My review of the course

It was about a year ago that most of us started getting interviews for this course. Before that we had applied for the course. Now, we have finally finished the course that would prepare us for university and grant us access to it. Some of us sought to recover study habits that we had lost, if we ever had them, to improve our writing in English so as to produce acceptable pieces at university level and to learn the skills that would see us through university successfully. Scary university. For reasons all of our own we each wanted to make it into university. Maybe it was to improve our lives, or to get a degree, or to be taught skills that are hard to access anywhere else. Different reasons that made us want to make it into university, and for that we required this access course. In my particular case, it is for the reasons mentioned before. I am interested in a foreign culture, the Japanese, and without the language it is really hard to delve into any aspect of their society and customs. I also like the language per se, and unfortunately outside university there are not many ways of learning Japanese, and even those will not take you far. I want to get a degree, for what it means and for what it grants me access to in the working world, and because nobody in my immediate family has one, I want to set an example for my young ones. Now, the access course is finished and university is the next stop on the road. So what did I get from this course and what do I think of it? Let us see.

Most people that have ever met me can tell that I am a confident person, probably overconfident would be used to describe more often than not. That is not really the case, I am ridden with doubts about myself, just like anybody else, but I also know that if I try, if I really do, there is not really all that much that I cannot accomplish, it is a matter of stubbornness, or will if you prefer. Unfortunately, no amount of self-confidence would see me through university if I did not have the skills to draw upon and rely on to tackle the task that university is. Thanks to this course I believe I have become more or less efficient in all of them.

The writing of good essays from the start, from the information gathering and analysis of such information to the actual writing of acceptable academic text. There is still room for improvement in that area, but at least now I know I am capable of it and how to bring about the changes required.

The study habits I never really had. I have always relied on good memory to see myself through exams in college when I was younger, but now I find myself with all these helpful techniques that I can use to be successful at university. From the setting of a study area, to time management, to the breaking down of the workload into manageable units, work plans and more. I feel like I hold an arsenal of weapons waiting to be unloaded and bring forth something that has never been seen before.

Student life. At the start of the course I doubted if I could bring myself to be a fulltime student again. Living on budgets and not having much money, committing myself to one place and one thing for a long period of time, and most importantly, if anything ever happened, going back to class and catching up rather than giving up. I believe my record speaks for itself. I have been absent a lot, but I have made it back, I have struggled, but I have made it back, and this is not only due to my own determination. At the start of the course Dieca told us to look around us, see our classmates, our friends to be and see them for what they were, the people that would be our support, the people that would help us through anything and everything. I was sceptical, I stand corrected. Thanks Dieca and thank you Simon.

There are many other things that I have learned in this course that I find to be of great help. The self organisation and work from the Investigating Europe that help us glimpse what many university classes will be like, just you and a tutor to guide you when needed, but mainly you. The facing of challenges we are not accustomed to, Maths for many, in my case History and Literature, subjects that I used to hate with a passion, and that now I enjoy thoroughly, and this is thanks to Evan and Scott who showed me that if you can back up what you state, your view should not be dismissed and you can dare having an opinion of your own, a freedom of sorts in subjects that I always found suffocating. Thanks.

From Jerry and Dieca I have learned much in the form of study habits and communicating tips. Oral presentations and how we all have them as part of our everyday life, facing an interview successfully, the structuring of the message that you want to deliver, and the actual delivery of such message. And mainly how to play my advantages. Thank you.

From Jane, I have rediscovered my interest and passion for the French language, a great language teacher that has been able to push me farther than any other language teacher ever has, and it is my win. Thank you.

John and Joe saw very little of me, but thanks to their cool relaxed attitude you could approach them and they would steer you in the right direction to show you that you could be successful in their classes. Thank you.

I did not have any actual classes, but thanks for being available and keeping an eye on me, and also for all the help you provided on your tutorials. Most people on the class did not have the need of using many of the things you provided us, but they were of great help for me to make it into Manchester University. Thank you.

And finally Dieca, the bossiest teacher I have ever had. A bit of a bully, I would dare say, she likes getting her way and she will do what it takes to make it so. Thankfully for us, her way is that we all make it not only into university, but through it successfully. I cannot start to thank you enough. If it were not for you, I would have never made it into the university of my choice. With your help and guidance I learnt what to look for in a course and where, how to look for what I needed and how to get in contact with those that would help me through and what to do in order to accomplish what I wanted. At the start of the course Dieca told us that she knew her way through the ropes and that she had seen it all, we all laughed a little, not anymore. Dieca has a well of knowledge from which we have all benefitted, and as I just said, if it were not for her, I would not be making it into the right university for me; I would not even know what to look for. And that is just some of the help she has provided, I believe in the years to come I will be referring more and more to all that she has taught us.

