Students who got through UCAS Extra tend to fall into one of two separate camps.

The first group is those who haven’t received any offers from their original 5 choices. 

For these students, when making your Extra choice, it’s important to consider why you might’ve received those rejections. Was your personal statement not tailored enough to the course? Were your predicted grades good enough? Do you fit the profile of the student that they’re looking for? Did you manage to adequately express your passion for the subject?

That’s not to say that you should reconsider your whole existence and apply to a completely different course on the other side of the country. If you know what you want, you should absolutely go for it! But an Extra application is a great chance to take stock, reconsider your choices and make sure that you’re giving yourself the best chance of success.

The second group includes students who received offers, but decided to reject them all. These will likely be students who’ve had a drastic change in circumstances or a complete change of heart about what they want to study or where they want to go.  

If you’ve had a really great set of mocks and want to set your sights a little higher, that’s fantastic, but be sure to do your due diligence about the options that might be available BEFORE you reject all of your offers. The spaces through Extra are often limited, especially at top universities and remember: your mocks aren’t your actual exam results! 

You might actually have a better chance of acceptance through Clearing once you have your actual grades in hand, or maybe a gap year might be the best choice for you, so take your time before making such a big decision.

Whatever you choose to do, remember that it’s not the only chance you’ll get, your university experience is only the first step on your career path.

And, no matter what you study or where you’ll end up, know that the majority of students end up happy with their choice.