Name: Katie
Age: 20
Lives in: Harlow
Starr studied Access to Medicine and is now off to the University of Hertfordshire to study Child Nursing
How did you hear about the Access course?
I wasn't able to finish my A Levels due to illness, so my teachers - they were so lovely – explained the different pathways I could do to get into uni because they knew I wanted to be a vet. One of them suggested an Access to Medicine course. I went to an Open Day, ended up applying and absolutely loved it!
The session were three full days a week so the other two days gave me to time to catch up with coursework, work and socialise too. I had a part-time job whilst studying and it fit in nicely. I was in a class with all adults which I really liked and everyone was so determined to get to where they wanted to be.
I really enjoyed the induction day because everyone shared their stories and their goals, it was so inspiring to hear. I had quite a struggle with the idea that I wasn't going to uni at 18 years old and following the traditional path. So it was really inspiring to hear 26 year olds, 30 plus year olds returning to study and going to uni. It made me realise there is no time frame on learning.
Were there any highlights you can think of?
One of the units was a research project, I really enjoyed the freedom of exploring a subject I wanted to look into further and doing what I wanted to do. We also did an end of year celebration trip to the Old Operating Theatre in London. That was so alot of fun.
There were practical session in the laboratories in every unit we studied.
Do you think the course has prepared you well for university?
One great thing about this course is it prepares you with the study skills you need for uni like referencing and writing essays. Also, the way the course was broken down into modules, it made the course manageable. The responsibility is yours, you get out what you put into it.
Would you encourage others to do an Access course?
Absolutely! I keep telling my friends and family about these Access courses. They are so worth doing even if you’re looking to get another qualification under your belt.