My own performance could have been better, but I am very happy with it. I was not able to stick to the datelines, I skipped class constantly because of work and personal matters, but I have made it back and learn my lesson. That gives me hope in my being able to make it through university. I made it through the course, and that is what matters, for I know that with better management I have everything in me to be able to make it through university, and I am already working and preparing for that. I have learnt my lesson and I will not make the same mistake again.

What to improve about the course? Nothing much, in my honest opinion. Each class has provided us with a wide background on which to build upon depending on our needs and career choices. Each class had something to contribute, from learning a new language, to being independent in the production of your own work, to all of the skills I mentioned before and more.

In conclusion, I have loved this year. I have learned a lot, I have met amazing people, and I have been provided with skills that will serve not only for university but for life in general. Right now I am filled with dreams, hope and illusion. I have a spring in my step that I had missed for years, and it is all because of this Access Course and all that it represents for me, a future full of possibilities. Thank you, sincerely. Thank you.

Arturo, out!

Late reflection on the course.

It's been just a few intensive summer weeks and I feel like I have never attended the College. First of all I am greatly thankful that on the contrary to Poland, education in Britain considers full time mature students, otherwise I would certainly not be at the universitie's doorstep today. When I think of the access course expectations now, I must say that I have strangely not had any as I always thought of going to the university in the first place what was also my main motivation. Furthermore even I thought of the college as more of a place of transition, I started to realise it's importance towards the end of the course. I suppose that what determined my decision about choosing this particular one the most was the option of studying Spanish as I intended to continue it in the future.
According to my experiences in the college they were definitely mostly positive, except the distance one had to overcome everyday. Since I've moved to Edinburgh, bicycle was my main mean of transportation and I could not imagine spending over two hours daily in the bus (listening to Spanish pod casts helped a little). Because of that I have passed my motorcycle driving licence, firstly using my scooter to commute to the college and than, when the weather got worst, the car or eventually buses. I truly hated the long travel and the distance one had to cover in a stuffy, claustrophobic, perfumed and horrendously loud buses and that was also the main reason for rejecting the option of studying at Stirling University. Even so it was worth it in the end as I was given a chance to meet a remarkable people and improve some skills necessary at the university. Beginning from refreshing the history facts and learning many new ones, especially about Britain to breaking my timidity during presentations and finally absorbing vital vocabulary and ability to intelligently analyse and criticize works of others, I have gained a hand full of useful tools to assist me in the future.
Personally I consider this particular course as a very well tailored as in general it is extremely difficult to match everyone preferences and develop them within a year. Despite the different interests and levels of engagement (as there were no two people alike, who have chosen to study the same faculty at the university) this course handed our personal needs greatly. Obviously everyone could find something to improve in the course, nevertheless they are all minor things that do not interfere with the integrity of the whole. As far as I am concerned my only request for the forthcoming years would be to find a more appropriate, interactive space for Jerry's absorbing class. I am highly convinced that it would gain a lot and everyone could take the full advantage of it's time even more efficiently. I must also add that at the begging of the course I had a mixed attitude toward the content of some of the subjects like history or literature, but in time I have realized that throughout being introduced to what their offered I am being more aware of the Scottish culture and society, the society I am a part of now. Therefore I would like to thank to all the teachers and although my dedication to some subjects might have not been noticeable during the course, I deeply appreciate and respect the commitment you have overtaken to share the valuable knowledge you posses. Finally the time spent in the college definitely made me more aware of the world I am living in and what is more important helped me to identify and improve my weaknesses to bravely challenge the future obstacles. Although the number of commitments and required self esteem I have enjoyed the course enormously and would recommend it to anyone looking for a gateway to further education.
Most importantly I loved you all guys (well maybe apart from .... ) and hope we will occasionally meet here and there not to forget this fruitful time that joined us all.
Good luck to you all and see you in the near future.

Good Luck

Hi ! Just thought I'd take a few minutes to say how much I enjoyed working with you guys. It must be a fantastic experience to belong to a group with such diverse backgrounds and yet such a strong and supportive atmosphere. I'm sure the friendships made will last a very long time and be of great value during your future studies.

A lot of the work in Investigating Europe was completed independently so maybe I'm a wee bit on the periphery of things. However tutors learn as much from students as the other way round and I certainly gained a lot from the experience. I'm now something of a world authority on subjects ranging from Latvian song and dance to Euthanasia in Europe and from Jewish Persecution to avant-garde installation artists. I should say a special thanks to Nadine as I now know where the best foam parties will be taking place when I'm clubbing in Ibiza over the summer!

