Exam results: A day to remember

Exam results bring mixed emotions. As Dora Barton found out, calmness pays Dora Barton had hoped to study physiotherapy at Coventry University. When she missed out on her predicted grades (ABB) she feared that she might not be able to go to university. But thanks to the support of her teachers Dora soon found a place at Sheffield Hallam

Published: 16 August 2006

"I was really upset when I opened my results. I didn't know what would happen or whether I would go to university at all. My teachers were really helpful. I didn't feel like talking about it, even though I knew I had to, because I had tried really hard in maths and still missed out on the grades, but my teachers encouraged me to make the right phone calls. I was in school for three hours, ringing round all the different universities and asking if they had any places. Then I felt so shattered from all the emotion that I went home. All I could do was wait and hope one of them would ring me back with an offer.

I was really down because I was thinking about what I would do if I couldn't go to university. Me and my mates had planned to go out that night and I was thinking that I didn't want to go. Most of all, I was dreading not knowing, as I knew I might have to wait more than a week to find out, but in the end I was really lucky. I found out later that day that I had a place at Sheffield Hallam University.

When the admissions officer explained what I would be doing on the forensic science course I knew it was just what I wanted. I'm a lot happier doing this course than I would have been doing physiotherapy, which is what I'd initially planned to study. I really like my course because it's so varied - it covers science, maths, a bit of law. You have to know about the human body, completing investigations and casting footprints. And we work in the laboratory a lot too. It's very hands on.

At Sheffield, every night is student night. I love the city. It's very student based and a very friendly place. I'd been there before and had liked it a lot. When I arrived at my halls they just asked me to pick a room number. It was very random, but I was lucky with the people I ended up living with because we all get on really well. If I had applied earlier for a place at Sheffield, I would have been living in the city centre, but because I came through Clearing, my halls were a bit further out. I don't mind though: it's very green and there are squirrels, so it's quite nice."