The summer before University anthropology graduate Louis Richards had used all their UCAS choices on agricultural courses but had had a change of heart about what to study, so headed into clearing.
‘I had graduated from college with a level 3 extended diploma. I had wanted to study something different when I left school and studied agriculture at college, but as it was coming to my time to apply for university, I had already begun to feel differently about what I wanted from university. I was looking for a university experience where I could expand my horizons, and I no longer felt I could do that on a course in agriculture.
So in clearing I applied to two courses at different universities that each revolved around a subject area that had begun to peak my interest. I was offered an unconditional offer at the university of Manchester which was for a BA with joint honours in archaeology and social anthropology, and an unconditional offer at the university of Kent for a BSC in Anthropology.
My experience of clearing was extremely smooth from what I recall. I spoke to a member of staff both for the offer that I had received from the university of Manchester and for the offer that I had received from Kent; both over the phone. I think it was a lecturer that I spoke to from both universities, and the conversation that I had with the lecturer at Manchester was very focused on the course, but the person that I spoke to at Kent described in beautiful detail a picture of a green university campus on a hill that overlooks Canterbury cathedral and a historic city. He was also the first anthropologist that I had ever spoken to and he just sold me on the subject.
It fulfilled the romantic fantasy that I had about university life. I don’t recall actually visiting Manchester as I think the programme at Kent was already better suited to my interests, and where I’m originally from isn’t far from Manchester and I knew it well already. I did visit Canterbury, though, and it wasn’t until then that I knew for certain that I wanted to live and study in Canterbury. I attended a clearing open day and had a chance to see Canterbury and have an informal chat and discussion with the anthropology lecturer that I had spoken to on the phone. Canterbury is a spectacular city and there was something really magical for me about that first visit. The university was also extremely welcoming and I was extremely excited to be studying in a faculty like the one that I had been told on the phone.
I accepted the BSC in social anthropology, although it was a subject that I was largely unfamiliar with. During freshers week, I was surprised to find an abundance of students who had gone through clearing. In fact, I don’t think I can even name a single one of my hall mates who I don’t recall had gone through clearing. It may be because the college we were placed in was the least in demand by earlier applicants, but it wasn’t even something that I would have thought about had it not been for the amount of clearing applicants that I found myself introduced to.
‘I couldn’t be happier.’
Studying at Kent remains to be some of the happiest times of my life. I was introduced to an entire new world and I learned so much about who I am and who I could be. It’s partly because of the university itself and the people who went there, and also partly the attitude that I went with, which was complemented by those things.
For anyone making this decision over the summer, university is a way of learning that is unfamiliar to school and college. It’s less about what you know and can retain and more about how you see things. That’s why universities have so many different societies; it’s about growth. The activities that go on in social life at universities are just as much a part of learning as are the classes, and the two can be complimentary of one another if you want. For that reason, I would say that grades aren’t the biggest things. If you don’t get the grades that you expected but have the opportunity to move out of the town that you’re from and to take a venture somewhere new, do it!’
Having transferred from the BSc in Anthropology during their time here, Louis Richards has just graduated with a BA (Hons) in Social Anthropology.