‘I’m so happy that I switched to Keele’
A student who switched to Keele after completing their first year at a different university said it was one of the best decisions they've ever made – as they picked up their first-class honours degree.
Charlie Ball had been studying sport and exercise science at a city university in the North West of England, but decided to leave and move back home to Uttoxeter, in east Staffordshire, from where he carried on his studies and commuted to Keele each day. And after graduating with a Keele degree in rehabilitation and exercise science, Charlie is now planning to stay at Keele to study for a two-year MSc (pre-registration) in Physiotherapy.
Charlie, aged 20, said: "I did my first year at another university but while I was there, I started to think that it would make more sense for me to live at home, where I wouldn’t have to pay accommodation fees, and go to a university in the local area for my education.
"Living in Uttoxeter, I was fortunate there were quite a few universities in the area that I could have gone to while living at home, but Keele stood out to me. From looking at the website and watching videos of people at Keele, to seeing how nice the campus looked, it just looked like the right choice for me. And my mum is a lecturer at a college near Keele and told me all about how good the university is, and in the end, I was really very happy with the decision.
"I really enjoyed the course at Keele. I just felt more at home and the facilities and equipment were brilliant and they were always available to use. The class sizes were also much smaller than where I was before, which meant I felt valued rather than just being a number, and I had better relationships with my lecturers. Being taught in a smaller group also opened doors to staff connections and further opportunities for me."
Charlie, who coaches Doveridge FC'ss under-11s in his spare time, is planning to pursue a career working in paediatrics or sport and potentially follow in the footsteps of Keele graduates such as Kevin Mullholland, Head of Medical Performance and Sports Science at Wrexham AFC.
He said: "My mum is a lecturer in childcare, so that field of work has always interested me as a career. And I love sports and football, and it would be great to work in that area, so we will see what happens.
"It's a buzzing feeling to be graduating from university. If any other students are in a similar position to the one I found myself in, my advice would be that it’s not too late to come to Keele, even if you are studying somewhere else."
