By Adam Hall, Associate Director Global Student Recruitment, Partnerships and Access, Keele University. This article first appeared as a Personally Speaking column in the Stoke Sentinel in August 2024.

As students approach their results day next week - including those at our North Staffordshire partner colleges including Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group, Stoke-on-Trent College and City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College - they are likely to be experiencing a range of emotions. Some will be excited, some will be nervous. Others will be confident, and there will also be those who are uncertain of which path to follow next, even if they have a potential route ahead of them.

The period around results can be both an exciting and a nervous one, both for students and the parents, carers, and teachers supporting them. Students all over the country will be waiting eagerly for their outcomes, knowing the work they've put in and thinking about their future steps. They may have options dependent on the results they're about to receive, or may know their next steps already.

To everyone receiving results next week, it's most important at this time of year to reflect on all the hard work you've put in. Whatever the outcome on Thursday 15th August, you have worked hard, and you should be immensely proud of your achievements. It's important to remember that your education has been severely disrupted by challenges affecting the whole world, and your work, dedication, and graft through that time will prepare you well for your future.

Some of you may be moving on to the working world, looking at apprenticeships, or hoping to go to university in September. Here at Keele University, we know this is a challenging time for you, and you might have questions.

We hope that whatever result you end up with is the outcome you want, but if things don't go as you'd hoped, or if you change your mind, universities including Keele will have places available through Clearing. We have a team ready to work with you, to go through your results and your circumstances to make sure you’re well prepared to make any decision you need to. It’s totally normal to reconsider your university options during Clearing, regardless of your results, and at Keele we're here to help.

We've been reviewing our courses to make sure we’re in the best possible place to offer students new and exciting programmes to match their interests, which are all open for application for September 2024 through Clearing, so students can start to think about options they may not have considered previously.

We have developed a range of new courses building on our expertise, and expanding our offering with new courses in health, the natural sciences, business, and social sciences.

Our new programme in Speech and Language Therapy provides students with a fantastic opportunity to gain practical experience in a career that could be a perfect match for those who enjoy working with people, language skills and science. The four-year Master’s opportunity combines academic skills with practical experience throughout the length of study.

We also have a new degree in Bioveterinary Science within our School of Life Sciences, giving students a chance to delve into the world of animal science here at Keele, and new Pharmacology programmes providing a broad and varied coverage of modern biological sciences.

Two exciting new courses have been launched within Keele Business School, focusing on Sports Business Management and eSports Business Management, and we have also launched a programme in Sport and Exercise Psychology, with a degree in Business Psychology also available.

In our School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, we have recently launched a BSc in Physics with Renewable Energy, building on our sector-leading sustainability credentials, and we also offer an integrated Master's in Astrophysics, allowing those who are keen to explore this subject in detail to expand their knowledge of the universe.

Finally, a new programme in Criminology and Criminal Justice launched earlier this year, building on our existing expertise in Criminology.

Whatever your outcome, we wish you all the success in the world for your next steps. Remember how hard you've worked to get yourself to this point, reach out for any support you need, and make the best choice for you. From all of us here at Keele, good luck.

*For more information on places available through Clearing, visit www.keele.ac.uk/clearing, or call 01782 491120.