Navigating the PR minefield of Clearing

A level results day and the opening of Clearing for University PR teams is competitive in the best of years and this year by anyone’s standards is not the best of years.

The number of people applying for UK university places has fallen by more than 25,000 (4%) compared to last year. Top that with the lifting of the student number cap, Brexit, bad press around tuition fees and student perceptions around value for money and it’s tough out there.

The priority for the Press team at the University of Bedfordshire has been to stay on message. We recognise the challenges our students are facing but we champion the benefits of a university education, the support we can offer our students, and the life changing experiences available to those who choose to study at Bedfordshire.

In the build up to A level results days our strategy has been to put a human face to our messaging. The press team can shout about it but it’s much more effective if it’s a first-hand experience. To that end we showcase the experience of successful graduates who have come through Clearing to inspire potential applicants. We also field our student support staff to discuss all the help, support and advice available to our students, and help students who have benefited from that support tell their story.

On A level results day – it’s a whole new ball game - we’re pitching for broadcast media. Regionals are interested in the story after the opening of the results envelope, while nationals are looking for a broader sector message.

Luckily we were able to do both; while we may not have had Lenny Henry answering our phone lines aka Birmingham City  (yes I was jealous) we did manage interviews across national and regional broadcast media on the day letting applicants know we are here, we have places and to please give us a call.

However Clearing isn’t over in a day and the press team has continued to look how it can best support the University’s recruitment efforts through the long tail of Clearing with case studies, messages around student support , value for money and of course the wonder of Freshers!

Stress?

It’s not all about Clearing…..

…. Although it’s felt that way over the last few weeks.

On July 2 I mused on what Clearing means for universities and how – as many commentators have pointed out – it has changed from a blind panic for underachieving A level students to something quite different. At this point, it would be wise for me and my career prospects to reference our very own Vice Chancellor Bill Rammell’s views on the matter. Which are, of course, spot on.

These days, people use Clearing not so much as a race for places as simply an extra few weeks to make a key life decision. Fair enough. It’s also increasingly an opportunity for those who have surpassed BTEC and A level expectations and predictions and who are looking afresh at “if” and “where” to study at uni. Yet having said all that, as this year’s first day showed there’s still a significant number of those who didn’t receive the grades they thought they were going to receive or were predicted.

State of the art - c'mon!

This year, the first day of Clearing was as insane as ever. Web, phones and footfall rattled the furniture, fixtures, fittings of the usually savannah-like atmosphere of our state of the art Postgraduate and Continuing Professional Development Centre, where the turbo-charged, chocolate-powered extended Admissions team and academics worked their socks off. Things were quieter over the first weekend, but steady again the following week. And then - and now - the long tail, with slow, steady traffic coming in, sending university managers, admissions, recruitment and market research teams twitching and refreshing spread sheets as if there's no tomorrow.

Nouvelle Vague; Mkt Research in Paris 1963

For universities, Clearing can last a few weeks, after which it's ‘business as usual’. For students involved in Clearing, the whirlwind will have started much earlier, will carry on much longer and carry far more emotional intensity. Kudos and Quailty Street should certainly be heaped upon University colleagues working through the process, although for applicants, once an offer is accepted, there are only a few weeks to prepare accommodation, travel, budget, reading lists, Freshers’ wristbands, Facebook status, Luton Town season tickets, napkin, cruet and cutlery etc etc. Not to mention those groovy Tarantino, Smiths, Pixies, Star Wars, Nirvana, Bob Marley, Bob Hope, Tiswas and French New Wave film posters. And blu-tac. Oh, and the rag-rugs, incense holders, kaftans, spider plants and Super Noodles.

Transport is arranged

Then there’s the whirl of arriving, working out which clubs or societies to look at (or avoid), who to ‘buddy up’ with, how to approach the induction and enrolment processes, how to find the library, which of the multitude of coffee outlets to patronise etc., etc., etc. All of which feels like five years mashed into as many weeks. It’s exciting, for sure although there will be a few puffy eyed souls we all need to keep an eye out for, who may have hit one beach party too many and might need a hand with working out where they are or who may need a shoulder to cry on.

At the time of writing - we still have a few places left through Clearing. Best be quick - like other institutions, we're at the tail end and have already welcomed frazzled colleagues back from the Postgraduate and Continuing Professional Development Centre (it's state of the art y'know), who’ll be picking themselves up for the main cycle recruitment and the beginning of another round of encouragement and cajoling.