Hey! I hope you’re doing well! I thought I’d start things off by sharing one of my favourite quotes of all time…
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Eleanor Roosevelt
Anyways, my name is Ewan and I’m part of a fantastic team of mentors here at the University of Strathclyde. Don’t believe me? You’ll find out how good a team we are when you visit the campus J. We have all studied a variety of subjects from different universities and colleges, so there is a wide range of talent and knowledge in the room!
My story can be quite lengthy, but I’ll keep it nice and simple for you all:
When I was at high school, I always knew I wanted to become a teacher, but I didn’t know what I wanted to teach. In 5th year I joined the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Junior Programme studying Contemporary Dance – this was while I was still at high school, all the classes/training were every Sunday. I received funding from the Transitions programme that RCS offer and is definitely worth looking into if you’re interested in a career in the performing arts. I was on this programme for 2 years and then decided that teaching dance full time just wasn’t the right career for me.
In 6th year I decided I wanted to become a Primary Teacher, therefore I had a look and applied for different courses that offered Primary Education and applied through UCAS. In 6th year I also took part in TOP-UP which is another programme FOCUS West offer to 6th year students. Unfortunately, I didn’t get into university straight from school. At that moment in time I thought that was the end of the world, although little did I know it was the best outcome for me. Of course, I did apply for some college courses just in case I didn’t get into uni – so glad I did! I completed my HNC in Childhood Practice at college and then proceeded to apply for uni the next year round and got 5 unconditionals, which I was thrilled about! Going to college also gave me reassurance that teaching was the profession I wanted to go into. Sometimes certain careers sound ideal and you’d love to do it, although you could start and not like it – you never know.
Present day, I’m in my 3rd year of BA(Hons) Primary Education here at the University of Strathclyde and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve met amazing people throughout my time here and will continue to meet more in my final two years J. Life at University gives you so much independence, from organising your studies to organising any social events. In uni there are different societies which you could join and they could be anything from a dance society to a movie society. You could even start your own! Of course, it’s not mandatory. University life offers a whole host of new opportunities. Of course, on my first day I was nervous that I wouldn’t make friends but that’s only natural. You’ll find that everyone is in the same situation and it’s really easy to make new friends at uni. While I’m at uni I decided to stay at home as I only have a 30 min journey into Glasgow and would much rather commute. I also have some part time jobs which are based where I live, so it didn’t make much sense for me to move out at this moment in time. Having a part time job while at uni always helps as it’ll help you fund anything you would like to do, going out for dinner or going to the cinema etc. These are just some of my experiences at uni so far but it’s just to give you a taster.
I hope to see you soon! All the best, Ewan