Student stories

Mathew Atkinson

PGCE General Primary with QTS

“Becoming one of the youngest Head Teachers in the country is enough to be proud of!”

“[The course] enabled me to fulfil my dreams of becoming a Head Teacher- it’s as simple as that!  I always wanted to be a Head Teacher right from when I started teaching.”

Emma Kirby

BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS

"The small class sizes also attracted my attention, as you really get the opportunity to achieve your maximum potential and make some really close friends. We had several lectures altogether as a cohort, but the majority of our seminars were as the small group.

"We gave each other support in the times we needed it and I have made some lifelong friends from the class."

Rebecca Lewis

BA (Hons) Primary Education

"The history trips that Sue organised were fantastic, my placement in London was amazing and the experience of spending 3 weeks on placement in Sweden was something I never imagined I’d be able to do."

Sarah Clarkson-Spoors

PGCE General Primary with QTS

“It made me sure that I really did want to be a teacher. It also gave me an insight into the best and the worst of schools, the calmest and the most stressful of classrooms, and the way truly inspirational teachers work. I learned things on my teaching practices that I pass on to other teachers now.”

Rob Ewin

MSc Criminal Justice, Investigation and Law

"I have found the staff to have a friendly and encouraging persona which enriches the quality of the experience at the university. This made me feel valued …and compelled to achieve not only for myself but for the establishment itself.”

Jinlu Lai

MSc International Management

"I liked the way in which lecturers gave the lectures; both fun and academic. The staff in the International office really helped me a lot with my life and study after I arrived here."

Shannon Bateson

LLB Law

"I loved the chance to do hands on work; the course shows you what work in the field is like. Being taught by former/current solicitors and barristers means that we get real life experiences and advice on a career in Law."

Michael Hird

FdSc Policing and BSc (Hons) Professional Policing

"University gave me the knowledge and confidence to pursue my career as a Police Constable, a role which I have held with Cumbria Constabulary for over 2 years."

Dan Abel

LLB Law

"Going to university has provided me with a lot of personal development. I would say I have become a lot more confident. University forces you to learn how to effectively manage your time. Most importantly, you make friends for life."

Alistair Storey

LLB Law

"It is a small course which allows greater student/lecturer interaction, which is great if you don't understand a difficult concept idea. It also allows greater discussion during the lecture which, for someone who likes debates, is brilliant."

Florian Prey

MSc International Management

“It wasn’t too focused on just one special topic. It gave a broad insight in the management topic beginning with finance over to HR and cross cultural management. Choosing a topic for my dissertation was the hardest part during my studies…the British education system was a whole new experience for me.”

Nicole MacGregor

BA (Hons) Adventure Media

"It had the right mix of creativity and adventure for me. It gave me a lot of freedom to film what I enjoyed filming, which is rock climbing, and also a lot of experience in participating in other outdoor activities."

Annie Weir

MA in Creative Writing

“I enjoyed the mixture of people in the group, Eliza Mood, and learning about editing. Sharing thoughts about each other’s writing – good and bad! The term on writing plays was the funniest when we acted out each other’s scenes.”

Eloise Eddington

BSc (Hons) Nursing (Learning Disabilities)

"I absolutely love placement and I am always excited to get back out there. I have been lucky in that I've had some amazing placements that have given me fantastic opportunities. The best will be my elective placement in June/July when I go to Australia to work with people with learning disabilities. I am very excited about that!"

Natalie Sutcliffe

BA (Hons) Working with Children and Families

"I liked the campus, it is small, friendly and peaceful and the staff are lovely too."

"I have always known that I want a profession that involves working with children. I would definitely recommend this course - it has opened my eyes up to many different careers after university and has made me look at things is a different way."

Michael Parkinson

BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy

“I love the fact that Occupational Therapy can be practised in so many settings. I was fortunate enough to have placements in memory assessment, acute inpatient mental health, stroke rehabilitation and community mental health to name a few. The variety of clients, environments, physical and mental illnesses I experienced throughout my four years as a student was what I enjoyed most about the course.”

Nicola Cranston

BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing

"Before I gained my GCSEs, I never thought it would be possible to get into university. And when I did gain my qualifications and got a place on the nursing degree, I felt a great sense of achievement as I was the first person in my immediate and extended family to get into university.

"I felt that by gaining a place, I had started to get my life on the right track for the first time. I also felt I could be a role model for my two younger sisters."

Kingsley Adinnu

Business Innovation and Regional Development

“I like the frequent communication with my supervisors and university staffs who have been very supportive in my continuous development as a PhD student. In addition, I also enjoy my interactions with other PhD student and the mutual support and insight that are gained through our engagement.”

Neil Windett

Health, Value and Green Spaces

"The supervisors I met at the university were supportive and keen for me not to get too focused initially, something they have continued to advise while I’ve been researching and writing my literature review. The great advantage of this approach is that it allows you to study a very wide area and you can then focus on what interests you most at a later stage."

Bel Youngson

Occupational Therapy Perspective on Diabetes

"I definitely grappled with the transition from occupational therapy practitioner to researcher in my first year. However there is a very good support network in place: not just the supervision team but also the graduate school sessions, summer school and fellow doctoral students.

"It is a great privilege to be able to spend so much time thinking and reflecting on your profession and the various research methodologies."