Higher Education Experience Days
LEAD ORGANISATION
ADDITIONAL ORGANISATIONS INVOLVED
Aylesbury College; Uxbridge College
PROJECT SUMMARY
Four Higher Education 'Experience Days' were delivered at Bucks New University during 2008-09 and 2009-10 for students from local FE colleges.
The Experience Days have been developed to give Level 3 vocational college students a realistic experience of what it is like to study in a university setting. Students also benefit from a variety of support activities throughout their application process to higher education. The days that have run so far have been aimed at students studying creative arts subjects and have offered students the chance to participate in workshops run by professionals, including 'Music Management and Production', 'Performing Arts', 'Graphic Arts and Advertising', 'TV and Film' and 'Textiles and Surface Design'.
Over 100 students in total attended the days. Attendees were from Aylesbury and Uxbridge Colleges and were mainly studying BTEC National Diplomas in various creative subjects.
IMPACT
98% of those feeding back felt that they now knew more about HE having attended the Experience Day, and 97% stated that the day had helped them decide to go on to higher education. 96% rated the day overall as either 'Excellent' or 'Good'.
One Lecturer in Graphic Design from Aylesbury College saw at first hand how the students benefited from the experience:
"It was a very positive experience for the students and they really benefited from the day."
One BTEC National Diploma student from Aylesbury College who chose to do the Graphic Design and Advertising workshop had not been sure what to expect but said later:
"It was an amazing day and now I am sold on going to university. It was really great to be able to talk to the tutors. The Student Ambassador who accompanied us really helped us to feel comfortable and didn't gloss over the realities of university life. We were going to have to work hard to get the results we wanted. I thoroughly enjoyed the practical aspect of the day and getting real hands-on experience of a printing press".
Another Aylesbury College National Diploma student was surprised at the variety of pathways available that she had not considered before:
"The tutors explained things really well and made me feel that getting a degree was attainable. I was worried about how I was going to afford to go to university but I now realise the opportunities a degree will bring me outweighs this. I would recommend the University Experience Day to anyone thinking about higher education; it will open your eyes to a new world of opportunity".