Post-16 pathways: From GCSE to HE

Blog 1 - Amy (Psychology)

I remember vividly the day they sat us down in my sixth form lecture hall and told us “what you pick for your degree will impact the rest of your life” – something I, along with my friends, readily believed. Flash forward to results day, repeatedly refreshing the UCAS page in the back of my parent’s car on the way to get my results. I needed to know whether I had got in. We were just pulling into the car park when my phone refreshed and UCAS logged in: “you are now in clearing” – I thought my life was over. I went to pick up my results and thank my teachers; my grades were not as bad as I thought they would be and I had only missed my offer by one grade.

For most of the day I was calling round other universities in clearing, desperately trying to find a place on the course I wanted. It began to get desperate, and I thought I wasn’t going to be able to go to university. This is when I wish someone had told me that if you don’t go straight from school, it isn’t the end of the world and there are always other options. I called the university that was my second choice, just to check they couldn’t offer me a place. They told me that unfortunately they couldn’t offer me a place on the original course I had applied for, but if I was willing to change to one that was very similar then they would be happy to have me. I burst into tears with joy and relief.

The last month living at home was filled with excitement, I went shopping for all my “uni essentials”, celebrated with and said goodbye to friends and family, and spent time planning fresher’s week. The day came and, filled with excitement and anxiety; off I went. to university.

Three months later I made the decision to drop out of uni and come home. My university experience hadn’t been what I wanted it to be, I rushed into it and regretted it. I came home and felt like that was it, I had missed my chance. Making the decision to drop out and move home was one of the hardest decisions I ever made, because I had the preconceived idea that if I couldn’t get my degree now, I wouldn’t be able to do it again; It would be the end of the world. I worked a few different jobs for the next couple of years, trying to decide what to do. I always had a plan to try to go back to university, but doubted whether I could do it after having such a long break from education. Eventually, I found a subject that interested me and a career I wanted to aim for. I re-applied to study psychology and within 2 weeks I had offers from every one of my choices.

Here I am now at 24, in the final few months of my degree, ready to tell everyone who will listen the things that I wish someone had told me: If you don’t go straight to university or your A-level grades aren’t what you expected, or if you decide to change your mind – it might feel like you’ve done it all wrong, but I can guarantee there are always other options. Don’t compare yourself to other people around you, focus on what you’re doing and what you want to achieve.

Blog 2 - Ceri (Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation)

Sometimes, I look at where I was a few years ago and wonder; how on earth did I end up here? Right here, studying BSc (hons) Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation Science at the University of Suffolk. Despite how much I enjoy it, this wasn’t in the original plan. I was not planning on going to university. I was not planning on taking A Levels. I was looking at a Zoological Management course at college and taking a fast route out of education, fed up with the pressures and expectations that came with it. Then, I would become a zoo-keeper and that would be that.

Except, it wasn’t. At first, it started with one of my teachers, who started to persuade me that perhaps A Levels were the route to take that perhaps it would open my options. And another, who related those options to my interest in nature and helping in its recovery and restoration. Slowly but surely, I found myself drawn towards this route and after GCSEs, found myself studying A Level Biology, Chemistry, Physics and English Literature. So that was the first change of plan.

The next came when we started looking to UCAS and universities. Initially, the thought of university seemed too daunting- I wanted to escape into the world of work and become self-sufficient. At this point, my career plans had started to shift- I was looking more into the world of conservation and taking what I hope will be an active role in changing the world for the better. Teachers thought I should go to university. My family were persuading me to have a look, even if as a back up plan. I guess the real clincher was going on two weeks of work experience in the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology). There, I got to talk to those who were where I hoped to one day be, and much of their advice was the same- a degree would be a good place to start.

And so my research began. The inevitable scrolling through UCAS, university websites, narrowing down and figuring out. Then came the open days- travelling to each of my five favourite options in turn, to get a feel for each of them. This helped to order my options, from top to bottom, even if the decision between my top two took 2 open days and an applicant day each! The University of Suffolk became my top choice, because it just seemed right the course, the location, the people. After seeing it a couple of times, I was hooked on the idea of studying here. All that remained was the nervous wait for the offers to come in.

I was fortunate enough to be given an unconditional offer at Suffolk. I was incredibly lucky and now, here I am, in the second year of the course I wasn’t going to study, at the university I nearly did-n’t choose and loving it. My journey to HE taught me there’s always room to change your mind and broaden your horizons, because you never know what’s waiting around the corner.

Blog 3 - Charlotte (Film & Media Studies)

My name is Charlotte and I’m currently a third year at Anglia Ruskin University studying Film & Media Studies. I have always had an artistic mind and a passion for the creative industry.

