Prepared for all eventualities, Matthew rang the
Northumbria Clearing hotline after not quite achieving the grades he needed on
results day.
Matthew had already began exploring his options through
Clearing when he discovered Northumbria University’s Newcastle Business School
and was attracted to the emphasis on graduate employability, including a
year-long work placement in his third year.
“Studying here meant that building on career skills and
professional development was part of my course,” he said.
“I was lucky enough to get a 12-month work placement with
HMRC, who kept me in part-time employment throughout my final year and have
offered me a graduate position.
Matthew studies on the University’s Business Management
degree and praised how the course has prepared him for his placement year and
his future career.
“ The knowledge I have gained at university, I have used in
the real working environment. I have been able to put my skills into practice.
And more than that, the placement has helped me in my final year. I returned to
studying feeling better organised and more professional,” he explained.
Matthew is coming to the end of his degree, so shared his
top tips for new students: “Moving to a different city can be daunting when you
don’t know a lot of people. Try to connect with people on social media pages
and find who you are living with in student accommodation – that way you can
make a plan for freshers’ week, so you already have things lined up to look
forward to. And it’s good to get to know people, as they’ll make your
university experience.”
He added: “I would also take advantage of the careers
service. After completing my placement, they helped me improve my CV to reflect
my experience at HRMC. Highlighting the skills you gain on placement will help
when it comes to searching for graduate jobs.
Describing A-level results day as being a ‘rollercoaster of
emotions’, Matthew said: “You go into it expecting to have a really stressful
day but, securing a place at university was a really simple process. In the
moment, the thought of having to go through clearing seems like a big problem,
when in reality, it’s not.
“Try not to worry or overthink the process. In the space of
10 minutes, I had applied and was accepted onto a course at Northumbria.”
For more information, visit Northumbria University’s Clearing Hub.
