Maddy Coles
Maddy Coles accepted a place at Sussex through Clearing after narrowly missing out on the grade she needed for her Maths course. She said her advice for anyone going through Clearing is 'don't give up' and 'don't be so hard on yourself.'
Clearing: Maddy's experience
"I’d applied to several universities, including Sussex, and they had all asked for an A in maths. Unfortunately, although I’d got an A* at GCSE, I got a B at A-level.
"I hadn’t done any research beforehand but Clearing was quite easy really. I just phoned up and said that I’d had an offer from you before but I didn’t get the A, would you consider a B? It was a relief when I got in and it made it easier to accept that I’d got a B and not to be so hard on myself. Like, a B’s still really good; I’ve still got into university and I can still do a maths degree. The morning was a bit tearful but it all worked out fine because I’m really glad I’m at Sussex.
Clearing morning was a bit tearful but it all worked out fine because I'm really glad I'm at Sussex.” Maddy coles
Mathematics BSc
"I didn’t really know what to expect from university. I thought it was going to be a bit more like school but we have a lot more free time. Although you’ve got a lot of work to do, a lot of it’s up to you, so you’ve got to be very self-motivated. But that’s ok because I like that.
"The amount of different cultures here surprised me, in a good way. There’s so many people who come to Sussex from other countries. And Brighton is so quirky. I mean, if you go into town in jeans and a top you feel so normal, whereas people wear so many different things, it’s so colourful and there’s so many shops, I really like it. And it’s really nice round Sussex, it’s not just the Uni, you can go out to lots of other places too.
"My advice for anyone else going through clearing? Don’t be so hard on yourself; I think I was really hard on myself, but someone will want you, you’ll get in somewhere. Just don’t give up."