Careers support helped Grace take her first steps towards a future in physics.
Grace knew she enjoyed physics, but she wasn’t sure where it could lead. So she booked an appointment with her school careers adviser, Claire O’Brien.
Grace said, “I knew I had an interest in physics during GCSEs. I wasn’t entirely sure where I wanted to take that interest and what A levels I should be picking. So I went and spoke to Claire.”
Exploring her options
At first, Grace was interested in motorsport engineering. During her careers sessions, Claire helped her explore this option. They looked at potential placements.
When it came to choosing A levels, Claire encouraged Grace to keep her options open.
Grace explained, “Claire advised me to pick half of my A levels in physics and then half of my A levels in another subject. This was biology, and I was on the fence between these two areas.
“Whilst doing my A-levels, I realised that I was most interested in astrophysics. I much preferred this to the engineering side of physics.”
University and building confidence
As Grace began thinking about university, Claire continued to support her. She helped Grace find opportunities that would strengthen her university application.
“She pointed me in the direction of some summer schools with universities that I could apply to. I went to one in Cardiff University and then one in the University of Bath. This massively helped my university application.”
“Claire definitely gave me a confidence boost. She encouraged me to aim for Russell Group universities, which have top quality research. She said I had the academic performance to apply.
“This has been particularly important for me, as I now want to work in research in the future.”
The guidance also helped Grace feel more confident about the university application process.
“The whole UCAS process is quite daunting. Claire made it very straightforward, almost like a checklist of what I needed to do.”
Inspiring others
Grace is now studying physics at a Russell Group university. She is aware that women are still under-represented in the subject. Grace has found support through university networks and enjoys encouraging younger students through outreach work.
“Physics in general is about 70% men and 30% women, which can be a bit daunting. I think it’s really important that younger girls see other girls excelling in science.”
Grace’s advice to anyone unsure about speaking to a careers adviser is simple:
“Just do it. Nothing bad can happen if you go. You’ll only end up getting more information and more help. You’ll potentially discover opportunities that you might not have known about before.”
If you would like to explore your interests and opportunities with a careers adviser, please contact us today.
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