With 2 years of university currently under my belt I’ve had plenty of learning opportunities and times to reflect on my experience so far. As a fine art student at the University of Chichester my course is largely practical and spent in the studio but I still have to attend regular history of art lectures and seminars. I have learned a lot of new things since beginning my course, some of which seem incredibly strange, so I’m going to share some of my wisdom with all of you whether you’re still in the application process or are a couple of months into your first year.
1.Your student loan is not free money
Contrary to popular belief, the student loan that you receive is not just free money for you to...
Unbelievably, I’ve been at uni for just over a month! The time feels like it has flown by (I can’t really imagine life before it) but, at the same time, everything still feels new and a tad intimidating.
My family have just visited for the first time since I’ve been here. It was so nice to see them again and any worries that they would have moved on without me were quashed as soon as I saw them. We settled into our old rhythm straight away.
Yet, I had been quite nervous to see them and I think this is because I was...
I had always known I wanted to teach, and it had always been in my mind to find a way to get into the classroom. But life happened and I found myself working in a bank for 18 years, dreading going into work. One day I decided to do something about it. At that stage I didn’t have a degree, so I started by going to evening classes to try and find a subject I was interested in. It wasn’t until I took an evening class in Biology that I even considered science. I took my HNC and then secured a place at university studying Biomedical Science. Having completed that, I was offered a funded Masters and eventually I did a PhD.
All the while I was learning, I was still aware that the ultimate goal was to teach and during my PhD I secured a place on SCITT programme. Unfortunately my situation changed, and I realised that paying to train wasn’t an option. I came across Teach First...
Prior to starting my training with Ark, I was a Captain in the British Army Intelligence Corps. During my service, I worked with vulnerable people from across the world. What I witnessed during my time in Helmand, Afghanistan, was a society where children were born into mostly hopeless futures. Futures where basic security was absent, hospital care limited and education non-existent for most. At home in Britain, I can think of no career more rewarding than one that is dedicated towards offering a fair chance and future for our next generation.
While there are many other teacher training providers, for me, Ark’s mission of giving every young person, regardless of background, a great education meant that I could take forward the sense of purpose I had serving in the Army into my next career.
Having just finished summer school, what really stood out the most were my fellow trainees and the sense of camaraderie that quickly developed; being with a like-minded group of...
So I’d moved in, braved Freshers Week and managed to remember (most of the time) to take my keys with me before leaving my room. The next step was, of course, to do what I came here for: work.
But this seemed to pose even more challenges than anything I had done so far. For example, the lecture timetable would have required a degree to simply decipher (any ideas what 6L W.9 Lecture Room 10 means? Nope, me neither) and finding out where to go for these lectures was a minefield. I felt exhausted before I’d even done any actual work.
As a small consolation for my pains, I was told that all my lectures are optional! Initially, as you can imagine, I thought that meant I could laze about watching...
Making your UCAS application stand out from the crowd can be challenging. One thing you could consider is taking part in ‘social action’ to show you’re a motivated, disciplined, and resilient person.
By social action we mean campaigning, fundraising, or even volunteering. This can give you something unique to talk about in your personal statement, and can reinforce your commitment to your chosen study area. There are loads of organisations you can contact to discuss opportunities – from the Scouts and Girl Guides, to your local council....
I went into teacher training at 34, which was ten years after I originally thought about doing. However, for me, it was far better timing to have trained later on in life. I believe that there are pros and cons to training at various ages, but for me, I entered into the profession with a lot of life experience behind me, having been fortunate enough to do a lot of travelling and seasons living in the French Alps I have the ability to offer pupils an insight into potential life adventures and hopefully inspire them to want to explore the world and a variety of careers.
I believe that the SCITT programme I completed was the best pathway for me into teaching and am a strong advocate for this route. It offers a gentle approach into teaching that isn't weighed down with too much paper based university assignments.
I happened to teach six subjects in my training year which is unusual, but I do feel that it has proved the possibility to be multi-...
Imagine this - someone turns to you and says ‘I can help make your dreams come true’.
‘Okay?’ You respond. Curious as to how this will work.
‘It’s simple.’ They begin to explain. ‘All you have to do is experience 2 years of stress to meet our standards, then be placed in a house with a group of strangers. You will then live with them, cook with them, clean with them and party with them for a year. I can guarantee this will be the best time of your life.’
Freshers is an exciting time for all university students whether you like partying or getting involved in the day time activities, there is something for everyone. Obviously the partying is a big part of Freshers week(s) but I won’t go into too much detail about that as that is pretty self-explanatory.
The weeks of Freshers is an amazing opportunity to meet new people, help your confidence grow and find out what the university has to offer. During these weeks there are often various bazaar’s ranging from a sports bazaar to a society bazaar to a RAG bazaar....
The thought of university is such a daunting and difficult process - you're making decisions that can affect the rest of your life and you're trying to balance what you enjoy and what you're good at. It’s a difficult process so working out the best way to handle to suit you is vital. I didn’t manage it in the most conventional way but it worked best for me so it worked out well.
At the start of year 13 I was convinced I wanted to study music but very rapidly discovered that my real passion lay with psychology. I began by looking at...