I'm sorry I won't make Dieca's party so I just want to say thanks again and wish you all fun and success over the summer, in your future studies and for the rest of your lives.

Cheers, Joe

Thanks for a brilliant time together with brilliant people in a brilliant environment and a brilliant city! ;)

The course gave me great incentive after some struggling college years in Germany. At Stevenson I felt the course enabled me to study things that matter most to me. All teachers helped us wherever they could and often it was even possible to change the deadline for an essay or presentation. In Communication the majority of subject matters were chosen thoughtfully with the intention to prepare us for academic writing at university. I could often easily motivate myself to do some research and eventually start writing without losing too much time. History classes posed a thorn in my eye until the first half of the course. Retrospectively, I think Evan’s class was of enormous meaning. Even though I don’t entirely agree with the rather classical way of teaching I appreciate his passion he put into every single hour. With regards to Literature, we were all effectively taught to develop the skill of analysing and comparing themes and techniques used in a text. As for Spanish, the target of learning the language has been partly achieved. In the end however, I couldn’t bring up enough enthusiasm for it; though it was clear from the start on that I wasn’t going to study languages at university anyway.
I believe, the course wasn’t just about the preparation though. Part of the experience we have gained, was to be exposed to all sorts of personalities and characters and certainly getting on in a diverse environment. As a result I feel much more confident than before I’d begun Stevenson.

Coming to the improvements I have to say only a few matters should be taken into consideration.
Study Skills is one of those few matters. I can see that some people do need a bit of help with computers, and regardless of my opinion towards the subject they should be supported in Study Skills at any rate. I would therefore suggest cutting down the hours for the remaining ones who have the required computer know-how.
Also, as Hannah has mentioned already, computers are desperately needed for Communication. The fact that we finally, after countless months, got transferred into another room with laptops seemed like an empty joke to me.
Other than that, I felt really happy about everything else in the course.

After recalling the course, I can contentedly look back and say the whole course was an utter success. I’ve discovered weaknesses and strengths, I have learnt how to manage time more efficiently, what makes an academic essay, and so much more. In some ways the time at Stevenson gave me hints that were essential to show me what immediate course I want to pursue.

Now, this is probably the right moment to say thank you. Thanks to all for a fantastic time, I will really miss you!

Well where do I start? It has been an amazing year for me, when I think back to our first week and I remember how nervous I was, meeting new people and learning new skills (such as trying to find my way around Edinburgh) I could never have done it without the help of you guys especially Marieta and Vesy. In my home town I am quite the extrovert believe it or not. However, when you move away from your own safe environment to a new City for the first time it can become a daunting experience, especially if you have lived in Airdrie.

Moving to Edinburgh has been the best experience of my life, not only because of the friends I have made, but also because I have gained a sense of independence finally at the grand old age of 26!! I hear you all laugh but I’ll have you know I have been doing my own washing for the past month!! (Ok the last week but it’s a start). But seriously, each class mate has opened my eyes to their individual cultures and backgrounds from the Latvian dance contest to the German way of life, and each classmate has helped me in some way even if they do not realise it. Kind words of encouragements have forced me to keep trying and never give up.

Last week one of my class mates told me he was so proud of me and he saw a huge difference in me since the beginning of the course, at the time I laughed it off, but actually when I thought about it later I felt quite proud. I know I still have to improve in various areas (grammar and spelling) but I have noticed an improvement in my essay writing (I don’t know about the rest of you but when I came here I had to learn English grammar and I am still learning) even computer skills, I mean last year I honestly did not know how to switch a computer on. NO JOKE!!! Now I can even create power point ha ha. These things might seem trivial to every one else but for me I feel it is a big achievement. I would not be where I am today without the help of each teacher, I couldn’t ask for better teaching methods every one of you have been very helpful and you have given me confidence for University. Simon I totally agree with you on the Maths thing (he he) John you are great but every time I walked to the first floor my skin broke out in blisters lol. I can’t forget to mention Joe; you are an incredible teacher, even though I wish I had completed the Investigating Europe class in the second semester, as I feel I would have had more knowledge in writing academically and I would have chosen a more serious or interesting subject to investigate.

Overall I don’t think the college needs any improvements. The facilities are great and the teachers are very understanding.

