'Don't be afraid to change lanes after results day'

Amelia Shackleton was academic at school but realised she wanted to do something hands-on for a living

A student who swapped her pen for a spanner on results day to follow her dream says people should not be afraid to change lanes.

University of Derby student Amelia Shackleton had studied academic subjects her whole school life - thinking hands-on, male-dominated subjects like mechanics were not for her.

But despite getting higher grades than she needed to take up a place studying English literature, she instead chose to go through clearing.

Now, after a foundation year to get up to speed, the 21-year-old car fanatic is about to move into a final year studying motorsports engineering.

Amelia, from Grimsby in Lincolnshire, grew up watching superbikes and speedway with her mum Claire, while her stepdad Andy "used to mess about with cars and bikes for fun" as an amateur mechanic.

But "nervous" Amelia didn't transfer her love of engines into her schooling.

She said: "I don't know why, I didn't picture myself in it, thinking it would be cool but it's not anything people around here would get into, and I don't think I'm smart enough.

"I felt like it was quite a rare thing for women to go into that sort of environment, so I just stuck with what I knew."

'Give it a try'

Instead Amelia focused on English, maths and biology - until her A-level results came through.

She said: "I'd really stressed myself out thinking that I wasn't even going to get the results that I wanted to for English, and because I was kind of riding the high of doing better than I thought, I was having quite a confident day.

"I was in my living room I've just come back from picking up my results and I just thought I don't want to do English, I don't want to go to the universities that I've chosen, and my mum was like 'just have a look at clearing'."

Amelia says she is still building her confidence and hopes to find a career doing "something hands-on" after graduation.

She said: "I think what kept me back a little bit is staying in my comfort zone too much, that's why I chose the A-levels that I did and then that's why I chose what I was going to do at university.

"I'm happy that I actually decided that I'll at least give it a try."

University beckons for many A-level students after results day

With A-level results day on Thursday, UCAS anticipates a record number of more than 76,000 students choosing to go through clearing this year.

The University of Derby says clearing is increasingly not just for people who haven't made the grade they needed.

A spokesperson said: "There are plenty of reasons students go through clearing - they may have changed their mind on what and where to study, received better results than expected, or are simply exploring new options.

"Student priorities have reshaped in recent years, and more people are using clearing proactively, not reactively."

Recent University of Derby graduate Omoye Dsangbedo, 22, also switched her course even though she had achieved the grades she had hoped for.

"Don't be afraid to start over again," recent graduate Omoye Dsangbedo says

Omoye, from Lagos, had been due to study biomechanical engineering at the University of Kent, but after a heart-to-heart with family about her love of technology, she switched to a computer science course.

She said: "The last minute, sudden change was a lot - but we pushed through.

"Don't be afraid to make change because you never know what that's going to bring.

"If you told 18-year-old me to change her course, she'd be looking at you so confused, but clearing was probably one of the best things that happened.

"Sometimes it is necessary for an abrupt change to happen, just so you can see how capable you are.

"Don't be afraid to start over again, as nerve-wracking and scary as that can be."