Many people will go through what I am going through now, the struggle to do something their passionate about. My passion is Forensic Science an area that has captured both my heart and mind for many years. This is my experience up to now and it isn't a pleasant one but it is one that has made me more determined.
My story starts in my secondary school, around about the time pupils get to choose what they want to study for their GCSE's (General Certificate of Secondary Education), I remember the most important of my choices was Double Award Science, as I knew many years before this choice was to be made that I wanted to study Forensic Science. I had made all my GCSE choices and submitted them and in my interview made it clear what I had planned for my future career. Upon returning to my secondary school at the start of year 10 I found out I had been put in a GNVQ Science class which would teach me none of the skills I would need to progress onto A-Level Sciences, when I found this out I was angry at my school and mostly at the staff, who had made the decision without consulting me! They told me all the way through the following 2 years that studying GNVQ would not affect my plan to sit A-Level Sciences, but they were wrong. I had collected my results from the school and passed all of my exams, most with university recognised grades (A-C) but I had received an E in maths D in geography and history. I then signed up for my A-Level course....... Biology, Chemistry and English, however when I did get to my Chemistry and Biology classes I was told there was no way I could sit the A-Level exams for these subjects as I had sat GNVQ not Double Award Science. This is where my life fell apart my dreams were being squashed and there was nothing I could do about it. In June 2007 I had to have major facial surgery, which mean't missing time off school and I have to admit the school wasn't too happy. I left school with no chance of going to University my heart crushed and my mind lost with no idea what was going to happen now. I went on two courses after leaving school one as an introduction to housing and the other an introduction to T.E.F.L, I went to numerous job interviews in my area but I was 'over qualified' for those jobs. In 2009 I started searching for foundation courses in Forensic Science I found on in the local university, the University of Glamorgan. Their Forensic courses are accredited by the FSS (Forensic Science Service) and offers students a fantastic degree, so I applied for their foundation course knowing I had no chance at a degree being 19 with 1 unrecognised A-Level and 2 Introduction courses. I sent in my application and a few weeks later received a letter saying I had been unsuccessful, it broke my heart reading that letter I really thought that I would maybe have a chance to show what I could do. I didn't give up I just started looking elsewhere, I found a course at the University of Wales, Lampeter. I applied for this course and received an offer a few weeks later but a University I thought I could actually succeed in would just turn out to be another disappointment. I had specifically chosen Lampeter as it had a module in Forensic Archaeology a subject area I am very fond of, it was rural but I didn't mind that just as long as I could do something related to Forensic Science that would offer me a route into a university degree in Forensics I didn't really care where it . I arrived at Lampeter on the 2nd of October for the Foundation Induction Day only to find that Forensic Science was not running panic struck and my mind started racing "what am I going to do now, I can't just leave not after I have come this far and fought this hard" thats exactly what I thought. I had asked at the end of the meeting why Forensic Archaeology wasn't there and was told there was no one to teach it but that it would run in term 2. I felt some relief and thought "ok maybe this isn't going to be so
bad" oh how I was wrong, 1st my key had not been given to the porters by accommodation I had to go running around in an unfamiliar place looking for someone to get my room key. After that my parents helped me move in I felt ok excited even to have a challenge ahead of me. The following Monday was enrolment I went around queued for hours in multiple lines making sure everything was in order, or at least I thought it was in order. I had done everything I had to that day including signing up for Forensic Archaeology in term 2. On the Wednesday people started to receive their student loans but there was no sign of mine anywhere, I started to worry again knowing that I didn't have a lot of money to cover my back. By the Friday still nothing, that was it I had just about had enough. I went to the finance department to see why my loan hadn't come through only to be told that Academic Registry had not changed me from a prospective student to a current student and that I was not actually enrolled and so I would receive no loan until that had been sorted. I went to Academic Registry only to be sent on a wild goose chase, I went over to my head of department asking for the enrolment for Academic Registry said they didn't have only to find out from my head of department that they did have it, so back over to Academic Registry I went. I filled in more forms and had many documents photocopied, I went back to student finance to find out when I would get my loan only to be told not till the following week, my money wasn't going to last that long. I went back to my head of department nearly in tears facing the prospect of having no money for another week, he informed me that there was a form in Academic Registry I could fill in to get some vouchers to make sure I could eat till my loan went in. I went back to Academic Registry to get this form, filled it in went into town to get the information they required from my bank only to be told I wasn't guaranteed any form of help as it was now 4pm on a Friday and that it was my fault that I had left it this late. It was not my fault had Academic Registry actually done their jobs I wouldn't have been in that situation in the first place. I did eventually get some support but that didn't make me feel any better I had already been blamed for something that was not my fault only a week into the academic year.
