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About our students

John Hardiman

John Hardeman

BA Hons European Studies

Having semi-retired from a lifetime in journalism and seeking a new focus I was persuaded by friends to apply to Warwick to study for a Part-time Degree.

For me, it was all about personal achievement, having missed out on serious education and qualifications in my teenage years. University in the first few months did prove rather daunting, I was given a third for my first module and, having a certain amount of grey hair, fellow students on arrival at seminars thought that I was the lecturer!

However, confidence grew and essay marks improved although like many part-time undergraduates, examinations were approached with great trepidation. Studying for the degree together has been thoroughly enjoyable and I’ve benefitted from the considerable help and encouragement of the CLL team throughout my time on campus.

Read more about Foundation Degrees

Adrian Fitzhugh

Adrian Fitzhugh,

BA Early Childhood Studies

A lack of self-confidence, combined with having to deal with my partner of 17 years leaving me and having to fight to be granted shared residency of my three beautiful children had turned my world upside down. On the surface, this did not appear to be the perfect foundation to return to education after a 20 year absence but proved to be the motivation I needed for a major career change.

The 2+2 degree appealed to me as it seemed to be the perfect balance of gently re-introducing me to the combination of assignments, home study and dreaded exams without driving me to breakdown point! Home life commitments and studies appeared manageable.

Having just completed my second and final year at City College, I am eagerly anticipating my 1^st year at Warwick University – year 3 of the 2+2 degree. I still have a little self-doubt if I’m being truthful but I figure I have got this far and with the invaluable, ongoing help of my fellow students, children, new partner and tutors, I am going to give it my best shot. My children are growing up, seeing their Dad studying alongside their schooling. I believe they are already learning the value of education by witnessing me still learning at the age of40 years old and I am a better parent for the things I have learned already courtesy of the course.

The 2+2 degree has allowed me to gradually believe my name and a degree could one day sit proudly in the same sentence.

Dave Evans

Dave Evans,

Open studies Certificate

My first Open Studies Certificate (in Journalism) was life-changing. As an engineer with two young daughters, any study had to fit around family- and work-life. Homework demands were limited to short pieces, and there was an exam plus two formally assessed articles. I really enjoyed it and looked for opportunities to exploit my newfound skills. A year later, in 2001, I made a significant career change, becoming Motoring Journalist for ‘Which?’ magazine.

In 2007, once again thinking how I might develop my passion for writing, I enrolled on the ‘Thinkwriting’ Certificate in Creative Writing. I relished ‘Short-story Writing’ though I found the ‘Poetry’ and ‘Screenwriting’ modules daunting. But I enjoyed the new disciplines, and both massively improved my fiction writing. Thinkwriting 2 included more poetry and screenwriting, and the all-important ‘Starting a Novel’. Thinkwriting 3 covered life-writing and biography, adding more useful strings to my writer’s bow.

Friends say I already have a dream job, researching and writing for ‘Which?’ But that career-move was nine years ago. Now I’m honing my skills towards becoming a novelist. If I succeed, in part it’ll be down to the Open Studies programme. If I fail, I’ll always have this fulfilling, enjoyable hobby I’m passionate about. Whichever the case, I’m following the old proverb: ‘Softly, softly, catchee monkey’

Faye Roantree,

BA Hons Social Studies

I have just received my final exam results and am still in shock after reading that I was awarded a first class BA Hons degree. I left school without any formal qualifications when I was 14 to have my first child and by the time I was 24 had six children, all boys, and four of them have disabilities.

For a few years I worked nightshift as a care assistant to make ends meet and began to question my future career path but it took me three years to pluck up the courage to apply for a course. I would pick up the telephone and then question my own ability, or talk myself out of it through worrying about childcare or peace to study, but now I am so glad that I did make the call. At 29 I began my academic journey by enrolling on essential maths and English, followed by Intermediate Access and then an Access to Higher Education programme. I realised that university was actually within my reach but at this point I was unsure which course to apply for so decided to enrol on a 2+2 Social Studies Degree as this offered a wide range of subjects .

I was very anxious about starting the course as I had fairly preconceived ideas about what university students were like but I needn’t have worried. The support I received during my time at Warwick was fantastic, especially with my panic attacks and dyslexia. As to the other students, well, I have made some really good friends and we built our own support networks which helps keep you focused, motivated and on track as life as a student can at times be challenging, as well as rewarding and inspiring. My final year came round so fast I could hardly believe it and I found myself wondering what next. I’ve applied for a MA in Social Work, which would never have been possible without taking those first steps.

Helen Blunt

BA Hons Historical Studies

I am so pleased to have finished my degree! I had no desire to go to University after I left school but now I wish I had taken one earlier as it changes the way you think.

As a degree programme, Historical Studies provides such a range of modules that it was hard to choose. In the first year I think it is a good idea to try a range of modules so that you find out what aspects of the subject you most enjoy. Most modules seemed to have a mix of political, economic and social history as well some basic psychology and social studies in some of the twentieth century history modules. I always chose modules with a social history focus, but even then, studying social history in the early modern period is very different from Victorian or twentieth century social history. However, whichever module you choose, they all require similar academic skills and not only did my marks improve after I had taken some skills courses, but also the time I had to spend to do the degree work decreased. When juggling a full time job, family commitments and two degree modules a year, skills training made a huge difference to me.

Read more about Part-time Degrees

Donna Jarrett,

BA Hons Teaching and Learning in the Lifelong Learning Sector (formerly PCET)

I left school with average grades and university did not seem like an option to me then. After 17 years in retail I was still searching for what I really wanted to do and I was approached to become a volunteer mentor.

I was advised to undertake a teacher training course, City and Guilds 7307 Further and Adult Education Teachers certificate. In August 2002 I began a new career and continued my educational journey which led me to complete my Foundation Degree and BA Hons in Post Compulsory Education and Training at the University of Warwick.

A whole new world had been presented to me and I am thoroughly enjoying every moment of it. The students and the tutors on the course are very supportive and I would like to continue on to my Masters after graduating, which may after completion of my degree lead to my third career change.

Catherine Mills and daughter

Catherine Mills,

BA Hons Health and Social Policy

I left school with a handful of GCSEs and began a course of A levels at my local college. Due to a lack of motivation and financial hardship I left college after my first year and took up full-time employment.

When I was 36, newly divorced, a lone parent to two children and working in another office job my interest in learning was reignited. I successfully completed two Open University courses whilst working and realised that I wanted to study full-time. It was at this time that I discovered the 2+2 route to a degree - so in October, 2006, I ‘took the plunge’. The course is designed well; the first two years at college gradually build both confidence and academic ability, so by the time you transfer to Warwick you have the necessary writing, presentation and seminar skills to gain a degree.

It has not always been easy, particularly juggling workload and deadlines with family commitments but any problems have always been balanced by a course which has been varied, enlightening and endlessly stimulating. This degree course, along with the support of my family, lecturers, personal tutors and Centre for Lifelong Learning staff, has also done wonders for my personal confidence – I feel I have grown not just academically but as a person and I feel much more confident about the future.

Looking back to when I started the course four years ago I would never have believed that I could complete the course and gain a degree let alone that I would be graduating from Warwick with a first class degree – but I did! I have also been successful in winning funding from the economic and social research council to undertake my masters and PhD back at Warwick – for me this highlights the validity of both the 2+2 route and older students.

Read more about the 2+2 Degree Programmes

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