{"id":7241,"date":"2022-02-10T14:00:10","date_gmt":"2022-02-10T14:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/students\/?p=7241"},"modified":"2022-01-27T15:21:34","modified_gmt":"2022-01-27T15:21:34","slug":"my-top-tips-for-care-leavers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/students\/2022\/02\/10\/my-top-tips-for-care-leavers\/","title":{"rendered":"My top tips for Care Leavers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amber shares her initial concerns and worries about going to university, the support she has received here at Bath and her top tips for care leavers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

It can be so confusing thinking about university as a care leaver \u2013 there\u2019s so much to think about, and it\u2019s not always the easiest to find the information you\u2019re looking for. That\u2019s why I wanted to share my experience and to let you know that you CAN do it too!<\/p>\r\n

I\u2019d always had the idea to go to Uni, but never thought I\u2019d get into Bath \u2013 I actually applied as a \u2018wildcard\u2019 because my Grandad suggested it! When I got my offer, I started to do more research, attended an Applicant Visit Day<\/a> and completely fell in love with the Uni and the city \u2013 I really doubted myself though and didn\u2019t feel confident I\u2019d actually get the grades until results day. I was so happy and excited when I got in!<\/p>\r\n

\"\"\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

When I was applying to Uni, I didn\u2019t know anything about bursaries and financial support. I ticked the box on my UCAS form to say I had been in care but didn\u2019t think anything more about it, until the Student Services<\/a> Team from Bath got in touch with me, outlining all the help and support available.<\/p>\r\n

My main worry about going to Uni was the student finance \u2013 unlike other students, I don\u2019t have parents who are able to help me out, so it was really important to know how much I\u2019d have and how much everything would cost. I discovered I was eligible for\u00a0 The Bath Bursary<\/a> which is currently \u00a33000 per year, plus \u00a31000 start-up costs and a further \u00a31000 on graduation, as well as help from Student Finance Wales. This has helped so much, as it means I don\u2019t need to worry about working alongside my studies and can make the most of my student experience! The start-up funding especially was great as it meant I could get everything I needed and get involved in all the Freshers\u2019 Week activities.<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \"\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

It\u2019s not just the money I\u2019ve had support with though. The Student Services<\/a> Team are in touch with me a lot, something which started before I even came to Bath. They offered me someone to chat to and a helping hand with everything from housing, to my wellbeing. I was so excited but a bit daunted to move to Bath, and they\u2019ve been there every step of the way with me. I\u2019ve also been really lucky to move into a house with lovely people, have made so many friends and am now coming towards the end of my studies.<\/p>\r\n

I love Bath, and even managed to stay here for my placement, working at the Uni on some prison research. Applying for placements has probably been my biggest challenge so far, but like every other challenge, it was met with support and solutions, which ended up in a placement that has led to continued work, and a further bursary to cover my costs. Although I choose to go back to my family in the holidays, I\u2019ve always been offered accommodation at Uni too if I want it.<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

The time has gone so quickly, and I\u2019m now looking forward to focusing on graduating. I\u2019m still working part-time for my placement team, and have ended up doing my dissertation on a related topic. I\u2019m using all the support offered by the Careers Service<\/a> to plan my next steps and will receive a graduation bursary to help me on the next part of my journey.<\/p>\r\n

I wanted to share my story with you so that if you\u2019re out there doubting yourself like I did, you know just how much care and support there is at Bath. I had no idea when I applied. I\u2019ve had an amazing time and will leave with a great degree, a strong CV, great friends and so many experiences \u2013 you can have all of this too!<\/p>\r\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

My top tips for Care-Leavers<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

\u2022 Look up what is available<\/strong> \u2013 I had no idea what bursaries<\/a> were, but they\u2019ve transformed my Uni experience! Apply even if you\u2019re not sure you\u2019re eligible, the worst that can happen is they say no.
\u2022 Tick the box on UCAS<\/strong> \u2013 I know some people are hesitant to declare their living situation, I get it! Although it can feel uncomfortable, it\u2019s so important as it means you can access to all the support available. There\u2019s no obligation to tell anyone else, and it\u2019s kept totally confidential among the teams who support you.
\u2022 You\u2019re not alone<\/strong> \u2013 The Student Services team have been alongside me the whole way, giving me time that\u2019s just about me, and a point of contact to pick up the phone to anytime, as well as loads of practical help. I waited until they contacted me, but you can chat to them anytime, and they can help you work out what support you\u2019re eligible for.<\/p>\r\n

\"Two<\/a><\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Amber shares her initial concerns and worries about going to university, the support she has received here at Bath and her top tips for care leavers.\u00a0\u00a0 It can be so confusing thinking about university as a care leaver \u2013 there\u2019s...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":337,"featured_media":7313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[742],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-care-leavers"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/students\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/81\/2022\/01\/thumbnail-10.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/337"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7241\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/students\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}