Category Archives: Widening Participation
From Small Acorns Mighty Oaks Grow! By Gary Stevens, 3rd year psychology student
Before I began this journey, I was fortunate enough to get a job straight out of school. My exam grades were far from overwhelming and, at 18, I had no real work experience yet it seemed I had landed on my feet quite successfully. I remember people telling me how I could forge a great career in the civil service. As time went on I remained in my job but I was never truly satisfied. I always felt as if something was missing but could never put my finger on it. I would try and discuss this with my family and ask their advice which was simple… “You have a good job, don’t throw it away”. Or… “It’s a safe job, so stay put and get a pension.” Stupidly, and against my gut feeling, I listened and stayed put.
SO? By ex-Go Higher student & current tutor, Barbara Milne
So, we’re on the middle day of Go Higher induction week, here at the University of Liverpool. ‘So’ seems an apt word for today. Any initial nervousness, on all sides, I think, has abated a little and our new students have settled down to some group work. So, why am I so hung up on this word “So”? It’s nostalgia if I’m honest. I’m a former Go Higher student. One of the narratives I was lucky enough to study during my time on the course, was Seamus Heaney’s translation of the epic poem Beowulf.
Mature students: Why there’s NO NEED TO PANIC on your way to university… By Devon Motte (class of 2017)
For anyone who is toying with the idea of heading back to university, the idea of combatting a cavalcade of fresh young faces just off the ‘A level’ belt can sound daunting and ill prepared. However, lucky for mature students, there is something called Go Higher!
I found Go Higher when I was looking for a solution to my entrance into main university problem. I didn’t know where to start, nor did I know what I would be getting myself into. Especially with the gap between school, studying, and the organised life of a student. I wasn’t sure if I had enough credits and I panicked at the thought of transitioning from the life I had to the life of a student. But when I called up, I was met with a team of organised and reassuring people.
Reflections on Go Higher by Lauren (class of 2017)
I was really lucky to get onto Go Higher because I only found out about its existence within a few days of the application closing date. I had applied for another Access to Higher Education course and was dreading the childcare implications (I’m a single mother) since it ran over three days. Go Higher, however, is one full day a week and much more manageable, and I’ve had time to organize childcare for when I start my degree full-time in September. To be honest, I couldn’t believe my luck at having discovered Go Higher for another reason –
A Go Higher Student’s Personal Story by Dominic Henry
I’ll start with some information about me. In school I made the same cocky mistakes a lot of teens do; i.e. I decided there was no point going to school because, well, what could they possibly teach me that I didn’t already know? So, I spent all of 3 hours a day there before deciding that that was enough. As you can imagine my exams didn’t go great, in fact I failed them all. But that was okay as I started working in a hairdresser’s a week after I finished school and was going to college to train as a stylist. I did this and qualified as planned – but that’s when life hit me full time.
Anticipation, organisation, and lots of cups of strong coffee… By Claire Jones
Go Higher students and staff work hard. Our access Diploma students begin their studies a full month before their fellow Liverpool students following undergraduate degree programmes. Next Tuesday, September 06, we will be welcoming some 92 new students on to campus to commence their part-time studies.
Because of this, September always comes around early for Go Higher tutor, mentor and admin team.
A personal story by Graham Moran…
After leaving my degree studies at 18 years old, feeling like I never wanted to return to any form of higher education ever again, I felt wrung out, tired and wanted to explore the other side of the pavement. As the years passed, I felt a sense of disappointment at myself for not pursuing education further. I had always enjoyed it, at school and at A-Level, and aged 31, felt the time was right for me to take action and stop pondering ‘what if?’ After hitting the proverbial glass ceiling working within hospitality, I made the decision to apply for Go Higher at the University of Liverpool in the summer of 2015 with the aim of furthering myself academically.
Twelve months later – by Lisa Hopkins, class of 2016
Twelve months ago I was lost. Having left school at 15 I had no GCSEs, I found myself turned away from many institutions and possible career paths because of this. As taking GCSEs as an over 25 is no longer funded I was caught between a proverbial rock and a hard place. I had almost begun to believe that this was my lot in life… But then I found Go Higher, an Access to the Humanities course at the University of Liverpool. What’s more, my lack of qualifications did not exclude me from entry.
The student view, half way through…. By Danial Latu
For a number of years I had been wanting to return to formal learning as things did not go to plan the first time round when I was in high school. I left at the age of 13 as a result I carry no traditional qualifications apart from life experience. I started to search the internet to see how I could better myself knowing that enhancing my education was the way forward for me.
Throughout my search I came across the Go Higher programme on the University of Liverpool website and it stated, “No traditional qualifications needed.” I knew within that I had found what I had been looking for yet I still held fear within me as I had been out of education for over 20 years.
How to discover what you like to study – and what you don’t….
