Ultimately, I never intended to attend university or pursue the career path I am now. When I was at school, I was always considered bright and talented, particularly relating to maths. This left me thinking I should pursue a career relating to that talent. However, I found this overly dull and not something I could ever see myself doing as a job. Any other plans I had were further thrown out when at 15 I suffered severe bullying culminating in a mental health crisis with in patient admissions until I was 18. This caused me to fall out of proper education and in turn, miss my GCSEs.
When I was 16, I was diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD): something no one had ever suggested I had before. This helped me to understand myself and the issues I’d struggles with at school and during other pursuits like the Cadets. I often found myself at odds with authority when I felt it was wrong, and unlike others, I could rarely remain silent or continue to participate in what I felt was an unjust or unfair situation.
My first re-engagement with education came at a small post-18 specialist college that taught social and life skills. This helped me to exit isolation and achieve the GCSEs I’d missed, but, was unable to provide any level 3 qualifications. I struggled to engage at any mainstream colleges and so began to think any university level education was unavailable to me.
In 2021, I began volunteering at a dog rescue centre, since animals were a passion of mine. This gave me purpose and helped fulfil a sense of public service. Unfortunately, in 2024, things at the centre became difficult for me and I made the decision to leave. The upshot of this departure left me rather purposeless and unsure of what to do with my future.
It was around this time in 2025 when I developed a keen interest in law. Although I’d always had the curiosity, I began researching and learning the finer details of matters. It was thanks to this I began searching for pathways into the legal profession, with almost all requiring a degree, I needed to find a way into university.
Online, I discovered the Step Up to HE course at the University of Staffordshire. However, I was unsure of whether it would be of any help. I saw no point in doing a course if it meant still doing extra study or requirements after. To investigate options, I attended an Open Day and spoke to one of the tutors, Dan from the Step-Up course. After explaining my circumstances, they confirmed the course would allow me to study the law degree I thought could take me another year or 2 to even begin should I do well and achieve positive grades on my assessments. This filled me not only with confidence, but instilled an optimism that I could still pursue a degree without a traditional education.
It did nothing to quell the nerves on the first day, but the staff were welcoming, did their best to encourage group interaction on the first day, and were extremely supportive of the work throughout the course. The group itself was also quite welcoming, with no 2 people with the same circumstance, but all seeking an unconventional path to university. The 10-week course not only built my skills to work at university level, but helped rebuild my confidence in a classroom setting, preparing me to face new peers when I start my undergraduate degree in Law in September.
As of the point of writing this, I now have an offer to start the undergraduate Law degree in September without a foundation year, something I feared would be necessary. Thanks to the Step Up course I’ve had the opportunity to access facilities such as the library, student union advice and been able to arrange a Student Inclusion plan already, something most learners must wait until they’ve started in September to arrange. These advantages helped quell my anxiety about September, as though I will be meeting new people and tutors, I already know the university and it’s not an unfamiliar environment. I have also been able to access the careers team, who will be able to assist getting me the job experience required to qualify as a solicitor.
Overall, this course has been an amazing experience and opportunity for me to pursue my dreams and had towards a rewarding career, whereby I have made some good lasting friendships too. I would highly recommend it to anyone in the position I was, thinking it is to late, or deciding how to start their next steps into higher education as a route to secure a new career path.
Albert
To find out more surrounding the Step Up to HE programme and how to apply for the next intake, check out our Course Webpage available at: Step Up to Higher Education University Foundation Certificate – University of Staffordshire