Access student Jack Witham didn’t let lockdown get in the way of achieving his goal of studying nursing at university. We caught up with him this week to talk about his time at College.
Which programme did you complete at MidKent College? Did you also study English and/or Maths GCSE?
I did the Access to Healthcare and Nursing course and level 2 functional skills in English.
Did you have an idea of what career/degree you wanted to do when you started the programme? What made you choose MidKent College and particularly the Access programme?
I wanted to do a nursing degree but did not have the grades to get into university. I thought I would have to do A levels, which would have taken longer, but instead found out about MidKent College’s Access course. It was only a 1 year course and because I live in Maidstone it was nice and local.
Which universities did you apply to and where did you get offers from?
I only applied for Canterbury Christ Church University (Medway and Canterbury campus) and I did receive an offer which relied on me getting a certain amount of distinctions and merits from the access course.
Which university have you decided to go to and why? Which programme will you be doing?
I have decided to go to Canterbury Christ Church (Medway campus) to study a nursing degree. After going to the open day, with friends I made at MidKent College, it was an easy decision to make. They had great facilities and it is only a 30-minute drive from my home.
Do you feel that your College programme helped prepare you for what you have applied for? How intensive did you find the Access course?
Studying at MidKent College really gave me the confidence I needed to study at degree level. Access to Healthcare and Nursing covered many aspects of nursing from psychology and biology, to ethics and communication. The course certainly challenged me but never gave me a task that I could not achieve. The tutors were always there to help me when I needed it. Overall, MidKent College has done a great deal to help me in my goal of becoming a nurse.
What were the highlights of studying at College? What did you think of your tutors, the facilities, the support available?
The tutors were fantastic. I really liked it that we would get a whole day to do one subject which really helped us to understand each unit in great detail. The tutors were especially good at finding the classes weak spots and really concentrating on them until they became our strengths. The facilities were also decent. We had access to laptops if we did not have our own and there were even PCs in the library. There was a study room which some of us would meet up in to complete assignments together and a café in case we got hungry. The café also provided a much needed caffeine boost when we would study all day together. I used the library to get the information I needed for my assignments and the librarian would help me find the books I needed.
How did lockdown affect your studying?
For me personally, the lockdown completely stopped me from studying. Although online classes were offered on Zoom, my duty as a clinical support worker kept me from attending. Now my work load has dramatically dropped, I can begin to study what I missed. Being able to study for the next 2 months at home just goes to show how much MidKent College has done for me. Even though I missed out on the last part of the course, I now have the skills I need to learn the last units independently.
Would you recommend the programme and/or College to other students?
I would recommend this course to anyone who wants to study in any aspect of healthcare. It will really give you the skills, knowledge and confidence you need to be ready for university. I would like to thank all the staff and students at MidKent College who helped me get closer to my aspiration of becoming a Registered Nurse.
Access Curriculum manager Richard Coyle said “Jack is a really enthusiastic and hard-working student. Whilst studying he has also been working as a clinical support worker and has learnt loads from this as he has gone along. We wish him every success in the future”
Congratulations Jack!
Find out more about our Access programmes and how they can help you achieve your goals here
