My name is Isabella, and I first came to Lancaster in October 2018, just over a month after receiving my A Level results.

I attended a sixth form in South East London where I studied Maths, Economics and Geography. I was certain in school that I wanted to study Accounting and Finance at university, and that I wanted to move North, so this definitely impacted my decision when it came to applying. When I originally applied, Lancaster hadn’t been a university which I had considered and was neither my firm nor insurance choice.

In August 2018, results day finally came, and I constantly refreshed my UCAS page to see if I had got into my chosen universities. When I saw that I had to go through clearing my heart dropped since I thought that I had completely failed my exams and nowhere would accept me. I then had to go to my sixth form to collect my results. I was fairly prepared for clearing since I had been researching universities with lower grade requirements in the week leading up to results day, but it was still shocking to have it actually happen.

When I opened my results envelope, I was relieved. I hadn’t failed and I was only one grade away from what my insurance university wanted! My school was very helpful with the clearing process and requested that everyone going through clearing go to the library and call any universities that they were interested in. Staff were there to help us, and I would recommend talking to staff in your clearing process since they may recommend universities you haven’t heard of or have more of an insight. I decided to take my time and look at the league tables for Accounting and Finance again, rather than calling one of the universities I had looked at previously. Lancaster was high in every table and I had equivalent grades to what they were asking, so I called straight away and spoke to an ambassador who was very helpful and easy to talk to. I ended up with offers from Lancaster and Sussex and wanted to make my decision as soon as I could.

The reason I decided on Lancaster was because it was higher in the league tables, it was in the North, and it had high student satisfaction. I also looked at pictures of the town, and student forums discussing social and nightlife. Lancaster appeared to be an ‘all-rounder’ university with great teaching and career opportunities, as well as a range of societies, nightclubs, and bars. My only issue was that I didn’t know a single person who was at Lancaster or who would be going to Lancaster the same year as me. I hadn’t even seen the campus in person, so I was going in completely blind. This was terrifying but I was ready to meet new people and start a new adventure.

I ended up in a County College Townhouse with 11 people I had never met, and some are now friends for life. I’m so happy with the decision that I made; I honestly couldn’t see myself at any other university. I’ve met incredible people and had great opportunities by being part of Lancaster University Management School.

Going through clearing can be scary and nerve-racking. Even though you may be disheartened it could be a blessing in disguise. I would definitely recommend calling universities the day you get your results so that you can look at your offers and weigh up your decisions without worrying about time constraints. Talk to friends and family about your choices, but ultimately go with what feels right for you and choose the university that you think will allow you to make the most of university life.

I have now finished my Accounting and Finance undergraduate degree with a First Class, and I am going to begin a masters in Environmental Management at a university I could truly choose for myself. I decided on…

Lancaster!

I’ll definitely miss the Management School but I’m excited to start a new chapter at Lancaster and discover what else it has to offer.

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The opinions expressed by our bloggers and those providing comments are personal, and may not necessarily reflect the opinions of Lancaster University. Responsibility for the accuracy of any of the information contained within blog posts belongs to the blogger.