I’m going to miss you all

Nadine xx

HANNAH'S REFLECTION

Motivation and positive experiences

My main motivation and expectation of this course was to help get myself into University. I really wanted to do well with this course as I hadn’t done well at school.I have to say I have really felt this course has worked better for me than school ever did.

My most positive experiences have not just been doing the course, but meeting others on my course and having really good conversations and debates with some of them about a range of topics: from whether Euthanasia is right or wrong to how useful Wikipedia can or cannot be. I also feel like my speaking and writing of French and Spanish has improved.

For Jordi’s class it included a lot of extra work on grammar and writing, but that was expected as I was doing an Advanced Higher course. I feel like I really learnt a lot from Spanish i.e. how to check my work properly, not something I always did before.

Roger helped build my confidence up on speaking and writing assuring me that the writing mistakes were mistakes even French people make due to the sound of the language.

I have to say John really helped in the way he taught maths, it was something I was really rather scared of. Most of my maths teachers before were not as patient and therefore I had believed that I’d always be useless at it, but John helped build my confidence up on that.

Improvements

I feel that the course could be improved by having the history assessments a bit closer together as it would give people more time to work on the history investigation, despite Evan’s thought that it takes barely anytime at all. I am aware of people worrying rather a lot about it.

The other improvement to the course that I believe needs to be available is access for communication classes to computers or laptops, and a PowerPoint screen. It’s a shame that the technology meant our first recorded presentations meant that many of us were almost blinded by an OHP light. I think that could have been avoided by having a better room. It’s a shame that the class has only changed location in the last month of the course.

Study skills really helped me to be reflective about my study and how much I’d achieved. I have to say a diary that I at first felt was not the greatest way of planning has now become really useful as a reference to what I’ve done, what I’ve to do and helped me to remember the way I’ve revised last time. I think I may even continue to use it, maybe not online but as a diary or something. We’ll see how well my time management goes.

Conclusions

I have learnt a lot from this course, how to time manage, finding different ways of revising, how to write essays. I have also found out how to structure my essays a lot better, when I think back to my first one for Jerry, structure was practically non-existent. I think I’ve learnt more about myself from this course than I expected. My first thought was just to do my best, but I’ve found I’ve done better than I thought I would. The fact I’ve got the marks I got, and passed things that I thought I’d panic, stress and therefore fail has allowed me to gain a bit more confidence with the things that I do, and I believe that’s probably the biggest thing I’ve learnt.

May 27, 2009 12:19 PM

Reflection

My motivation for enrolling on this course was very strong long before I ever applied – I wanted to study Japanese at University level, but had been out of school too long for my qualifications to still be valid. In this situation, I was faced with a choice between going on a Japanese course with lesser entry requirements or to find a way to gain access to university once again. Going the former route would not have allowed me to reach as high a standard of education and would not have actually given me a degree, which is necessary if I ever want to work in Japan. So, I took the latter option and joined the Access course.

While my qualifications are too old to consider ‘recent’, in reality I have only been out of education for 6 years, and since then I have spent a lot of time writing and studying various topics for recreation, so I did not expect the Access course to challenge me in radically new ways. For the most part, I thought it was be fairly easy; English, History and Maths are all subjects I was good at only a few years ago.

I consider it to be a positive experience that I was proven wrong about the ease of the course – yes, I had covered the majority of the content, but the workload and the pressure which came when I was actually required to start producing work was an eye opener. Had I gone straight to university or another learning institution; if I did not have this year to reacquaint myself with the life and demands of a student, I think I would have received a nasty shock.

This year also showed how valuable the support that tutors and fellow students can provide. This has been excellent group of people to work with, everyone was helpful, friendly and, with most us all feeling the same pressures of the course, helped to allay one another’s fears. As they say, a problem shared is a problem halved, and I will be very grateful if next year I have any tutors or peers like those here at Stevenson.

There are some minor ways the course could be improved, but it is hard for me to make effective criticism considering that I was hardly here for great chunks of time! Personally though, I would have liked to have had more discussions in class. Jerry’s class allowed a lot of time for discussion and the swapping of opinions and I thought Communications was an engaging and dynamic subject because of this. History, on the other hand, while interesting and well taught by Evan, seemed to be mainly listening to the facts rather than discussing them; it may be that the amount of material that needs to be covered is too great to allow this, but I do feel the course, particularly the British history unit, could be streamlined to allow more in-class participation.

What have I learned from this year? Well, I just finished writing an essay on Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for Scott, and one thing that taught me was this: “Don’t Panic”. There was a lot of work to be done this year, and at times it was daunting. But for most people, if you stick your head down and get to work then progress will be made, things will get done, and you’ll eventually emerge on the side of success.