With results day fast approaching I’m sure many students – and their parents – will be feeling a mixture of excitement and nerves as they wait to see if their months of hard work have paid off. One thing I remind them all is you don’t need to wait until results day to explore other university options.

I started my university dreams with a clear plan, to study biology in a city with plenty of green spaces that felt like home. When I was applying to university, two places really stood out to me: the University of Edinburgh and the University of Sheffield. After visiting both on offer-holder days, I made Edinburgh my firm choice because of the grade requirements. 

A-level results day is a crucial moment for students. If you didn’t get the grades you were hoping for, it doesn’t necessarily mean an immediate change of plans is required. It’s essential to take a step back and consider what your results mean for you. 

Are you aiming for a specific career that requires certain qualifications or are you looking forward to campus life and the opportunity to live away from home and explore a new city? Having these conversations beforehand can help you make informed decisions if things don’t go as planned.

If you’re receiving your A-level results this year, you may have heard of clearing. This is the process students can go through if they don’t receive the grades they were expecting and miss out on their first and insurance places. Clearing can also be used if you received highere grades than expected and would like to apply to a different university with higher entry requirements. 

Our guide to Ucas clearing explains what clearing is, how to apply for clearing and when, so you can use clearing to your advantage.

With A-level results day fast approaching (results are out on 13 August), students will be eager to find out whether they have secured their first (or second) choice of university.

Imagine this: You have opened a browser on your laptop and searched “best universities in Germany”. You have 40 open tabs in your browser, three of which are different ranking lists, and you are confused about where to start. Does this sound familiar?

This was me and this went on for three years.

When I received an A– on a college paper, I scheduled a meeting with my teaching assistant to discuss how I could improve. I wasn’t upset about the grade. I genuinely wanted to know what separated an A– paper from an A paper.

After listening to my questions, she smiled and reassured me.

“As someone who speaks English as a second language,” she said, “this is already an impressive paper. You should be very proud of yourself!”

She meant it as encouragement. Her tone was warm, her kindness unmistakable. But I walked away feeling strangely defeated.

Moving to university involves a lot of packing. But what should you bring with you? With airline luggage restrictions and limited space in residential halls, there are things you will need to pack and other items you can organise once you get there. 

Although it’s tempting to pack everything you own, remember that you’ll be sharing space with other students. It’s also more practical to buy the larger items once you arrive and know how much space you will have.

Sponsored content: created in partnership with the Duolingo English Test.

Technology and computer science are among the world’s fastest-growing fields, and new roles and jobs are being created every month. Digital skills are highly sought after, even by non-tech companies, so a technology or digital-based degree is a smart choice.

In a ranking put together by French consultancy Emerging and published exclusively by Times Higher Education, students can explore which universities have a good reputation for providing a digital education and encouraging tech skills and entrepreneurship.