MY story

As a care leaver, Charlotte was initially intimidated by the prospect of going to university – but she is delighted that she did!

University has given me opportunities and aspirations I never believed I could even dream about.

As a care leaver, university felt like a really scary prospect. Stability is important to me and moving is a big lifestyle change. Not only would I have to consider my living arrangements over each of the term breaks, I’d also have to really think about my finances. For these reasons, I didn’t think university could be a viable option, but after spending some time researching, I soon found out certain universities like Bournemouth University have a range of support services which can help people like me!

To help students with their finances, Bournemouth University offers different scholarships and bursaries. I was eligible for the BU Care Leavers Bursary (money I don’t have to pay back). I was also provided with accommodation that allowed me to stay for the full year, meaning I didn’t have to worry about finding a place to live in the summer.

However, it was the people at BU that really made it all possible. Sure, this financial support was crucial – and for that I'm beyond grateful – but it was the staff members, always on hand to help with my queries, that made that real difference. I felt listened to and I feel supported. Without this, I’m not too sure I would have ever made it to uni. For me, getting a place on the BSc (Hons) Ecology & Wildlife Conservation degree really did prove to be just the beginning. I grew from being scared about going to university to feeling completely at home. The lecturers were kind and supportive, and understood the range of additional learning support that students might need, which made it so much easier. I also had opportunities I never dreamed of thanks to the field trips on the course –including a trip to Costa Rica, In fact, the experience made me feel so at home that after graduating, I’ve stayed on at BU to study a Master’s by Research in Behavioural Ecology and all being well, I want to keep going to complete a PhD. After that, I’m hoping to work in conservation research in Asia. Even when I took the plunge to try undergraduate study, I never expected it to lead to this. It’s important to me that others hear my story and know that university can be an option if that’s what they really want to pursue.