A Levels aren’t the only option

We caught up with Emily, a former student at ACL, who is currently studying Psychology at the University of Durham after having recently passed her Social Science Access to Higher Education course at ACL. Emily has hopes to become a Clinical Psychologist after she completes her post-graduate studies.

“I have enjoyed studying psychology for a long time and over this period I think a lot of my personal interests also relate to academic interests. I enjoy listening to podcasts and watching documentaries based around psychology. My learning aspirations are to achieve my degree in undergraduate psychology, and hopefully continue my studies at a postgraduate level.”

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a straightforward experience for Emily achieving her goals throughout Secondary School due to unforeseen circumstances. However, there are many ways into University and options available, including Access to Higher Education courses. Thankfully Emily chose ACL to support her in her studies and help her achieve her goals.

“Throughout school students are taught that A levels are the be-all and end-all to getting into university, but me and all the other ACL Access to HE students are proof that conventional routes are not always the best option and that you can achieve more than you ever thought possible by doing what is right for you.”

Access to Higher Education

After achieving nine GCSE’s at A-C in Secondary School, Emily moved onto A-levels where she struggled with poor mental health and was unable to take her exams. Sometimes for reasons out of our control, barriers appear and get in the way of our education. Fortunately, Emily was able to overcome them and continue to pursue her ambitions.

“I would definitely recommend the Social Science course. Every session was interesting and I always went home with food for thought that helped further my interest into the subjects/topics.” Emily, Former ACL student

“I took a break from education for a couple of years and decided I wanted to go to university, and upon exploring the different routes I could take to get there, Access to HE seemed to be the best option for me (and it was!) I was taught at school/sixth form that A levels are the be-all and end-all to get into university, however I have achieved more than I think I probably would have at A level with my Access to HE diploma.”

There many different routes into higher education which are not always seen as conventional but offer the same opportunities. Our Access to Higher Education courses gave Emily the second chance she needed to prepare her for further study at university.

“I chose to study at ACL because it was the best option for me to achieve the necessary qualifications to get into university following a difficult time for me. It was definitely the right decision and I have achieved more with my Access to HE diploma than I probably would have at conventional routes to university.

Studying at ACL was a really positive experience as a whole and I feel I have grown a lot as a student since studying there. I learnt new skills that I will definitely be applying to my degree and I definitely feel prepared and well equipped for higher education.

If you’re passionate about a subject but fail to achieve what you wanted during school, there are always other options available to you to achieve your goals.

Emily’s experiences during higher education are testament to this. We wish her all the best in her studies at University and achieving her goals.