Dana:-
What is "clearing"? We don't have that in the U.S. unless we call it something else.
Clearing is the process you go through to get a place at uni if you didn't get good enough grades for your pre-selected choices - basically matching the vacant places with the homeless students. Most places are awarded 'provisionally' on attaining high enough grades before the resukts come out. Clearing takes place in... June/July??... after the results are out.
St Andrews has a reputation, not sure how deserved as I have no stats at all, in Scotland, for being the place that the 'posh' English kids who didn't make the grade down south go to through clearing, as it seems very heavily populated with English compared to other Scots universities. Not a racial slur, btw - I'm half English and half Scots parentage for the record - just observation from walking through the streets in freshers week & also endless rag mag jokes.
(should point out that entry age/qualifications for england/scotland are different, possibley cos a scottish honours is 4 years as opposed to english at 3 years. And a school leaver in England is about a year older and the qualifications get more 'points' in the system, cos the exams are harder.)
Hence at my (slightly lower class perception) uni, the first question on meeting an English person at St Andrews uni (particularly if opposing them in debates/sports etc and wanting to wind them up) was often 'I suppose you came through clearing', the subtext being 'you were too thick to get in down south.'
All of which are cultural observations and not the opinion of the writer. A lot of people choose to go to St Andrews from England because 1. It's quite good 2. It's an extra year's beer before you have to start work 3. It has a nice view of the golf course and of course now 4. You might get to snog royalty
But if Avon was busy messing about with computers and flunked his other subjects, he might not get the grades he needed for his first choice, and so go to St Andrews rather than resit.
Umm. Ok, proper academic people leap and correct any glaring mistakes I've made now, please.
Good grief, how did I get started on serious posts? Going into retirement now.
Emma