Assignment writing advice 

Whilst I was studying, I found that my mind sprouted lots of ideas and solutions to the subjects I was learning, but I always found it difficult to get these down onto paper. They would be a jumble of sentences and diagrams that were not coherent. It was especially challenging when the subject was complex.  

As I grew older, I became more aware of the reality and practicality of adulthood. As a child, I did not understand that I had to choose just one of my interests, because I was told at a young age that I could be, or do, anything. However, I still dreamed of more.  

I realised that if I studied business, I could apply my knowledge to several areas. That was why I took Business Management, because I can be anything and anywhere, as long as business and management are both present, which is the case across all industries.  

You’re eligible for Clearing if you have applied via UCAS in the current application year, and if: 

I have always been interested in how business processes work, which is the reason I undertook business studies. Firstly, when I was young, I dreamed to become a manager, where I was in charge of individuals and teams, and I had the power and responsibility of managing departments effectively.

What is a top-up degree?  

Top-up degrees are designed to help people with an existing Level 5 qualification - such as a Higher National Diploma (HND) - gain credits and graduate with a full undergraduate degree. Equivalent to the final year of study, they offer a fast-track route to a UK Bachelor’s, allowing students to build on their previous learning rather than starting from scratch, which could take three years or more. You can start a top-up degree straight after finishing your level 5 qualification or after a break if you would prefer – there's no time limit.   

As a DJ and presenter, you are highlighting and promoting artists - how important is diversity to you? Do you consider this in your choice of music? 

Yes! Absolutely. I believe it’s the easy way out to just pick tunes that you like from obvious labels. Of course, you could do this, and you should always play something you think is good that will fit into your set, but if you dig deep enough, you will find what you’re looking for from an array of different people, not just white, middle aged men. Soundcloud is great for finding undiscovered new talent.  

The music industry is very hard to get into – how did you get out there and promote yourself and did you find it hard? 

I started off doing a lot of free work. I think a lot of people do. Although I studied Radio Production at (Bournemouth) University, I only did that so that I had the time allowance from the course, and the funding from student finance, to do the work experience. The music and radio industries are all about meeting people, doing as much as you can to build some skills and, I hate the word, network! 

New City College is more than prepared to revert to such measures. During the recent lockdown, the College adopted this new approach to learning and quickly implemented the digital shift to working remotely. Our virtual learning environment (VLE), Moodle, was used by both teachers and students as a platform to engage and access online learning materials.

Over the last few months, I have often thought about students across the world, and wondered how I would have reacted when faced with such challenges. Among others, students have been struck with the following blows since March 2020: 

At Pearson, we are lucky to have a number of resources available to support our working from home journey, such as Microsoft Teams so we can keep in touch and Office 365 to help us collaborate on files. So in the Higher Education Qualifications team, we have been able to make a smooth transition. I therefore wanted to share some of my thoughts from this experience thus far, and hope that this enables you to do the same.