My name is Megan, I am from Halifax and I am a second year Primary Education (3-7 years) student.

I decided to come to university because I knew that to be a primary school teacher, I would need a degree. I also wanted to experience what going to university and living away from home would be like. I came to five open days for York St John because, the first time I came, I fell in love and I wanted to show everyone I knew where I was going to university.

At college I studied Geography, Psychology, Health and Social Care and Musical Theatre. I did not really know what I wanted to do at university at the start of college and there were several options that I considered including becoming a professional nanny or a marine and river conservationist (a big difference, I know!), but whatever happened and whatever course I thought about, I always came back to children, either teaching them or looking after them. After much deliberation, I realised that the one thing I really wanted to do was to teach children and inspire them to be what they wanted to be. The application process was simple, and I got lots of support from my college and my parents.

York St John University is such a supportive university, and everyone is so friendly and welcoming that I was drawn to it immediately. I was so excited to start and get stuck into the course and to all the activities here. My first year of university was great. Moving away from home was a little bit difficult as it was my first time being away from home for more than a week without seeing my family and I did not have the best time in my accommodation due to the people I lived with, but there was so much support from wellbeing and accommodation services that it all got sorted and I felt so much better afterwards. Moving into accommodation was so exciting and I could not wait to decorate my new room and to make it my own. There were people around to help me move all of my things in and to show us where we needed to go which was really helpful. I got used to the new style of learning – workshops and lectures – quite quickly as we had lots of help from the tutors and it was new for everybody, so we helped each other out. Everyone on my course and my group were lovely and I made friends on the first day which was not a normal thing for me as I usually find it hard to talk to new people. We did lots of activities in which we had to work together which set us up to talk about the things we liked and where we from and highlighted any similarities between us. The one thing I have loved the most about university is definitely my course. It is so practical and fun, and gives me useful resources and ideas to use in the future. After university, I would like to be a primary school teacher, focused on nursery and reception if possible.

I am a member of the Musical Production Society (MPS) which is lots of fun and a great place to socialise. We usually have two showcases with songs from different musicals and then a big show in March. In the past, MPS have done Footloose, High School Musical and lots of other brilliant shows. Everyone works so hard towards whatever we are doing and the shows and showcases are amazing. Through MPS I have met some of my best friends including the people I am living with currently and the ones that I am living with next year. I have made friends with people in my year, in the year above, all who love the same things that I do.

My top tips for someone applying for university/ going to university in September would be to do something that you love doing. This is because you will spend a lot of hours in a week doing your course, whether it be lessons or assignments, and if you do not love it then it will feel more like a chore than something that you will want to put time and effort into. Another tip is to be involved in university as much as possible. This includes joining clubs and societies, maybe getting a job on campus but just do something that will give you the chance to meet new people and make new friends. It is so important when you start university to get involved because you will have a lot of downtime and you can become quite lonely in this time, so getting involved gives you the chance to get out of the house and to do something fun with like-minded people.

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