“Meeting new people from different courses and making new friends has been a highlight.”
Names: Keira and Frances
Former Schools: Richard Lander School (Keira), Pool Academy (Frances)
Next Steps: Psychology at Bath Spa University (Keira), Gap year before studying Childhood Studies at the University of Bristol (Frances)
For Keira and Frances, studying Health and Social Care at Truro and Penwith College has helped them discover their strengths, build lasting friendships and take confident steps towards their future careers. Both students chose the course because of the opportunities it offered beyond college, combining academic learning with practical work and coursework.
Former Richard Lander School student, Keira, found the course immediately stood out when she attended an open day and spoke to the Health and Social Care team. “It looked really interesting and it was the best course for me to do to go on to university and do what I wanted to do in university.” After speaking to the course team, Keira knew it was the right choice and has now completed three years of study at the College.
Frances, formerly of Pool Academy, also found that Health and Social Care offered the right balance of learning for her. Having initially studied A Levels for a year, she decided to change direction and joined the Health and Social Care course. “I just didn’t get on very well with my A Levels, but with Health and Social Care I’ve got on much better with it.”
One of the highlights for Frances has been the balance between practical learning and coursework, which she found suited her better than an exam-heavy approach. “We did a good amount of practical. I enjoyed the coursework, but I don’t like exams, so it’s a good balance. It’s a lot less stressful than having one final exam.”
The course has also helped both students develop friendships and become part of a close-knit community. Despite not knowing each other before joining the College, Keira and Frances met on the course and became friends.
Keira said: “Meeting new people from different courses and making new friends has been a highlight. I came into this building because I’m going here this year, so just exploring really.”
Frances agreed that the Health and Social Care cohort had helped create strong friendships. “Definitely with the Health and Social Care cohort, how it’s set up, I would say it’s more close-knit. I did A Levels originally and I think I made more friends and more friendship groups with Health and Social Care than I did with A Levels because it’s more spread out across the campus.”
Now, their hard work is paying off as both students look ahead to university and their chosen careers.
Frances achieved three Distinctions and has been accepted to the University of Bristol to study Childhood Studies, including a year abroad. She is already considering Australia as a potential destination for her year overseas.
For Keira, the next step is a one-year Psychology and Social Work course at Truro and Penwith College, before progressing to Bath Spa University to study Psychology.
Her long-term ambition is to work in criminal psychology – an interest that has developed during her time at College. “I knew I wanted to do psychology when I came here, but I got really interested in the criminal side of it and how you learn all of it. I’ve kind of been stuck on that for a few years now. It’s what I wanted to do.”
Their journeys demonstrate how choosing the right course can open doors to new opportunities, friendships and future careers. We wish Keira and Frances the very best, as they take their next steps towards achieving their ambitions.
