Case Study

My time at university has taught me many valuable skills and has given me a huge drive to achieve every goal I set out for myself. Your university experience is what you make it. I was surrounded by good people and made friends for life, which made my time at Sunderland enjoyable and kept me on track when things got tough.

I would recommend anyone to enrol onto the BA (Hons) Performing Arts course as it teaches you so much more than performing arts; I’ve learned business skills, communication skills and teaching skills, as well as gaining links to agents and professional companies. Ultimately at the end of this course you will feel confident and supported in whatever decision you make in terms of the direction of your career.

I found lockdown extremely hard as it was put in place when I was at the pinnacle of my degree. I was a week away from performing a variety show I had produced as part of my dissertation project, and the planning and preparation I had put into making the evening a success was gone in a flash. Finishing a performing arts degree from home, making my bedroom my theatre was definitely a challenge and will stay with me forever – hopefully I can laugh about it one day!

Now I have graduated I plan to complete my PGCE, gain employment in a SEN environment and complete training to become a SENCO. My future ambition is to one day start up my own centre which would provide services for people of all ages and abilities, using music as a device.

University is an amazing experience and offers you so many amazing opportunities, however, I know the coronavirus pandemic has had an impact on many people’s mental health and wellbeing. My advice is if you feel you are in a good place and ready to do the work, then go and get your degree. If you feel you may struggle, get in touch with the university, there are lots of amazing support services you can access such as the wellbeing team that can help you achieve your goals. Whatever you decide just make sure your health and mental health comes first!”

Published 12 October 2020