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….
Mature students returning to education after a long time out are often undecided as to what they may want to study as an undergraduate. This is true of many of our Go Higher Diploma students embarking on the part-time, one-year access programme here at the University of Liverpool. Others come to us with firm ideas of where they want to go next and stick to their initial aims throughout. There are always students, however, who begin the Go Higher Diploma firm ideas of their undergraduate pathway but then change their minds, sometimes quite dramatically
What Go Highers do over the summer. By Claire Jones
The formal Go Higher programme runs from early September to mid-May with our ‘graduation’ and celebration of success in July. Most of our students progress on to undergraduate degrees after Go Higher and these start in late September. However, this does not mean that our students leave learning behind for the summer – very far from it…
Taking the scenic route to Higher Education by Alex Carabine
I never thought I would attend university. I had so many failed attempts at higher education behind me that I was convinced I wasn’t smart enough, brave enough or good enough to be able to get through A levels, let alone onto an access course or even – heaven help me! – a degree.
I’m not sure how I worked up the courage to apply for Go Higher; I remember holding my breath and closing my eyes when I clicked “send” on my online application.
Versed in Go Higher by Paul Smith
Wednesday was the last teaching day of Go Higher and most of our brilliant students are getting ready to begin their undergraduate degrees in September (after the small issue of getting their assessed assignments in later this month).
We celebrated in lots of ways, and this is a verse penned in response to Go Higher by our very own Paul Smith, who is going on to study arts subjects and achieve great things at Liverpool University and who is pictured here with his son George.
What do you have to do to get a place on Go Higher? By Claire Jones
This time of year is always interesting for the tutors on Go Higher as it is when we get to meet the people who may become our students next year. Applications are at their busiest now, as offers of places are made by the end of July and we begin the new academic year at the start of September.
This last few weeks I have got to meet people from many different backgrounds and ages, all with unique stories as to why they want to do Go Higher, most with a view to starting an undergraduate degree programme in September 2016. This is not the only reason people apply to us however and some students join us undecided as to what they want to do next after completing the course. They come to Go Higher to widen their options, experience being a part-time student and to have a second chance at higher education.
On campus and online: life as a student on Go Higher by Claire Jones
Since our students are only on campus for one day on a Wednesday, on Go Higher we use a range of strategies to support them during the rest of the week when they may be working, at home looking after a family or doing other things. In this way, we can provide teaching and contact to help students complete any research and assignments they need to complete for class. One of our most vital tools is VITAL – The University’s online platform for learning (view one of our online lectures below).
Nerves, trepidation & expectation: students’ reflections on their first day on Go Higher
Starting something new nearly always prompts anxious feelings; however returning to study after a long time away from education is probably more daunting than most. We asked some past Go Higher access students, now all half way through their degree at the University of Liverpool, how they remembered their first day with us:
What’s a typical Go Higher student?
January is the time when the Go Higher application system speeds up for people wanting to commence study on our part-time access course in September, with a view to beginning their undergraduate degrees in September 2016 (applications are open now if you’re one of them).
Over the last few months we have been doing some research into people who completed Go Higher two to three years ago and who are now in the first, second or third years of their undergraduate degree programme. The aim was to get a picture of a typical Go Higher student.
