How did the A2B programme help you prepare for University?

For me, A2B was a decisive component of applying to the university. Not only did the lowered grade allow for me to face less uncertainty and anxiety about my future the immense help of having activities arranged by the university, such as mock interviews, shadowing existing students etc. This really opened my eyes to the challenges of university life as well as informing me of the available opportunities. Skills4Uni and the A2B academic assignment especially introduced me to the difference in difficulty and skill between A-Level and university academics.

However, I never felt that I was not supported during the A2B programme. The involvement of the faculty allowed me to be tutored by someone with in-depth knowledge on my topic and who I was later taught by during my course. Due to the A2B scheme I felt I was entering university more prepared than other students.

What would be your top tips to anyone considering applying to University and the A2B scheme?

I would recommend making the most of all the opportunities available to A2B students, such as mock interviews, shadowing current students, meeting alumni etc. These experiences are a great resource and invaluable for informing you of possible career paths and enabling you to network.

When it comes to the Skills4Uni test and the academic assignment, I would recommend reading the available resources. The Skills4Uni website has interactive resources that are very helpful in taking the test. For the academic assignment, the University of Birmingham intranet is available and easy to use and contains useful information on how to research and reference your work in an easy to understand format.

General advice for anyone applying to university would be: be very aware of deadlines for UCAS and schemes, not just A2B but Realising Opportunities, Routes to the Professions etc., as well as for any needed tests, such as the UKCAT and BMAT, and have it sorted out early. Also write numerous drafts of your personal statement, use online resources to get the best possible version, and get it checked – it should have no grammar mistakes. Make sure when choosing courses they reflect your ability and interests – this is best policy to avoid rejections and dropping out.

What would be your advice or top tips to anyone about to start studying your programme in the College of Medicine and Health?

To avoid burn-out or becoming demotivated remember to take breaks and do the things you enjoy. Know when to stop and have some time for yourself – this fosters the best kind of study habits and helps you to really enjoy your time at university. There are many societies and plenty of opportunities to make new friends and have new experiences. Take this chance to get to know your cohort and make life-long good memories.

What has been your biggest achievement at University?

Achieving a first. I’m very pleasantly surprised and very proud to have this achievement.

What has been your biggest challenge at University and how have you overcome it?

My biggest challenge was time-management. Initially I treated the university workload like my A-levels, which were mainly exam-based. However, in university not only are there exams but there are also many assignments throughout the year and remaining motivated and starting early for each piece of work was difficult, especially when you considered that individually they were worth a very small percentage of the overall course. However, it all adds up and can make a big difference in failing, passing or getting a first.

It is a very important life skill to know how to prioritise, keep up motivation and do the work responsibly and one I developed throughout the course. Procrastinating on an assignment, even if you believe there should be just enough time, may lead to late submission or unfinished low-quality work being submitted if some issue crops up. Therefore, I learned that to avoid this these techniques were useful: to begin immediately after receiving the assignment; even if it is something as small as making a plan or reading a relevant paper and making some notes; and to set my own deadlines when revising to allow for early completion of note-taking and then in-depth and repeated revision.

These techniques of starting very early would help me roughly gauge how much time is needed to complete the work to a good level. I really recommend this as the anxiety and worry associated with trying to rush an assignment as well as the likelihood of it being low-quality and not representative of your ability should then be completely avoided.

 

Summaya Mahamed Cumar Cabdi

“Work hard but know your own limits. Any university degree, including pharmacy, is very different to A-Levels and you will need to improve and develop many new skills. For example, there are many more lab practicals and it is a steep learning curve. In the case of coming across something very unfamiliar, such as the practicals, I really recommend reading ahead – there are resources we are pointed to and you should use them.”

 

What other opportunities has studying at University given you?

During the course I have been lucky to get many unique opportunities that would have been very difficult to arrange outside of university. For example, I was able to teach secondary school and college students basic life support due to joining a student group, Midlands Life Support Education (MiLE). In this capacity I could also advise students at a crucial part of their lives, when making decisions on whether to attend university and what courses interest them and influence their choices by informing them of the opportunities available in healthcare in general and in pharmacy specifically by discussing my own experiences.

The University of Birmingham also holds career fairs annually for the pharmacy department; an event that has been instrumental in helping me decide which career paths contain the aspects of pharmacy that interest me. By being able to see the range available, network with pharmacists and speak to them about their roles I was able to make informed decisions on my future.

Sum up your time at the University of Birmingham in three words

• Incredible
• Challenging
• Rewarding

What do you hope to go on to do in the future (after Graduation)?

After my course I am going to be a pre-registration pharmacist at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals. My hopes are to remain in hospital pharmacy and become an independent prescriber.