I was the first person in my family to attend university

As the first person in my family to decide to go to university, it was a slightly daunting but equally exciting experience. My parents were brought up to focus on working and providing for themselves after they finished school, opposed to pursuing higher education. However, they have always taught me that I shouldn't take education for granted and I’ve been brought up to value education and its benefits for developing you as a person and helping you pursue a variety of career options. So when my Sixth Form started talking to us about applying to universities I was really engaged in this, and was eager to find out more about how a university degree would help prepare me for a professional career. 

Getting advice and information

While my friends could ask their parents and siblings about what university is like and get their advice, I wasn’t able to do this as nobody in my family had any experience of applying to or attending university. If you’re in the same situation, I suggest having a chat with your schools careers advisor or a friendly teacher, as they’ll be able to explain the application process to you clearly and help you think about different courses and careers. I also found it helpful to chat with my friends who had already applied and gone off to university. One person who I talked to was my work friend, she was a few years older than me and was able to tell me all about what it’s like moving away from home, living independently, and studying a course you’re passionate about. She also explained that universities and specific courses have lots of opportunities for students, like work placements and industry connections. This filled me with excitement, so I went away and did some online research on courses and universities based on the advice and information she’d shared. 

Deciding where to study

As I’m interested in pursuing a career in Public Relations, my research focused on this area. From reading careers advice online, I could see the benefits of getting a degree in PR, as you’re equipped with the necessary professional knowledge and practical skills you need to succeed in this field. In addition, from looking at Leeds Beckett’s PR course specification online, I could see that you’re supported with hands-on experience including the opportunity of a twelve-month industry placement.

While I found it quite easy choosing a course, it took me some time to decide on a university. As this is the place you’re going to be studying and living in for several years, you want to get it right. While lots of my friends could ask older siblings or parents what particular universities were like to live and study at, I couldn’t do this. Instead, I visited some of my friends who were already living in Leeds as this gave me the opportunity to get a feel for Leeds Beckett University as well as the overall city.

When you’re deciding which universities to apply for, I’d suggest making a list of the pros and cons. As well as this, as part of my research I looked into which universities offered the best course for me in terms of my preferred teaching style, the types of modules I was interested in, and considered whether I felt like I would love living in that university’s particular city.

Talking to my parents

Every family is different and if you’re the first to go to university in your family you may be unsure how they will react. I told my parents about my interest in going to university and explained my reasons so they understood. The conversation went well and they were really supportive.  We chatted about where I may apply and how far away from home I might go, with us all feeling two hours from our home in Wales was the perfect distance - not too close but still not too far away! We then all went together to visit Leeds on an Applicant Day, these are special days for students who’ve applied to Leeds Beckett, but if you haven’t applied yet then I suggest attending an Open Day where you can tour the campuses and see the facilities. On this day, my parents were able to see where I wanted to study and learn more about how my course will help me with my future career.

In all honesty, one of my biggest motivations for going to university was to make my family proud. However, I know that it’s important to make your own decisions and so even though I had this motivating factor, I made sure that university was the right place for me. I did this by carefully researching the course I was interested in, looking at what the course accreditation meant, and considering graduate outcomes. Overall, when I made the decision to apply to study at Leeds Beckett I did so because I’m passionate about PR and want to pursue a career in this area. Knowing that my parents are proud of me is just an added bonus. I feel lucky to be able to continue my education with the emotional and financial support of my family, and studying for a degree has been my biggest achievement to date.

Thinking about finances

While I had a lot of excitement when it came to applying for university, one of the things I was a little unsure about was the financial side. While my family is able to support me to some extent financially, I wouldn’t have been able to attend university and pay the course fees without the loan from Student Finance. If you’re a little worried like I was initially, or have any questions, then I suggest taking a look at the information about money, fees, and bursaries on Leeds Beckett’s website. You can also speak directly to the university’s Student Money team by phone, or chat to them in person at one of Leeds Beckett’s Open Days.

At first it may seem daunting thinking about a loan and seeing the amount of money Student Finance is going to pay for your course fees and maintenance loan. However, you don’t start paying your student loan back until after you graduate and are earning over a set amount. This is something that I found very reassuring when I was doing my research and, for me, I know that by taking this course I will be opening up new opportunities for myself and it’s an important first step in my PR career.

Overall, university has given me so many opportunities already, including the opportunity to live independently, meet amazing people through my course, gain work experience, and develop my skills. Most of all, I’m loving learning new things and studying PR and I can’t wait until I can get my first graduate job in the industry. If you’re thinking about applying to university and you’re going to be the first in your family to do so, my top suggestion would be to do as much research as you can, explain to your parents the reasons why you’re considering university, and if there’s a course you’re passionate about then just go for it and apply.