will give you a clear advantage. Before your results come out you need to carefully research three to four universities and their entry requirements. Create a table of these universities with the telephone numbers of the admissions office. Keep this list beside the telephone as Extra and Clearing courses tend to be filled very quickly indeed.
The idea here is that you are looking at possible matches if you do not meet your conditions. Consult your subject teachers about which subjects you may struggle to meet your conditions, then find universities that match those possible lower results.
Again, immediately telephone these potential universities with your actual results to see if they will consider your application.
If you have no offers, or have declined your offers, you can then apply through Extra for one additional course. Extra is open from February to July. More information can be found at - www.ucas.com/students/offers/extra
Clearing is open between July and September and is more commonly used by students who have missed their offers or declined their offers. More information 
can be found at - www.ucas.com/students/nextsteps/clearing
An important last point is to ensure that any telephone conversations that end in an offer must be then placed on your UCAS Track. Do not assume that you have a place until it has been accepted on UCAS Track
If all else fails, a well spent Gap Year can ensure success in the following year.
Written by Robin Barton (2011)
Head of University and Careers
Bangkok Patana School (Thailand)
