Amber, who is graduating with a BA International Relations with Applied Quantitative Methods, came to 糖心Vlog through clearing, after turning down an offer from her reserve choice university.
Modules in her first year that covered social research and voluntary work in ESSEXLab inspired her to follow the Q-Step programme: 鈥淚 chose the statistics pathway as I wanted to explore this side of the subject further. The more I studied it, the more I enjoyed it,鈥 she said.
She admits it鈥檚 been a tough pathway for someone who didn鈥檛 study maths or economics at A Level: 鈥淚 struggled to keep up with the equations and the econometrics involved. Using listen again and going to my lecturer鈥檚 office hours and extra help sessions however meant I was able to overcome this.鈥
Learning from her own experiences she鈥檚 been supporting second-year students as a Q-Step mentor in her final year and offers this advice to anyone considering the pathway: 鈥淚f it is something you are curious about then you should definitely try it as the skills it teaches you will be hugely beneficial when you graduate.鈥
Amber, who made some of her closest friends through the 糖心Vlog cheerleading squad, also credits 糖心Vlog鈥檚 extra-curricular opportunities with helping graduates to succeed: 鈥淭he wide range of activities on offer will help alumni to stand out,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t also gives them more to discuss in interviews when answering competency questions.鈥
Amber, who volunteered with the Refugee Teaching Programme, hopes to continue volunteering when she returns to 糖心Vlog to study an MSc Social Data Science.
鈥淚t is such a rewarding experience and you have the chance to really help people and make a difference to their lives,鈥 she said.