The support I received was the biggest highlight, from study support to tutor support, everything was excellent, particularly in helping me manage my dyslexia. My dyslexia was identified and assessed while I was studying at UCO and the support put in place really helped me with my assignments.
I regularly accessed Academic Support throughout my three years of study, which helped me to structure my assignments. I was able to receive extensions due to my dyslexia, which helped to reduce anxiety.
One-to-one support from the Wellbeing team enabled me to manage personal challenges and stay focused on my studies.
Neil, my tutor, was particularly supportive. The way he communicated and broke concepts down helped me to process and fully understand the content.
A stand-out moment in terms of my achievement and development was being nominated for, and winning, the Inspiration Award at Sheffield Hallam University, one of UCO’s accrediting partners. I haven’t always had confidence in myself, but Neil encouraged and championed me, helping me to believe in my abilities.
In my second year I was required to gain 100 client hours, which led me to work across three placements. I was one of the first students to complete my hours, demonstrating my hard work and resilience. I was also one of the first from the cohort to secure employment, gaining a counselling role with a rape crisis centre.
I took a gap year between my foundation degree and top-up year, during which I worked as a case worker to support survivors of domestic violence. Alongside this, I continued to support survivors of sexual abuse at the rape crisis centre. Counselling has opened many avenues for me and I value the flexibility that independent and self-employed work offers. I have combined my passion for nature and mental health, recently completing training to become a Walk Leader. I have also completed outdoor first aid training, strengthening my ability to work safely in outdoor settings.
Through this training, I received funding to take a group of women to the Peak District, enabling me to integrate mindfulness, gratitude and nature-based approaches into my counselling work.
I am planning to embark on a partnership with another professional who shares a similar vision and together we will be applying for grants to expand this work.
The top-up year has been extremely beneficial, as it involved learning a range of modalities and how to integrate different approaches into my practice. I now have a wider range of strategies to support clients, enabling me to make positive changes in my work. This has significantly expanded my professional skill set and strengthened my practice.
UCO is one of the best higher education options you can consider, particularly because of its accessibility and the level of support available. The academic resources, tutor guidance and overall support have been outstanding. I have actively encouraged others to explore UCO’s courses because of the opportunities they can provide.
