Tassneem Mahfouz, Law

I chose to apply to the University of Sheffield due to the supportive and welcoming nature of the university. As an estranged student, support was important to me and the University of Sheffield had a Widening Participation team with experience with estranged students. This was helpful for me, as it meant I knew there would be both financial and emotional support available throughout the duration of my studies. I felt supported from the moment I applied. When I notified the university of my circumstances, they arranged for me to visit the campus and speak to a member of the Widening Participation Department. This was before I had been accepted - the staff showed that they really care about the wellbeing of their students.

Unfortunately, due to my extenuating circumstances I did not get my predicted grades. However, as the University of Sheffield were aware of my circumstances, they gave me an alternative route. I was given the opportunity to complete a foundation year with the Department of Lifelong Learning with the longer term goal to progress to study law. The University of Sheffield made the clearing process very easy to follow and did everything they could to support me. This helped me deal with the disappointment of A levels and push forward to focus on the future. Furthermore, the university was able to guarantee accommodation for me despite going through clearing and this was very helpful as it meant I knew I would definitely have somewhere to live.

My advice to anyone going through the clearing process is to focus on the task at hand; you only have a limited amount of time to sort out a university place and therefore put all your emotions and energy into securing the best possible outcome. Going through clearing can be emotional and daunting, especially if things have not gone the way you wanted, but you need to channel all of that into motivation to move forward. Once you have done what you need to do you can relax and process everything, but you will feel much better knowing you have done all you can to remedy the situation. 

Overall, I am enjoying my time at the University of Sheffield and am very happy that I ended up here.