Smooth operators

guardian.co.uk 17th August 2006
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David Brill visits the Clearing room at London's South Bank University, and finds the process is not nearly as chaotic as expected

With 30 people on the "front line", you might expect the Clearing room at London's South Bank University to resemble a scene from the trenches.

The phone lines opened at 8.30 this morning, braced for an anticipated barrage of 3,000 callers by the end of the day. By 11am, more than 300 students had been offered a place at the university.

"We've had calls coming in constantly. I've spoken to about 20 people today," said Chloe Beeby, one of the troops on the "second line". She is responsible for taking the applicants' details before passing them on to faculty academics for the decision on whether to offer them a place.

"A couple are really nervous students who've just got their results. I've had two girls who said 'keep me on hold as long as you can - I just don't want to get cut off'."

War references aside, Clearing is actually a surprisingly smooth process. With more than 100 people manning the phones, callers all receive their fair share of attention.

"It's been really calm - there's no sense of panic or disarray," explained Beth Jenkins, the director of marketing at the university. "It's very gratifying to be able to help the students."

It took Chris Peters just 10 minutes on the phone this morning to secure his place on a business studies course. He had received an offer from another university, but decided at the last minute that South Bank was actually the place for him. "The people were really helpful and quick. I got through very easily and can't wait to start," he said.

Chris admits that many of his fellow students have reservations about the Clearing process: "I was very apprehensive. I'd heard stories about how long it takes on the phone and I was worried that someone else would get my place. I'll tell people that it's nothing to worry about."

London South Bank offers Clearing places across many courses, particularly vocational options such as nursing, architecture and engineering. Law is also a popular choice for applicants. Rochelle Devonish was offered a place on the course through Clearing last year, having missed the grades for her first-choice universities.

"I was extremely panicky," she said, recalling her reaction to finding out her A-level results. "Just having the thought in your head that you might not go to university is extremely, extremely worrying. You worry about your future and where you're going. I calmed down a lot after I found out I'd been accepted."

The stress of the clearing process did not affect Rochelle's first year at South Bank, however. She became president of the law society, vice-president of the debating society, and even found time to join the chess club for a while.

After such an enjoyable year, she is keen to offer advice to students in a similar position to the one she once faced. "I'd definitely say to anyone who didn't get the grades they need that they should try Clearing. But do your research before you phone up a university.

"Most people who missed their place are in a state of panic, so don't be tempted just to take the first one that comes along. Find out about the university - what are its values, what is teaching support like, how good is the financial support and so on."

By midday, out of some 750 callers, over 300 had been offered a place. "The atmosphere's been pretty hectic," admits Chloe, in between phonecalls.

With so many calls, the remarkable thing about the Clearing process is just how easy and efficient the whole thing is. From the disappointment of missing their grades, hundreds of students across the country are being given the chance to fulfil their ambitions of going to university. And not a bunker in sight.