Secondary school pupils across the country have been celebrating recently after being accepted on to their college or university course of choice.
Caring Aberdeen pupils Ashleigh Grant and Gregor Robertson have also received the happy news and will begin their university careers on RGU courses later this year.
The sixth-year St Machar Academy pupils have secured their places at Robert Gordon University (RGU) after gaining the necessary grades and also participating in the new ‘Access RGU’ course ‘Access to Allied Health Professions’.
This free programme aims to enable pupils who have the ability and potential to benefit from higher education, whatever their circumstances. It forms part of a suite of Access RGU programmes recently developed as part of the university’s commitment to widening access.
Ashleigh, 17, has accepted an offer to study Occupational Therapy at RGU and her classmate Gregor, 17, will start the university’s diagnostic radiography course in September.
Alongside more than 20 other pupils they attended evening sessions and worked with lecturers from the School of Health Sciences to learn about allied health professions including diagnostic radiography, occupational therapy and physiotherapy.
Ashleigh, who has acted as a carer to her younger brother for several years, was recently offered an unconditional place to study at RGU.
She said: “I’ve always been interested in a caring role and it feels great to have secured my place on RGU’s occupational therapy course.
“The Access to Allied Health Professions course definitely helped build my confidence and provided a taste of a number of different courses on offer at the university.
“The lecturers were all lovely and presented their classes in fun and interactive ways. It confirmed that I wanted to study Occupational Therapy and it’s great to have had the opportunity to see what life is like studying at university.”
Both Ashleigh and Gregor found out about ‘Access to Allied Health Professions’ through teachers at school who recommended that they sign up for the programme.
Gregor said: “My biology teacher told me about programme and gave me the information I needed to apply. Biology is one of my favourite subjects at school and this combined with my keen interest in a career in allied health professions inspired me to participate in the programme.
“I’m very excited to get on to the diagnostic radiography course as it combines biology and physics which I enjoy. The course will also provide me with a career in which I can help people which is really important and what I want to do.”
James Dunphy, study skills & access unit co-ordinator at RGU, said: “The university’s Access RGU programmes make a big difference to young people giving them an insight to the wide range of options which are available to them after school. The participants have engaged fully and enthusiastically with the programmes and we are very proud that several pupils have received offers from RGU.”