I had never considered studying at university before Sixth Form, but I remember distinctly when that all changed. I had chosen an A-Level in Media Studies and realised how much I enjoyed coming up with creative concepts and putting them into practise. I had also at-tended acting school for several years and wanted to learn what it would be like to be behind the camera instead which is why I opted for the degree in Film & Media.

Before applying to university, I researched into which institutions specialised in the subject area I wanted to pursue in the future as well as the ones which had positive feedback from previous students. I attended open days to get a better idea of which institution would be most suitable for me. After much contemplation, I decided ARU would be my first choice for multiple reasons:

The staff had professional/industry experience 

The current students were extremely friendly

It was close to home so easy to visit family/friends

The nightlife and history of the city.

Soon after, I wrote my personal statement and applied through the UCAS website. I was lucky enough to be given an unconditional offer by Anglia Ruskin a few weeks after, which I accepted straight away, making A-Level results day a lot less stressful.

The next stage was finding accommodation. I chose not to commute as I wanted to experience a new way of life while becoming more independent. My halls of residence was in central Cambridge and only a 30 second walk to campus which I knew would work in my favour for early morning lectures. I began buying essential items for my new room, although, I mainly packed things that I already owned as a way of saving money.

Moving in day was extremely unnerving but at the same time super exciting. I was moving away from home for the first time not knowing anyone in the city. I promised myself I would make an effort with my flat mates and attend the welcome drinks fresher’s event. This was the best decision I ever made! I met amazing friends that day in addition to my best friend who I am still just as close with now as I was then.

Throughout my three years, I have worked as a student ambassador, joined the CamFM radio society, learnt many new life and practical skills, made life-long friends, and so much more.

The advice I would give to anyone considering university as their next step in life would be to study something that inspires and interests you. Don’t let society put pressure on you. You’re young, amazing and full of ambition so do what you want to do, not what others want for you.

Blog 4 - Simone (Computer Science)

Hello! My name is Simone, and I am a second year Computer Science student. I come from Italy and in this blog, I am going to tell you about my journey to the university, outlining what motivates me to excel in what I am doing.

Since I was a child, I loved to understand how things work and therefore decided to go to a Scientific High School, where my core subjects were Physics, Maths, Science and IT. Initially, I was not such an academic student and used to get low grades. I did not know what to do in my life until I started to study programming. I loved it because it taught me to look at the problem in details by breaking it down into smaller problems, as well as understanding all the possible paths that an action may take. In general, a programmer is an excellent thinker!

I spent hours improving my coding skills and ended up with very high marks. However, my IT teacher did not believe in my capabilities and thought I would never become a real programmer. When I turned 18, I started to think about where and what to study after finishing school. While I was pretty sure about Computer Science, I did not know where to go. Coming from the South of Italy and not speaking English fluently, studying in the UK was quite impossible. However, I really wanted to go abroad as my biggest dream was to work for Apple. Obviously, my IT teacher told me I was crazy and that I had to “stay grounded”.

Despite this I sent my application to ARU. When they invited me on campus to attend an open day, I was amazed and looked forward to going. As soon as I arrived in Cambridge, I fell in love with both the city and the sense of community surrounding ARU. Thus, I decided it would have been my place to study. 

Since my academic grades were good, my only obstacle was the certificate of English. So, I started to study for the exam, which was in May 2019. It was my only chance as there would not have been any more available dates and I needed to submit my certificates to the university in July 2019. My parents, my friends and my teachers told me I was wrong not to have considered a second plan and I risked ending up doing nothing. Finally, I did the exam, I passed it, and I am now a current student studying what I love to do and in a place that I love. My grades have been very good so far and several teachers have noticed my passion for Computer Science.

Throughout this experience, I realised that we shouldn’t let anyone tell us what we can or can’t do. Potentially, we can do everything if we really wish, we just have to stay hungry and maybe a little foolish!

Blog 5 - Sofia (Business Management)

Hi everyone! Today I want to talk you about my journey to University. I’m an Italian student who arrived in Cambridge in 2018 just to take a gap year. I did not know what I wanted to become; however, I knew what I enjoyed the most. Back in High School I had spent 4 months abroad in Dublin, where I took a business class for the first time in my life :I enjoyed it so much that I caught up with everything in my class. and asked to move onto the next level of study. So, I knew that I really liked this subject and wanted to continue studying it. Now that I’m here at ARU I could not be happier. It was absolutely worth it!

I was excited to come to university for lots of reasons.

One was for the independence I would gain, living alone and really far from my parents, everything is up to me: from buying groceries to paying bills. Another reason was the variety of societies you can join, anything you can imagine, and more that you can’t! And if none of the society appeal to you then you can run one yourself. The final reason was of course, not to forget, to get a degree.

I’m so glad I chose to study Business Management; the course is well structured and interesting. The journey here has been hard but I’m incredibly grateful for the fantastic friends I’ve made, the experiences I’ve had, even in covid times.