As a student Eden Mellor-Davies had to resit her first year of A-levels due to health problems, she was naturally worried about the consequences of having to take time away from her studies. After returning to college, Eden has since received an offer from Oxford University to study Medicine, and three interviews for other medical schools in the UK.
We spoke to Eden to find out how the support network of teachers, wellbeing support staff and her peers at Marple Sixth Form College not only helped her to settle back in, but thrive.
Hi Eden! What subjects are you studying?
Chemistry, Physics, and Biology A-Levels. In my first yea,r I also chose to complete the optional extended project qualification.
Why did you choose to study at Marple Sixth Form College?
I chose Marple over other colleges because of it’s small size. I found the idea of having smaller classes very appealing as I thought it would give me a better chance to ask questions. At the Open Day all the staff were friendly and inviting, which is exactly how I have found them to be as teachers.
I liked the way that they taught the science subjects using booklets and PowerPoints that cover the entire specification. Another thing that drew me to the college was the free bus service, as in the area that I live in there are not many colleges in close proximity, and the public transport is very expensive and unreliable.
Tell us about your experience studying so far!
I have really enjoyed my time at college. Although A-levels require a lot of work, I have had great fun making new friends and spending time at college. The college has been exactly as I had hoped when I visited on the Open Days – it has a great friendly environment. The lessons and teaching of my subjects have been fantastic and I have enjoyed exploring my subjects in more depth than GCSE’s. The college has been supportive of all of my aspirations and set me up for a good future in further education.
What do you plan to do after college?
I have applied to study medicine at university. With medicine, you apply to four medicine courses and one non-medicine course. I applied to medicine at Oxford University, The University of Liverpool, Brighton and Sussex Medical School and King’s College London. The non-medicine course I’ve applied for is Robotics and Artificial Intelligence at Aberystwyth University, which I have been offered a place for. I have been offered a conditional place at Oxford, which is where I intend to study provided I achieve the grades. I have had interviews at my other three medical schools and am currently waiting to hear back.
My proudest moment was receiving my offer from Oxford University and coming into college to tell my teachers. They shared the same excitement over my offer as I did and are helping to make sure I achieve the grades required.
What’s been your favourite memory of college?
My favourite memories have been doing practicals in science lessons. They give us the opportunity to learn both lab techniques and better understand the theory that we’ve been learning, but also we have great fun. As Marple is a small college, we all get to know the people in our classes well, so working together with experiments is always a really fun way to learn.
Tell us more about the support services and how they have helped you…
I have had some health problems whilst at college and had to resit my first year due to this. I’ve always had great support and all the staff have been encouraging and welcoming on my return, to restart my first year again. There is lots of support available from house monitors, tutors and the wellbeing staff, as well as class teachers being open to talk.
We wish Eden the very best in her future studies, and we will be catching up with her on results day to see which University will be welcoming her in September.