Marissa Smith HNC Social Sciences

“I had always wanted to return to education but I was bringing up my kids and working part time and I had other issues that all prevented me from going back to studying.  

However now my kids are grown up I thought that if I was going back to work, I would like to have a career rather than just a job, so I made the decision to apply for the NQ Access to social sciences (SWAP) course. SWAP courses are designed for those who have been out of education for three years or more. It had been 22 years since I had last studied so I was more than qualified! 

West Lothian College was the only college I considered applying to because I wasn’t going to look past my own doorstep. I settled in really quickly and I was soon convinced that I had made the right decision and I applied for the HNC course as soon as I could. 

The transition into the HNC class was really smooth and I think that’s down to the amount of support and encouragement the lecturers give all students.  

My long-term goal is to have a career in support so I have applied for university and I have had an offer from the University of Strathclyde to study Psychology and Mathematics. I have also received an unconditional offer from the University of Edinburgh to study a Masters in Sociology this offer is based on my grades from last year but the place has been held over for this year so I have several options.  

The plan for now though is to concentrate on completing the HNC. I also take part in volunteer work so I’m always very busy but I wouldn’t have it any other way! 

If there is anyone out there who is thinking about returning to education, I would definitely recommend going for it! It is better to try and fail than not try at all and if you work hard and believe in yourself you won’t fail!”

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