HUNDREDS of students from Dunmow and Felsted will have the nerve-wracking experience of opening their A-level results today (Thursday). For those students who don t get the grades they need, all is not lost because the UCAS clearing system, used by applic

HUNDREDS of students from Dunmow and Felsted will have the nerve-wracking experience of opening their A-level results today (Thursday).

For those students who don't get the grades they need, all is not lost because the UCAS clearing system, used by applicants who have not managed to secure a place at university or college, enabled 515 extra students out of a total of 6666 to find a university place last year.

What to do if your grades are not quite what you expected:

Don't panic, but be prepared to be flexible on your options

Read through the information at ucas.com/clearing to find out how clearing works and for helpful advice.

Look on Track at ucas.com to check the status of your application and to get your clearing number if you become eligible - you will also be sent a Clearing Passport.

Make sure that you're available to speak to universities and colleges - treat your Clearing application like a job application - deal with it yourself! Don't leave it to your parents or friends to sort out.

Start contacting the universities and colleges about the courses that interest you as soon as you can. You will probably also be asked questions about your exam results.

Vacancies will be listed at ucas.com. Make sure that the content of the course meets your needs, and check the entry requirements.

If you need help applying through Clearing or have a query about your application, you can contact the UCAS helpline on 0871 468 0 468

Lastly, tell us at the Dunmow Broadcast how you got on, we would love you to e-mail your pictures and stories from the results day at editor@dunmow-broadcast.co.uk