Experiences of Elgin Academy Graduates 

With many of Elgin Academy’s pupils leaving school this year, whether it be applying to university, going straight into work, or following another pathway, it can be useful to learn from others and their experiences. From discussing aspects of university life, offering advice, and more, two previous students from Elgin Academy tell us about their experiences of further education. We hear from Rosa McKay who is currently in her first year of studying psychology at The University of Edinburgh, as well as Sarah Fraser who is in her second year at Abertay University studying computer arts.  

Rosa encapsulates that going to university is often an opportunity for people to broaden their horizons, mentioning that her favourite parts about university life are the social aspects. “I love meeting lots of new people. I feel like I’ve learnt a lot about different cultures, differences between different countries and what life is like in other parts of the world and I think that’s really interesting.” With many students from overseas, university is an excellent chance to gain a wider understanding of people from all over the world.  

Sarah also talks about her favourite part, similarly, being the opportunity to meet others. “The people I’ve met across various courses are all passionate about what they want to do. We’re able to help each other to become better and support one another.” 

Something that may be either exciting or daunting for young people, is the possibility of having to live away from home. “At first, it was a bit weird having to do everything on my own, but so does everyone else and it's pretty fun trying to figure that out with the people you meet through halls. It is nice being able to have the freedom to do whatever you like whenever you like too.” Sarah highlights the pros of moving out, showing that it can be hard to adapt, but it does get easier.   

Rosa also describes her experience. “I feel like it was easy for me to adapt to living from home because I’ve always been an independent person – I’ve been working since I was fourteen, so I’ve learnt a lot about cooking, cleaning, and different things you need to do when you’re living by yourself. I’ve had a great time living in halls and I feel like it was easy for me to adapt because of my prior work and independence.” This shows some contrast, demonstrating that living from home may come naturally to some people, whilst being harder for others.  

Sarah mentions that university undoubtedly has a much higher workload, providing some advice in relation to courses. “There is definitely a lot more in terms of workload but in my case, I really enjoy the course that I picked, so I recommend you choose something you either like or are good at. You have to push yourself to do the coursework because most of it you have to do on your own intuition.” 

Also highlighted by Rosa is the issue of the recent pandemic affecting her ability to cope with the amount of work. “COVID made the workload less for some of the courses at school – some topics were taken off by the SQA or they told you some of the questions before the exam. I think that this, and also just learning less in general, made it so much harder for me to adapt to university because it is just full on, and I feel like I’m learning so many things – so much more than at the academy.” This shows the massive jump in terms of course content, illustrating that it is essential to be motivated in order to succeed. Rosa further goes on to say, “Elgin Academy made the transition easy for me and gave me lots of advice – especially Mrs Taylor who provided lots of guidance. Everyone really helped out with my application.” 

Each course is unique, depending on the university and subject you decide to do. Rosa describes her course, “It includes lectures, tutorials, and labs. We have compulsory coding which is related to data analysis. I’m really starting to love it - I really like the coding and statistics that go into it which was kind of unexpected.” She shows that even after picking your course, you can still enjoy things you may not have realised were heavily involved.  

Sarah also tells us about her course, “I essentially work on movies and games more tethered to the art side of things. The content covers a huge variety of topics like concept art, animation, 3D modelling and a bit of coding. The projects we work on help me to learn new things and build my portfolio up. I can decide what I want to specialise in, which is 3D modelling. The lecturers are all also great, they are very knowledgeable of the industry and are good teachers. They are also very approachable and supportive.” A similarity between the two responses is that they both mention their lecturers, something Rosa continues to touch on. “The teaching is really good. There’s always office hours for everyone which is easily accessible and they’re really kind and helpful. If you have a question, you can always ask during the lecture or afterwards.” 

Going to university in S5 can sometimes be a controversial topic. Rosa comments on her experience providing insights on the advantages and disadvantages, “Leaving in S5 was a good choice for me. My heart has been set on psychology for many years and staying for S6 didn’t feel like the correct thing to do. As much as I’m sad I can’t be involved with things like the yearbook and prom, I do feel like getting started a year early is great – I’m going to be a graduate at 20 years old and that gives me time to have a gap year after my degree, for example.”  

She continues to offer some advice. “There’s so many opportunities and possibilities that I can get from starting early so I feel like it has been the right decision for me, and I haven’t got any regrets. I wouldn’t encourage others to do the same because it’s not for the faint hearted and the social life can be more difficult. If you’re not ready for the workload, then definitely don’t leave early, but if you’re really passionate about what you want to do and feel like it’s the correct thing for you, then definitely bring it up with guidance and your parents to see what your options are. A lot of people said to me that they didn’t realise they could leave so I feel like people need to be aware of different possibilities.” 

Rosa then describes the effect that being a year younger has had on her social life. “It is more difficult but it’s not completely horrible. The only issue is societies – there’s loads of them. Some don’t do any pub socials at all but some of them do, like a few that I am involved in. I can’t do that part with them, so it makes it harder to be with people. In freshers a lot of people want to go out and you just have to say that you can’t. It is upsetting to not be able to partake in these things, but I know that I will be able to next year, so I don’t feel like I’m missing out because a lot of people are just focussing on their degree at the moment, especially during this time of year when exams are coming up.” 

With the overall experience of applying to university being a worrying time for many people, Rosa provides some tips and advice. “Everything happens for a reason and if you don’t get into the university that you want then it wasn’t meant to be. There’s always another pathway so don’t give up on something just because it didn’t happen the first time. If you don't get the grades or get into the school you want the first time around, there’s always a different route you can take such as reapplying. It might be that other universities are actually better suited for you. One thing from personal experience is that some universities won’t respond to you super quickly but that does not mean you won’t get an offer. My offer from Edinburgh came in May just before my exams which was quite late - I didn’t think I was going to get in. Just be patient and don’t give up on your dreams.”  

Sarah effectively captures the true essence of going on to further education. “University is an exciting new chapter in your life so don’t be afraid to embrace it. This is an opportunity to do your best!”