Due to dyslexia, high school was not a particularly happy time for me, and I ended up leaving school having passed no Higher exams. I knew I had potential but lack of confidence and issues with spelling often led to me dumbing down any written work I needed to do. I realised how much I wanted to prove to myself, and others, that I could achieve academic success.
I enrolled at Fife College to study a pathway to Social Sciences course. From there I progressed to studying HND Social Sciences. Due to The Open University partnership with Fife College, I was able to transfer credit from my previous study allowing me to enter year 3 of their BA (Hons) Social Sciences Degree.
The partnership between Fife College and The Open University meant I was lucky enough to have the same tutor throughout my college and university experience.
The Open University courses were broken down into manageable chunks with realistic aims of what I needed to be cover each week. The work was challenging but interesting and allowed me to look at topics from angles I might not have considered before. The courses used a variety of different formats such as films, interactive quizzes, comprehensive textbooks and in person classes once a month, to help ensure I gained a full understanding of the topic.
Studying with The Open University at Fife College made me realise that with hard work I could overcome my issues with dyslexia and I was able to complete my degree in one year graduating with First-class Honours.