The Clearing application process was an exhilarating one for me

Johan Mappumchery Babu is soon to start the second year of his BA in Liberal Arts at the University of Kent and the memories of Clearing 2020 are vivid and positive!

The Clearing application process was an exhilarating one for me. My mum and I filled out the application from our home in Kerala in the morning and by the evening we had an unconditional offer of admittance in our hands (well, technically on the laptop placed on our hands). The process of filling out the forms was relatively simple and if you have an adult to assist you then all the better. If you have queries you can just call the Uni office directly and they’ll clear any doubt you have, like they did for me.

The University of Kent has one of the most vibrant university communities in the UK. The crowd is, and I cannot stress this enough, incredibly diverse. There’s a space for everyone and if you don’t think you fit in, there’s always the freedom and resources to create that space yourselves. You might think – yeah I’ve heard all this before – but Kent really allows the students to put theory to practice.

The crowd is, and I cannot stress this enough, incredibly diverse.

The first year was daunting, for me especially because I had to migrate from one continent to another in the middle of a worldwide pandemic and the classes were all online. I was pretty disappointed in how things turned out and thought I might never make friends. But I write this from my house, which I occupy with my four wonderful friends who I met at university, excited for our second year. It was difficult, but totally worth it.

My advice is to take it easy.

My advice is to take it easy. Since it’s one very long application, you might feel pressured to get it over with quickly and get everything right. Try to take breaks while filling out the application and be alongside your family or friends (special thanks to Becca my pet dog for being the head of my support system) and do your best to answer the questions.

You’ll be alright, I promise.

Clearing 2021 is now open! Apply now for a place on one of our Politics and International Relations or Liberal Arts degrees.