I finished my GCSE’s with some pretty good results (A’s, B’s and one C) and began sixth form on a high, studying biology, chemistry, English literature and (best of all) geography. Not unlike many, I stumbled with the transition into A Levels as workload and content really ramped up, and I was having a difficult time in my personal life as my mum was diagnosed with cancer during that summer. My grades fell from A’s and B’s to C’s, D’s and E’s. I even failed chemistry at AS Level, finishing with a strong U and thinking I wouldn’t get into university. At the end of my A Levels I just about crawled out with BDDU, not great, but stay with me.

I applied to study BSc Geography at the University of East Anglia as they are renowned for their environmental sciences and climatic research, and even with BDD, I got a place. To this day I’m not sure how I managed it, and despite A Levels really knocking my confidence in myself and my academic ability, I took this amazing opportunity and ran as fast as I could with it.

Despite failing chemistry at AS Level, I’m currently a part of real-world palaeoclimatology research for my undergraduate project, consisting almost entirely of biogeochemistry. I assisted in labs with mass spectrometry of 6,500 – 4,000-year-old shell samples, and the results I get will be some of the first telling us what the climate was like in southern Israel during mid-Holocene. Needless to say, I bounced back from A Levels and since my time at uni, so have my grades and motivation. I didn’t even have A Level maths, and I still studied oceanography and geophysics modules and achieved a 2:1 or above.

UEA has been an incredibly supportive and encouraging university, and the range of modules allowed me to tailor my course to suit my interests. I really enjoyed student life, particularly joining the UEA Women’s 5XI Hockey Team, being a part of such relevant and diverse environmental research and, of course, living in such a beautiful place. In my final year, I’m looking forward to narrowing my degree towards climatology after having spent my first and second years building a solid background in geology and geoscience, to graduate with a BSc Environmental Sciences degree, and hopefully go on to study a MSc.

I’m incredibly grateful to the geography department at KEVI who were so supportive and engaging, and are one of the reasons I decided to go into environmental sciences. I’ve also stayed good friends with those I met at KEVI, despite some of us going to university in different countries.

If there’s any advice I can give; don’t let a few results redefine what you make of yourself, or what you think you can or can’t achieve. Grades on paper don’t necessarily reflect your ability or what you can really bring to the table. Still apply to that dream course!