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An Access to Languages student talks about his return to education
Ross enrolled on a SWAP access programme in 2019. He spoke to Edinburgh College earlier in the year about his experiences of returning to education as a mature student and of his previous struggles with his mental health. Read Ross’s full story on Edinburgh College’s website.Ross is now in first year at St Andrews and brings SWAP up to date on his university experience so far:
“When the time came to actually go ahead and start uni I was pretty nervous about almost all aspects of it – lecturers, assessments, coursework, my much younger classmates – but the admissions office and my academic advisor were great at settling these fears. There are people there who’ve been through the exact same thing as you earlier in their career, and they’re a great reassurance in the early weeks as you adjust to a new way of doing things. The staff from the languages department couldn’t have been any more welcoming or helpful, and after getting used to the pace of the learning the first semester passed by in a flash. Assessments were stressful but rewarding, and by the time the winter break was over I was ready to get back and into the rhythm of things again. 17 year-old me would be horrified if he heard me say that!”
Thanks very much Ross for sharing your story with SWAP. All the very best for your ongoing studies.
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