There’s a constellation of academic and career options available within STEAM. Through exploration, I aimed for a mentally stimulating degree that utilises my strengths. Yet, personal hardships meant I had to take an alternative route that differed from my peers.
Without A-Levels or Level 3 qualifications, I felt like a mental portcullis had blocked my way. I assumed that further education was out of reach. I used a building block approach to plan how I would re-enter education after leaving for a year.
I sought a fun foundation degree that was mentally stimulating and rewarding. I used my personal interests and past academic experiences to gauge what I would be good at. I decided on Computer Game Programming.
During my time studying, I realised I also enjoy writing and research. Coding is a means of structured, systematic, and constructive technological communication. But, I loved writing for other people to resonate with.
Liberal Arts and Sciences is an interdisciplinary degree that embodies STEAM. I knew I had to apply, but their course requirements only allowed A-Levels, which I didn’t have. I then emailed them to inquire about any possible alternative entries. Luckily for me, there was! I would need to get a 70% in my foundation year. I now had two goals to work towards, as I also needed to write a good personal statement.
I gave myself three months to start, draft, edit and complete my personal statement. Despite being a ‘personal’ statement, I let everyone read it and welcomed feedback. Attending personal statement workshops gave me a fresh perspective on my work. One tip is to fight against perfectionism, which hinders you before you start writing. Allow the statement to be your mouthpiece to universities. Let your knowledge, experience and dreams about your degree speak for you.
My hard work paid off, earning me an 86% in my foundation year.
I learnt a lot during this experience, and here are my main lessons:
- If you don’t ask, the answer will always be no. Had I taken course requirements as gospel, I would never have applied.
- A lack of self-belief is more limiting than a lack of opportunities. Through self-belief, I discovered opportunities that aligned with my academic situation.
- Research is essential during applications. I spoke with admissions teams, attended open days and watched countless YouTube videos. All this preparation led to my offer.
In short, A-level grades—or, in my case, the lack thereof—are not the be-all and end-all of entry to further education.
We are all stargazers seeking out a bright future. Don’t let personal hardships or circumstances beyond your control put out your light.
This article was written by Krys, Stemettes Work Experience.
