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Money worries
I went to an all girls grammar school until I was 16 and it was always assumed by everyone that I would go to university but I wasn't too sure. My parents didn't earn as much as my friends' parents. With all the news articles about student debt it seemed a bit of concern and something I should maybe stay away from.
Sixth form College
I did pretty well in my GCSEs and I was happy with my results but for the school I was at, they were a bit lower than the average. So after my GCSEs I chose to go to college rather than stay on at my school sixth form and went to Brockenhurst College in the New Forest. I took three A Levels; Geography, English and Sports Studies and one AS Level in Human Biology.
It was here that I really started to enjoy the subjects I had taken and began to do really well in my exams, particularly geography. I was surrounded by lots of like minded people and really enjoyed being there. When I got to my second year, my tutor suggested applying for university and at that point it seemed like a real possibility for me. I didn't want to go to university just because everyone else did.
Choosing a course
I looked around lots of universities to see what sort of courses appealed to me. By this point I was really enjoying my geography classes and decided to apply for a geography degree. After a lot of research I applied to six universities for varying geography degrees and surprisingly got accepted to all of them. Exeter was my first choice, I had my heart set on it, I'd visited the campus and the department and knew it was right for me.
Getting in
University of Exeter offered me a conditional place and I needed to get ABC grades in my A levels with an A in Geography. I ended up getting ABB grades but I didn't the A in geography. I was gutted. I phoned the university to see if they would still accept me but they had already filled all their places! Unexpectedly they offered me a place on a geography course at their new campus in Cornwall and I jumped at the chance.
Uni Life
So here I am, at university, in Cornwall. I won't lie, it's been hard but I've made it. I needn't have worried about affording it. As I'm from a low income family, I get a grant as well as my student loan. I graduate in July and can't wait to see where I end up next, I'm definitely staying on at uni as a Postgraduate, either doing a Masters or a PGCE so I can become a Geography Teacher. Who knows? I've got the rest of my life to look forward to!
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