Hometown: Penzance
Former School: Mounts Bay Academy
Courses: A Level Maths, Chemistry and Biology
Next Steps: Wants to pursue Veterinary or Chemistry
Driven by a passion for Veterinary Science, Isla is excelling in her A Levels at Penwith College. The flexibility of A Level studies has allowed her to shape her academic journey, equipping her with transferable knowledge and skills that position her perfectly for a future in STEM.
Isla’s journey at Penwith College began when she attended Open Events with her parents. These events were pivotal in her decision to apply, as speaking with student ambassadors gave her valuable insights into the courses. The college’s convenient location, close to her home, also played a key role in her choice, allowing her to reduce travel time and devote more energy to her passions, including dance.
She said: “I dance at the Big Dance Company in Penzance, and for the Hall for Cornwall Dance Company as well. I started in Year 7 I think and then joined the Big Dance Company 3-4 years ago. I’m trying to build up because I want to be on the competition team soon.”
“I love it. It really helps when you’re stressed with academic pressure, and you can use dance as an outlet.”
Isla liked the structure of GCSE’s and felt that A Levels would suit her learning style well. With no coursework requirements, she can dedicate her time fully to mastering the course material and preparing for her exams in the summer. This focused approach allows her to engage deeply with her subjects and refine her understanding across all A Levels.
“The courses are all just so fascinating and they all work together really well.”
“I chose maths chemistry and biology because they keep my options really open so I can do most things after college if I get good results.”
Isla’s wide-ranging interests initially left her uncertain about which career path to follow. However, since starting at Penwith College, she has been able to refine her ambitions and now has a clear sense of the steps she needs to take next.
She said: “As I’ve been going through, I’ve been doing loads of work experience while I’ve been at college. I feel like the work experience lets me see where I want to go and what jobs I’m interested in and not.”
“I really love pure maths. I love my maths teacher, he is amazing. He is so funny, and he makes the lessons so fun, rather than it being overwhelming, he teaches it really well. He is really engaging and gets to know every person.”
To support her Mathematics course, Isla recently took part in the UK Maths Trust Mathematical Olympiad for Girls and has been awarded a Certificate of Merit. This is a fantastic accomplishment for Isla as she amongst nearly 5,000 participants across the country. The Olympiad is a challenging competition designed to encourage more girls to get involved in advanced mathematics.
“Biology is just fascinating. You learn so much about lots of different things and it’s just so interesting. You learn about things on a massive scale like organisms and how they all work and then you go down to molecular level and see what the building blocks of life are.”
“Our chemistry teacher is really good, he always gets people from Universities to talk to us and that has made me think about doing chemistry because I’m learning about these really cool things you can do with chemistry.”
Studying these subjects demands an effective system for organising course material, and Isla has found the techniques that work best for her. This has allowed her to stay on top of her studies and approach her work with confidence.
She said: “As soon as I finish a lesson, I keep on top of revising the topics we have just learned so I then use my notes and textbooks to make mindmaps of each topic. And then as I’m revising, I’ll make flash cards and so many past exam papers.”
If you are thinking of studying at Penwith College, Isla has some advice:
“I think speaking to people is my biggest advice. Find out what College is actually like rather than just looking at the courses, I think it’s really important to see how students have found it. I spoke to a lot of people about what the teachers were like, travelling, and college in general. I think that helped a lot. Don’t just think about the subjects, think about how you want to spend your time as well.”