University – more than just a degree
TweetI didn’t get the A level grades I wanted, I remember feeling gutted when the newspapers were saying it was the best ever results nationally that year and I had missed out. I ended up going to my second choice university and I had never even visited it before I started.
However, those three years in Southampton were amazing, I ended up enjoying university so much that I now still work in higher education for the National Union of Students.
New opportunities
At school I couldn’t really decide what I wanted to study and since I liked my subjects at A level I decided to mix and match going for Modern History and Politics with a bit of Philosophy thrown in.
It’s so easy now that I’m working to look back and think “I wish I knew that when I was at university”. I had a fun-packed time at university doing things I’d never done before from over-coming my fear of public speaking in the Debating Society, to joining the running club and getting to travel to places such as Paris and Belfast and even joining the Cocktail Society.
More than just “˜fun’
But, looking back at university it was more than just the fun times, it was also a chance to get more involved in the subjects that I had enjoyed at school and actually a chance to think about things and explore and research things in real detail. At school it was all about getting the right grades and now in work there’s not enough time to think about anything but the next project – but university is the one chance you get to have the time to really think things through. Whether it’s the meaning of life, who really shot JFK or why I had that last drink.
Skills for life
The talk today is about getting the skills for the workplace, and I got plenty of those whether the ability to research an issue, critique an argument or even just being able to write different length essays or reports as they now are, but university gave me so much more than that. Mixing with people I had never mixed with before, from all over the UK and all backgrounds to the multitude of countries that the international students came from, it broadened my mind and challenged my preconceptions.
University changes you
I ended up getting involved in the students’ union so that I could stand up for what I believed in. It all started with getting involved in the history society, yeah I know a bit geeky, but before long I was running it. As a result, I became a representative for the students on my course and had to sit with all the Professors in the Departmental meeting being asked what the students thought about the teaching and the student experience in the department. That started me on the journey as a student representative and I ended up doing it for my career. Me, a student representative, I was going into the army, that’s how much university life can change you!
But I enjoyed my university experience so much that I have now gone back for more, I’m doing a Masters at the Institute of Education in London and loving it all over again – although for very different reasons.
Alex Bols, Head of Education and Quality, National Union of Students
