Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Speech and Language Therapy student praises ‘friendly, approachable and supportive’ course team
At the age of 18, Sam didn’t know what she wanted to study but she was interested in a career supporting people living with disabilities and knew British Sign Language so got a job working at a school for people with communication difficulties.
“I gained lots of experience working with children and young people with autism, severe learning disabilities and communication impairments. I was working alongside Speech and Language Therapists (SLT) to implement communication strategies to give these children and young people a form of functional communication. I saw how much this changed the lives of not only them but also their families and I knew right away that is where I wanted to go with my career.”
Sam, who is from Manchester, applied for four universities closer to home.
“Leeds Beckett was the last interview I did, and I can’t actually explain it, but I just got an instant good feeling from my interview experience. The way the lecturers interviewing me made me feel so at home, the way they had us interacting with service users and each another, I just knew right away that that’s the place I wanted to study!
“I was right – choosing this course and Leeds Beckett to study at is hands down one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. The course team are wonderful. They’re friendly, approachable and supportive. They make an effort to build personal relationships with all the students and really will help you to succeed in any way the can.”
Sam was diagnosed as Autistic and with ADHD during the second year of her degree.
“It was actually the wonderful course team and disability support team, as well as student services, that helped me to recognise my difficulties with my university work were signs of a disability. They supported me to access screenings and assessments to get a formal diagnosis which has helped me to understand myself better and how to support myself better to access my education.”
Sam has already secured a newly qualified practitioner job as a Speech and Language Therapist working in schools across Greater Manchester. She says her degree prepared her for working by giving her a plethora of work experience in a vast variety of settings – from child development centres helping children with delayed communication to a head and neck cancer placement helping patients at the end of their life with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties.
“This vast experience has really helped me grow as a person and as a professional and helped me decide which area I want to experience in when I qualify. The course also had lots of emphasis on reflective practice which has really helped me, again in a personal and professional capacity, to reflect on experiences and identify which went well and what I can do differently in future to improve my experiences and help support my growth and learning.”
Sam said when she had a slight doubt in herself she was well supported.
“I have always doubted whether or not I was cut out for higher level education due to my disabilities, and in the past, educational staff have been really unsupportive, but as soon as I was struggling a little here the course team reached out and made me feel supported and reassured me that they believed I could do this – and with their support and encouragement I did!”
Having just finished studying, Sam is in the perfect place to offer advice to others.
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help! The lecturers are so supportive and really want you to succeed on the course so if there’s anything at all you are struggling with, don’t be afraid to reach out to the course team and they will always support you and help you put a plan in place so that your learning isn’t affected.
“Keep on top of your work as you go along and do it little by little rather than leaving it all to the last minute as this will not only help your stress levels but will aid your learning. Look after your mental health! Get the balance right between work and home life and make sure you leave plenty of time to enjoy life outside of uni. Finally, don’t put too much pressure on yourself and burn yourself out!”
For more information about studying BSc Speech and Language Therapy click here.
For more information about support with disabilities click here.