My Trip to Bath University

 This summer I was offered a very unique opportunity to visit a university for five days to talk about further education. As a grammar school student, the idea of A-levels and even university wasn’t ever really a question and I was certain ever since I was in year one that I was going to be a teacher when I grew up. Despite the fact that I had pretty much planned my age at the age of four, those 5 days opened my eyes to the possibilities of university, the skills I could learn and the friends I could make.

So I arrived at the campus on the 1^st of August in high spirits. I thought I looked quite casual but neat with my Harry Potter t-shirt and turn ups in my jeans- I was pretty sure I would look normal and fit right in.

Wrong.

Everyone was dressed like they were being sponsored by Jack Wills, well, if you looked closely you could notice a few cheeky Hollister Jeans but that was the only variation.

However within five minutes I was chatting to some other girls who were also interested in history, they all had very different reasons. For example, some wanted to study history because they would like to research into things like slavery, genocide and the holocaust and find out where humanity went wrong so we won’t repeat the same mistakes again. Others were simply interested in the subject, they enjoyed it.

So, we spent the first day being shown around the campus. One thing I really liked about it was that there were a lot of options and things to do. One of the things that scare me about the future is regret- will I regret my choices in further education? Will it be too late to go back and change it? At university they look after you really well, there are many clubs and mini courses you can take as well as your main course. For example, I want to be a history teacher when I’m older and hopefully educate children in poorer countries. However, I also want to help in other ways. I have an interest in film making and animation but I have always worried if I will be good enough for it. For that reason I never pursued it but at university I could easily learn about it and start developing my skill alongside my education in history.

We did a long of things in the space of 5 days. We began working on projects on a period of history we were most interested in. I chose ancient history because I’ve always had a fervent attitude to myths and legends. Another factor that drew me to that decision was the fact I was in Bath, what better place to do research?

So it began, the research and presentation of our projects for the next 3 days. I really enjoyed making my project because it was really independent and we all helped each other. At the same time I felt I could go to the teachers for help and I felt really comfortable.

At the end we all talked about what we had learnt. I learnt a lot from my peers as well as my own work and I was really proud of the work I had produced and happy with the friends I had made.

It was honestly an experience I will never forget. :)  
AC