For Public Services student, Nicola Simpson, doing the Level 5 HND through Chesterfield College was the perfect fit. We spoke to her about making Higher Education fit around your life commitments and falling back in love with education.
Why did you decide to apply for this course?
I did my Level 3 Access to HE in Policing and Criminology at Chesterfield College and then one of the lecturers mentioned that I could study the Level 4 and Level 5 courses here. I thought it was a great alternative to doing them through a traditional university.
For me, because I’m a mature student and I’ve got a child, it made perfect sense because it’s more local. Being so close to home definitely attracted me to the course. I come in twice a week – Thursday and Friday and that really fits around my other life commitments, especially looking after my child. If you go to university, it can be an unpredictable timetable – you can be in Monday 5pm and Wednesday at 9am. I needed something more structured, and the units were the same as what I was looking at doing through universities anyway. It was a real win-win for me.
I’ve always been interested in criminal justice – all the true crime stuff is fascinating and I just thought it was the right time for me to actually put my all into doing the course.
There’s been a few modules I find particularly interesting – law is always interesting and this year we get to look at cyber security.
Is the course just classroom based learning?
This year we’ve got the opportunity to do work experience – I’m doing mine through the Citizens Advice Bureau – it’s about going out there and volunteering for something which is relevant to your course. I think because it’s quite a practical subject matter, it’s good to get that practical experience alongside writing about and discussing the course content.
What has it been like going into Higher Education as a mature student?
I was feeling a bit nervous before I started, but once I got here it was a walk in the park. I’ve never felt like the odd one out. The support has been amazing! My tutor Deb will always go out of her way to help you out.
As I came up through the Level 3 Access to HE course, we were taught about the key academic skills you need, such as referencing. I think this really helped to make the transition easier and made sure nothing was a shock to the system.
What would you say to someone considering a Higher Education course?
Definitely go for it! The way we do it, you can take each of the different levels separately. So if you did your level 4, you still come away with your Higher National certificate and if you decide you don’t want to go on and do Level 5 straight away at that point you don’t have to – you can come back to it in a year and you’ve still got some qualifications.
I think especially for mature students, it’s definitely the way to go.
What are your aims going forward?
After I’ve finished my Level 5 qualification, I’m going to do my Level 6 top up and then I want to go onto a Masters degree. I will be in education for a long time but I’m really enjoying it. I like the structure of education and I like the fact you have clear targets. I always thrive off the pressure of knowing I have a certain assignment due.