How a Newham College Access to HE student won a place at Cambridge

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Success Story

Ben Clarke left school at 16 with, in his words, “decent GCSE results but by no means straight A’s”, then spent years working and touring as a musician without gaining formal qualifications.

The Access to HE Diploma at Newham College gave him a route back to study as an adult, and he has accepted a place to read Psychology at Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge.

If you support adults returning to education without traditional qualifications, learners who wonder whether the top universities are even open to them, get in touch.

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At a glance

Centre

Newham College (an FE college)

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Learner

Ben Clarke, a mature returner to education

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Qualification

Access to HE Diploma (Psychology / Sciences)

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The challenge

An adult with years of work experience but no formal qualifications, and too old to easily take A Levels

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The solution

An Access to HE Diploma at Newham College, designed for adults without traditional qualifications, with close individual tutor support

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The result

Offers from all five universities he applied to, and a place to read Psychology at Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge

I want other people from difficult backgrounds and experiences to know that with qualifications like Access to HE and the right support, they can achieve.
Ben Clarke, Access to HE student, Newham College

The challenge: reaching university as an adult with no formal qualifications

Ben Clarke left school at 16 with what he describes as “decent GCSE results but by no means straight A’s”. As a musician, Ben hoped to make a career out of that, but, after speaking to his careers advisor he started an Apprenticeship as a plumber.

 

He quickly realised that plumbing wasn’t for him, and after six weeks he left and took on temporary work whilst beginning to perform with a few bands. Ben moved from his native Lincolnshire to London and enjoyed relative success with his music, touring the UK, Europe and the USA and playing in some big venues.

 

He combined working in the hospitality industry with continuing to play music, including a spell living and working in New York. But after doing this for a number of years decided that this wasn’t sustainable and began to look for a new career.

 

Although Ben had gained a variety of experience and worked in a number of jobs, he didn’t have any qualifications. This meant it wasn’t easy to transition into a new career and he found it difficult to be taken seriously by employers.

Ben decided to take some time out to reflect and work out what he wanted to do longer-term; so in 2019 he left his job to go travelling. He spent some time thinking about what he was really interested in and landed on psychology as a subject he’d be interested in.

The start of the Coronavirus pandemic meant that once again, Ben’s plans had to change, “I had to come back from my travels a little bit sooner than anticipated because of Covid. I’d just arrived in New Zealand at the time and unfortunately didn’t get to see any of the country.”

Ben returned to the UK in March 2020, just as the first lockdowns were starting, locating himself in London, which had been his main base since leaving home at 16. With the goal of studying Psychology at university in mind, he began looking for somewhere to study to prepare him.

When I first started looking at how I was going to get to University I thought I’d be able to do my A Levels at a college, but I found that if you want to do A Levels at my age, it’s pretty difficult to find somewhere suitable.

Ben Clarke, Access to HE student, Newham College

How the Access to HE Diploma at Newham College prepared Ben for university

Instead, Ben started looking at Access to HE, which is specifically designed for people who would like to study at university level, but who do not hold traditional formal qualifications. Successfully completing an Access to HE qualification is therefore often a vital stepping stone to higher education and a graduate career. When looking for an Access to HE course in psychology, he chose to study at Newham College because “what was really good was the individual help from people like [former Head of Access to HE] Bushra and the course leader Lorna.”

The course was inevitably hit by the pandemic. Beginning with in-person teaching in September, the course moved online during the lockdown in January 2021, before returning to face to face sessions in May. Ben caught Coronavirus himself in January, and struggled with long-Covid symptoms afterwards. He missed the interaction and face to face elements of studying which he found difficult to replicate online, but recognises that in many ways he’s been lucky, and that some of his fellow students were facing much more challenging situations.

He enjoyed the variety of the Access to HE course, citing neuroscience as a really interesting part of the course, and is full of praise for the individual support provided by his tutor, Lorna, who he describes as “superb”. Despite the difficulties, his attitude, both to his own work and to his fellow students, impressed college staff.

His tenacity and discipline are exemplary. He is an independent learner but a conscious team player when there is need to help fellow students. Benjamin is resourceful, innovative and takes time out to find additional materials to enhance his learning experience and that of others. His acceptance to Cambridge University is an indication of his hard-work, enthusiasm and resilience

Lorna Spence, Curriculum Team Leader (Psychology), Newham College

The results: offers from five universities and a place at Cambridge

When it came to choosing a University, Ben’s approach was to ask “what’s the best possible thing that you could do off the back of this course?”

 

He consulted the prospectuses, league tables and rankings, to find out more about courses, facilities, reputation and tutors of the institutions that offered Psychology. Ben decided to apply to King’s College London, Cambridge, Sussex, Royal Holloway and Cumbria. He received offers from all of them, and accepted a place to read Psychology at Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge. He hopes it will take him on to postgraduate study or a Masters.

 

Ben is keen to spread the word and pass on his experiences to give others belief. He acknowledges that often Access to HE students can struggle accessing information about the application process for the University of Cambridge and other Russell Group Universities.

 

He received some mentoring from Slipstream, a charity that helps students from underrepresented backgrounds aim high and get into leading universities. Although Ben only found out about them very late in the process, he was able to have a mock interview with a mentor, which he says helped to prepare him.

I think Access to HE students should be encouraged to apply to the best universities. It never crossed my mind that Cambridge wouldn’t be an option for an Access to HE student.

Ben Clarke, Access to HE student, Newham College

Outside college, Ben still plays in his band, Transatlantic Family Band, and was working on an album just before he went travelling. “We’ve been going for about 10 years, although everyone’s getting married and having kids and buying houses and those kinds of things. I’m hoping we’ll at least play a release show for our album before I start uni.”

I want other people from difficult backgrounds and experiences to know that with qualifications like Access to HE and the right support, they can achieve. You have got to be really interested in the subject and passionate about it, but you can succeed.

Ben Clarke, Access to HE student, Newham College

What this could mean for your learners

Ben came to Newham College with years of experience and no formal qualifications, and left with a place to read Psychology at the University of Cambridge. He did not become a stronger candidate overnight; the Access to HE Diploma gave a capable adult a route that his age had otherwise closed, and the individual support around him did the rest. The same is possible for very different learners, in very different settings, whatever they walked away from school believing about themselves. If you would like to talk about what Access to HE could open up for yours, we’re here whenever you’d like to talk.

Access to Higher Education Qualifications

Access to HE (Health, Science and Social Care)

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