Around a month after this I had returned from a friends house only to find that I could not lock my door from the inside meaning that I could not lock my door when I was asleep at night or taking a shower. I immediately went and reported it to the porters who gave me a slip to fill in, which I did but was then told nothing would be done till the following day as there was no one on duty at night. I went home frightened to go to sleep with my door unlocked, I did eventually get so tired that I fell asleep, the next morning I went out for a while to get some books from the library and get some food, I came back and still no one had been to see to the broken lock as the day went by no one came, I ended up spending another night with my door broken. The next morning the cleaner came around to clean the bathroom, I had tried to explain to her that my door was broken and please don't lock it, but she didn't understand her English isn't very good. She locked the door and I was locked in I knew my friends were in lectures and my Chinese corridor mates had gone out for the day, I had no one to let me out, after about 4 hours my friends came back and had received my text, I passed my key under the door for them to let me out. I was given the number for accommodations by one of my friends, I then phoned accommodation to ask why my door hadn't been fixed. I got through to the student finance office instead. The gentleman told me there was no one in the office as they had gone to lunch early (lunch is 12-2pm) and passed me onto a lady who used to work in accommodation. I explained the situation with my door to her but she was extremely rude and without helping me just hung up, saying that I was arguing with her, I was annoyed and upset that I had been locked in my room for 4 hours with no way out. If there had been a fire no one would have even known I was locked in I would have been killed. My lock did eventually get fixed after I turned up at reception in tears shaking like a leaf.
The last straw was three weeks before the end of term when I was told Forensic Archaeology would no longer run and that I would have to choose a different module, I didn't want to choose a different module I wanted to do Forensic Archaeology the module I was registered on and paying for. I broke my heart that day as my course started to fall down around me and I no longer had the passion to keep fighting the people at the university, I am tired and emotionally broken, I am now left with another decision......... do I stay at Lampeter or do I transfer. I chose to try and transfer I had contacted Cardiff University who's staff were helpful but could not offer me a foundation place as they didn't have a Forensic Foundation year. I knew of one other place but I had been turned down there last year..... but now I have experience at higher education and good essay grades 2:2, 2:1 and a 1st. I sent an e-mail begging the head of department to consider me for their Foundation Forensic Science course. Right now I am waiting for that reply I am not expecting it to be the one I want and I am preparing myself for another piece of my heart to be taken when they again refuse me entry because I do not have Maths at GCSE grade C.
My question to everyone including Lecturers & Forensic Scientists: Why can you not accept someone who is dedicated willing to put in huge amounts of work and research onto your foundation degree if they don't have Maths at grade C? Is the passion and dedication meaningless to you or are you as heartless as you seem?
I beg of someone somewhere to read this and understand that every time you refuse someone the enjoyment and happiness a university course could offer you take a piece of them and destroy it, this is why there are so many people out there who are lost and are not what are considered 'dole bums'. I don't ever want to be a 'dole bum' but I need someone to just give me the chance to give all I have for a career I want to do. Give me the chance to give someone else their face back, let me learn to help families grieve.
Don't make me feel like I am worthless.
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