Beccy Wheildon

I was out of education for 24 years and it was just so daunting the idea of studying again. Don’t be scared to give it ago and have a chat with the college and make that first point of contact. Once you’ve done that you feel like it’s doable. The course is challenging but manageable if you commit to it. Ultimately, I wouldn’t have been able to progress in to University without it.

Beccy decided to come to College at age 40 to pursue her goal of becoming a nurse and applied to the Access to HE course. This is designed for adults who want to progress to university, but perhaps missed out on the opportunity to achieve the necessary qualifications in school.

Beccy left school with her heart set on working in finance but later decided she wanted to change her career path and become a nurse. Originally this didn't seem possible to Beccy as she didn't have the qualifications needed.

I left school knowing I wanted to go into Finance, and worked for Skipton Building Society where I progressed to becoming the branch manager. When I started my own family I worked for the family business doing the bookkeeping part time. At aged 36 I had an idea of becoming a nurse, but put it aside thinking it wasn’t possible. Turning 40 I thought I don’t want to get to 50 and regret not doing it. After talking to people I realised it was achievable by doing the Access course at College.

Living between Lancaster and Kendal gave Beccy options for studying the Access to HE course. The Access course at LMC allows you to progress onto a degree course in a field related to the course topics including: nursing, teaching, social work and sciences.

I looked at the course options at LMC and Kendal College, so I had both options open to me. I came to an open day at LMC, everyone was really friendly and I was impressed with the professionalism of the college and Laura, the tutor. She was amazing!

The course provides you with the skills and knowledge you will need to progress further to university, such as essay writing and presentation skills. Beccy says that she has enjoyed returning to learning and is looking forward to progressing to university after the Access course, and says,

The best bits about the course have been the learning, learning so much that I never thought was possible, specifically the Human Physiology has been really interesting. I was really worried about the whole application process for university, as not many of my friends or family had been to university. However early on in the Access course it was obvious there would be plenty of support. Laura the tutor organised trips to the local universities and one of the modules on the course is on Preparing to Progress, a full module on getting your application ready, how to apply and mock interviews!

When asked what she would say to someone thinking of studying the Access course, Beccy said:

I was out of education for 24 years and it was just so daunting the idea of studying again. But don’t be scared to give it ago, have a chat with the staff at college and make that your first point of contact. Once you’ve done that you'll feel like it’s doable. The course is challenging but manageable if you commit to it.