Ian Morris
Posted : 1st September 2008
After leaving school with no qualifications and nothing in the way of guidance or inspired purpose, I reluctantly joined Her Majesties Coldstream Guards in an attempt to escape the prospect of the signing on for the foreseeable future. However, two years into my service I returned to the Midlands and followed the classical scenario of a naive young man in love, becoming a father at the age of 19.
This brought about a final and decisive end to my military service, and after little deliberation I promptly returned and adjusted to civilian life, which luckily for me involved working as a musician and touring as a band member. As I'm sure you can imagine, the lifestyle associated with “easy living” can be murder on domestic life and before long I settled into the rat race, jumping sporadically between a multitude of different jobs, ranging from the mind-numbing and monotonous minimum wage, to positions of responsibility in fast pace, big money environments, all the while ascending and descending the employment ladder with no prolonged success and no intentions of returning to education.
After following the same pattern of life for many years, I didn't so much as decide but rather realised that a drastic change was required for me to progress effectively within a vocation that appealed to me. I made enquiries as to the criteria needed to enter university and realised an Access Course would present the best opportunity for me. The decision to choose Fircroft College was partly influenced by the proximity to resources available here, and the availability of one-to-one tutor support. Also, of particular interest to me were the College ethos and the historical background of the institution. My doubts concerning my academic abilities were quickly eradicated as the college helped develop my existing skills. With the guidance of the teaching staff my abilities I soon progressed to a University level standard.
The content of the Social History modules helped focus my already active interest in the subject. The standard of teaching delivered by the staff enabled me to attain high grades and encouraged research on a broader scale. A wide variety of teaching methods are utilised to accommodate students in a way that appeals to a number of diverse learning preferences. I consider the alternative disciplines of Literature and Sociology to be another addition to my overall skills and have developed abilities from both subjects, which have benefited my learning in different ways, giving me broader perspective and greater clarity.
I have successfully achieved the Access Diploma and have accepted an offer to study History and Archaeology at Chester University. My experience at Fircroft College has definitely served as a positive platform from which I can effectively continue my interests in academic study. I feel that the continual access to tutor support and the environment created by the college has made my educational experience all the more productive. I have really enjoyed my time here and would recommend Fircroft to anyone seeking to further their personal development.
