Access to HE – Melynda’s Story 

Melynda is currently studying the Access to Healthcare Professions course, with the hopes of continuing on to university-level study. She caught up with us to share her story and why she chose to study at EKC Canterbury College. 

Why did you decide to study Healthcare Professions? 

I had always wanted to pursue a career in Nursing but life got in the way. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and now my children are at school I have the time to commit to returning to education. On researching progression routes I realised I would need a higher Biology grade if I were to apply for an Adult Nursing degree programme, and this Access course will give me that. 

What has your experience been like as an Access student? 

Firstly, the accessibility of the course is great. I get to study around other life commitments and on a part-time timetable. Most of my class are of a similar age, with families and other work commitments so the lesson times work great for us. We generally start slightly later and earlier than most ‘school days’, so we can still do the school run or run necessary errands between class and home-life. 

The course is full on and there’s a lot to get through, but we’re well supported. Our tutors are really engaging and always on hand to help. They’re always reminding us to look into relevant bursaries and funding that we may be able to access, and they upload the class notes to Teams in case we ever miss a session, so no one falls behind. They’ve also been great in accommodating those of us with additional commitments. 

I’ve also really appreciated the use of the HE Study Centre. Having a separate area within the Learning Resource Centre that is just accessible to Access and HE students is really beneficial, and almost replicates the kind of study spaces we’ll come across at university. We get to study in a quiet, mature environment and have access to such a large selection of textbooks, online books and academic journals that help us with our work. 

Would you recommend studying an Access course? 

Sure. I’ve already completed a university degree before, but for those who haven’t the Access course has been great at preparing them for university and the standard of work that is needed. We cover things like Harvard referencing and citation, it’s been really helpful to remind myself of these practices again.  

The course has also been really in-depth and interesting. Having looked at the modules I’ll be covering at university, I feel like the topics we’ve learnt this year have set me up well for success. 

What advice would you give someone about to start the course? 

Be prepared. Like I mentioned, there’s a lot of course content to get through in just one year so you need to be ready to learn and continue studying in your spare time too. You definitely need to be committed and willing to work hard.  

Time management is key, so focus on getting into a routine and breaking down the workload into manageable chunks. Work out a study schedule that works for you and your circumstances.  

All the hard work will be worth it, when you have the qualifications to go onto the university-level course you’ve always dreamt of. 

Learn more about our Access to HE courses