Emma
How did you end up in Clearing?
So my Clearing journey began when I gave birth to my daughter and was then thinking about my future career and goals that I wanted to achieve. This originally led to me applying for a forensics course at Barnsley College University. However, after applying, I had second thoughts and realised I was doing it for the wrong reasons – I had chosen the University because it was local to me.
I began researching other options and this is when I found out that Huddersfield offered blended learning courses, which are mainly based at home, which for me, was a huge benefit with me having a young infant.
The user friendly Course Finder tool on the website allowed me to look at multiple different courses I was interested in and gave me all the information I needed to then make a decision and apply to study Mental Health Nursing, which I never expected to be able to do, as I didn’t expect it to have the flexibility for me to do a lot of the study from home.
What was your experience of applying through Clearing?
My experience of applying through Clearing was really positive and easy. I submitted all my details on the Clearing form and was contacted within two days with an update. After this, I received an online interview and some pre-interview scenarios to look at. The interview was well structured and afterwards, the lecturer told me that it had gone well and I had been successful. I then received an email later that day to confirm I had a place; it also explained my next steps for enrolling.
“It does seem daunting to go through Clearing, especially if you already have a place confirmed on a course, as nothing is set in stone, but I highly recommend it if you are wanting to change course or university, as in the future you will only regret it.”
Would you recommend Clearing to others who find themselves in a similar situation to yours?
Definitely! I was hesitant and was just going to stick with my confirmed course as that seemed easier; however, this most likely would have just led to me doing a course I didn’t want to do and having a less flexible style of learning, which wouldn’t have fit in with my personal life.
What’s your favourite thing about your course?
My favourite thing about my course is the equal balance of practical and theory work. I have just finished my first placement and feel I have learnt so much which I wouldn’t have learnt in a classroom. Actually being in practice brings it to reality. However, I do also understand the importance of building base knowledge, using lecture style learning and this is mainly completed online for blended learning students, which really helps me to maintain a good learning and life balance.
“I’m very happy that I switched to the University of Huddersfield through Clearing. It has allowed me to study something I really want to do and that I am passionate about, and provided me with a flexible way of learning that fits in with my home life and other responsibilities as a parent.”
How have you found using the new Daphne Steele facilities as part of your course?
The new Daphne Steele facilities are amazing! It truly is a state-of-the-art building for Health students. It has all the modern equipment for clinical practice and is well designed with spacious rooms and stunning environments for working outside of the classrooms.
What is the quality of teaching like on your course?
The quality of the teaching on my course is excellent. There were a few bumps at the start of the road and it was a bit chaotic with technology issues for learning online but the lecturers sorted these promptly.
The support from lecturers is amazing and they are always quick to reply to any questions or emails you have. In terms of the learning quality, it’s of an exceptionally high standard; all of the lecturers are knowledgeable about their specific subject areas, which means an optimum learning environment for us students.
How have you found studying whilst having parental responsibilities?
Studying whilst caring for my daughter has been so easy. This is the area in which I expected to struggle most, but due to the flexibility of blended learning, managing childcare has been much easier.
Due to being on a nursing course, we have to complete placements, which has also been extremely easy as we are given placement details beforehand, so I’ve been able to contact them in advance to go and look around and get to know my shift pattern. In fact, the placement assessor asked if I had parental responsibilities and was very understanding of this and stated that if I needed to change any days, I could.
What support have you received from the University?
The support I have received from the University has been great. Because I struggle with autism and especially the anxiety part of this, I have a specialist mentor who I have weekly sessions with. We talk about all sorts, from how I’m managing my personal life to how I’m managing my workload at uni. It helps substantially, especially when you just need that person to talk to for reassurance and guidance.
What would you say to anyone thinking of applying to Huddersfield?
Go for it! If I knew where I would be now and what I’m doing, I wouldn’t have thought twice about applying to Huddersfield. You can overthink a lot and talk yourself out of doing something because it may not be in your comfort zone; however, sometimes you just have to overcome that and doing so has made me a more confident and determined individual, and a future nurse!