Laura Burn: Highlights and challenges of university life from a former student 

Laura Burn studied BTEC Sport and Exercise at Christ the King Sixth Form College before progressing to St Mary’s University to complete her BSc in Sport Rehabilitation.

“The highlight of university has been making life-long friends through joining sports clubs and societies,” Laura said to our Alumni team. “University allows you to have a good balance of having fun and working hard. My time at university has also helped me to improve my confidence.”

Of course, Laura admits that university life has not come without its challenges.

‘The greatest challenge for me since starting university is having to be independent and live away from home,” she said. “Also, progressing from college to university level is a big jump at first and takes a while to get used to the intensity of work.”

However, Laura says that her time at Christ the King was instrumental in getting her to where she is today.

“I’d like to say thanks to the amazing teaching staff, who were enormously supportive, allowing me to get the qualifications I needed to do the course that I wanted to do,” she said. “Christ the King taught me that universities aren’t going to force feed you information so if you want to do well then you must be self-motivated and have the determination to work hard.”

“When I graduate from university, I am hoping to work with a sports team as a Sports Rehabilitator,” said Laura. “In a few years’ time, I would have like to have gained a lot of experience and widened my knowledge within the sports injury field and hopefully set up my own sports injury and massage business.

“University may not be the best option for everyone so make sure you choose a course that you will enjoy as you are more likely to succeed,” Laura advised her fellow students. “It is a lot of hard work but will all be worth it when you are qualified.”