Use other people's experiences to help you make the right decision

The case studies in this section will show you how different people have become mature students.

Their stories reveal how they set about tackling the problems and obstacles faced by older students with different constraints and responsibilities.

They each remain delighted that they made the decision to go to university or college.

Vanessa, 53, lacked direction so didn't pursue A levels
'I had been incredibly ordinary at school... then I realised I was destined to do this. After all these years!'

Alexander, 33, didn't think higher education was an option
'I was worried that I would not be intelligent enough to pass...I worked really hard and I found that I was scoring higher grades than most people on my course.'

Lynne, 42, wanted to earn money after school
'I found IT skills easier to pick up than I had expected.'

Clemmy, 26, for years didn't know what she wanted to do
'You get a degree, the social side is lovely and it builds your confidence up.'




Would you like to tell your story about life as a mature student?

We all want to know as much as possible before making an important decision, and reading about other people's journeys to university or college can be really helpful. If you think that your experiences of applying to, and attending, higher education could benefit other mature students, please email us at webeditor@ucas.ac.uk and your story could be displayed in this section.