Rhiannon Fidler

Rhiannon Fidler was heartbroken when she found out she hadn't got a place at her first choice university, but knows now that wasn't the end of the world. This is her story.

She is studying for a BA (Hons) English and Creative Writing and loves every minute.

"I was worried that if I declined my second choice and then couldn't get into a different university through Clearing, that I would have to go to university the following year... Clearing just gave me more options. Going through Clearing doesn't make you a failure. I had the best year - I had great teachers, I enjoyed everything I did on my course and I made some of the best friends I could have ever made."

Don't be afraid of calling the hotline

"Going through Clearing doesn't make you stupid or a failure, it just means that things didn't go to plan and you're weighing out the rest of your options. I wish I hadn't been so ashamed to tell my friends that I went through Clearing, because when I got to uni, a lot of the people I ended up living with had been through Clearing too and it didn't really mean anything at all!"

My Clearing advice

"If you didn't get the results you wanted, you just need to keep a level head and you can't be too panicked about it."