The one-off episode is hosted by first-year Sport & Exercise Science student Cleo and Class of 2023 graduate, Joe.

Listen to the special Clearing edition podcast now, right here.

With just days to go until A Level results day, this special edition is themed entirely around Clearing and features top tips and insightful chats with students and alumni who have been through the process, including BBC Radio 1 DJ, Melvin Odoom.

Melvin commented: “When someone explains Clearing to you it almost feels like a negative but Clearing is just another step forward and an opportunity. My number one piece of advice for anyone thinking about going to university would be to do your research and be open-minded. See what you like, see what you don’t like, see what interests you and what you’re good at, and make a decision then.”

The podcast also includes helpful tips from academics and staff who are on hand to guide prospective students through the application process and aim to break any Clearing ‘taboos’, as well as featuring advice from Student Support.

Three members of the Admissions team give listeners the low-down on all things Clearing and explain the variety of ways they advise and support students who are enquiring about studying at the University of Bedfordshire.

Pro Vice Chancellor, Adrian Dutch, also gives insight into the Clearing process from a personal perspective, as he himself went to university via Clearing.

He said: “The Clearing process has greatly improved since my day, but I think there’s the issue that nobody talks about Clearing – there aren’t any role models to de-stigmatise it. Bear in mind it’s not the end of the world, it’s just the beginning of a new chapter so pick up the phone – the people on the other end really want to speak to you and really want to help you.”

The special edition of Bits of Beds follows the series which launched last year and all episodes – themed around topics including careers, mental health and student support – are still available to download for free and listen to on a variety of podcast platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and Google Podcasts. For further information about the podcast, visit: www.beds.ac.uk/podcast.

For more information about Clearing at the University of Bedfordshire click here or call the admissions team on 0300 3300 073.