Callum’s advice for anyone who might be going through Clearing is not to be nervous, but completely open minded!
As a keen footballer and with a general interest in sport, Callum Young decided to study a BTEC in Sport at college. When his course was due to come to an end Callum had a big decision to make about his future. While he wasn’t ready to go straight into a full-time career, he also hadn’t thought about going to university until his tutor brought up the prospect of applying.
As he wanted to be close to his hometown of Kettering, Callum looked up nearby universities that had places available through Clearing. Through his search, he came across the University of Derby where he saw the option to study a joint honours course in Sport and Counselling, an interest he’d developed while at college.
When he contacted the Clearing hotline, he discovered his BTEC results weren’t good enough to get him a place on the course. However, after talking through some options with a member of the Clearing team Callum found he could do a foundation year in Counselling, before then embarking on a three-year degree in Sport and Counselling as he had originally planned.
Explaining how the process worked, Callum said:
“The phone call was straightforward and smooth going. There weren’t any hiccups, other than when I didn’t get the results I needed to get onto my preferred course, but even then, it was like, you can still do this, you can still attend the University, which was great to hear.
“The whole thing happened pretty fast. I made the decision I wanted to go to Derby through Clearing and got a phone call the same day. I don’t think it really sunk in that I was going until a couple of weeks before I moved in. I was nervous, as I had never actually lived on my own or far away from home and my mum did everything for me, so there was a part of me that didn’t really want to do it.”
Despite his initial nerves and reservations, which are completely understandable, Callum made the move into Halls of Residence for his first year.
“I moved into Sir Peter Hilton Court and I wouldn’t change it as I met some great people and had a good time there. But yeah, it was daunting when I first moved in but it all turned out fine in the end. On the first night I ended up going out as it was better than sitting there and wallowing, you just need to get involved. I think only one other person in my flat wanted to go out that night, but we met other people that were out and new to the University too.”
While it took Callum a while to adjust to the initial course change and to settle into university life, with each year that passed his confidence and friendships grew. This was, in part, thanks to meeting another student on his course who was part of the University’s rugby team. After becoming a member himself, Callum became far more confident as they all supported each other and being part of the team felt like a family.
“Being part of the rugby team made a huge difference to my confidence and overall university experience. In my third year, I was a lot more vocal and confident in classes. I knew what people were talking about and I was happy to speak up and put my point of view across.”
For his dissertation, Callum knew he would have to choose a topic he was interested in and focused on how mental health changes within sports athletes that have retired. He spent a lot of time researching and his hard work paid off when he graduated with a 2:1 this year.
Callum reflects on his journey:
“I’ve really enjoyed it; I wouldn’t change anything to be honest. I think coming to Derby has made me a man; it’s been a really positive experience. My mum is proud of me as well, as before I came here, I used to rely on her for everything but when I moved out of halls in my first year, I started to do everything on my own. I wouldn’t change my decision - it’s made me a man and a better person.”
Since graduating Callum secured himself a role as the Vice-President of Welfare at the University of Derby’s Union of Students for a year. He was part of the Rugby Union and saw they were having elections and with welfare falling under the course, knew it would give him some good, real-world experience.
“I just thought to myself it will be good doing this role, as I’d decided I didn’t want to be a councillor, so I needed to do something that would give me an alternative route and I thought this was perfect.
“I deal with everything welfare, so I do the liberation months, such as Black History Month, Disability Month and Women’s History Month. I will be planning all those events.”
Thinking about what he’d like to do next year when his role ends, Callum is keen to incorporate what he’s learning in the role with sports:
“I’d like to go back in to sport and do what I’m doing here essentially, but in a sport company, like a football team or a rugby team. I always look at jobs so I can know what I can do after. They’ve got Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Officers and they also have their Mental Health Managers who looks after the team so a job like that that would be nice.”
Callum’s advice for anyone who might be going through Clearing is not to be nervous, but completely open minded as there are many opportunities to explore.
“For anyone that goes through Clearing I’d advise them to be open to what the University has to say. If for whatever reason you don’t get the degree or the qualifications that you need then be open minded if they offer an alternative. That’s what happened to me, and I’ve very much enjoyed the course that I did. If it wasn’t for the University saying, ‘are you thinking about doing this’, then I probably wouldn’t have come and I'm really glad that I did.”
If you’re still looking for a university course for September, or have changed your mind about what and where you want to study, find your place with the University of Derby through Clearing – https://www.derby.ac.uk/clearing