Graeme Bainbridge

Tutors help you to realise how much you have achieved and it’s amazing! The knowledge sinks in, especially when you're using those skills outside of College. It’s awesome. College is a nice, comfortable environment to learn in, you can take it in your stride and it's really enjoyable!

Why did you choose to study Access to HE with us?

I hadn’t been in education for 5 years, and the course suited what I wanted to do in my future career… it gave me the opportunity to go to university and become a paramedic. I looked at other colleges, as I live in Poulton, but the course and structure were not the same, and the atmosphere wasn’t the same as at Kendal. Also, lots of people recommended Kendal beforehand. It’s worth the extra travelling!

Was College like you had expected. If not, why?

I didn’t know what to expect. I thought it would be a lot of work! Meeting new friends and working with other people, that you wouldn’t normally meet in your daily life, was really good. The amount of help and support from the tutors was amazing! They don’t treat you like a child at school… they understand you are an adult with a life and responsibilities outside of the course as well.

We had 2 days a week in college and homework 8-12 hours a week. If you manage your time well, you can get a lot of this work done in your 2 college days. As a mature student, you have to want to do it and be organised to have a full-time job and a family. The volume of work was explained and tutors were honest about this at the interview. We explored my time commitments and it was quite clear it would be okay.

What was the teaching style like on your course?

I’ve lived the other side of the world and done various courses, but the teaching style at Kendal College is the best I have ever had! You discuss things as a group, and the teacher leads you in the right direction, which helps with the learning process. Tutors tell you what you need to know and don’t over complicate it and waste time.

If you could give one piece of advice to people considering College, what would it be?

You don’t realise your potential until you have started the course. You don’t always realise how far you can actually go, until the tutors show you how good you actually are and how far you can go. A lot of people on my course had come in with low confidence about academic writing, and the tutors showed us that we can do it and we are good at it. Tutors help you to realise how much you have achieved and it’s amazing! The knowledge sinks in, especially when you're using those skills outside of College. It’s awesome. College is a nice, comfortable environment to learn in, you can take it in your stride and it's really enjoyable!