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'I loved the subject and found the process of gaining new knowledge so rewarding.'

Name: Jilly B

Age: 24

Studying: BSC Social Policy at University of Bristol

Qualifications: GCSEs, HNC Social Sciences from Open University

I left school at age 16, straight after my GCSEs and with no real career aspirations - at the time I just wanted to find a job to be able to live independently.

When I started considering higher education, I spent some time on individual university websites initially. The UCAS website had loads of really useful information on different courses and also student finance, which was probably the biggest concern for me as I was used to earning a full-time wage! Another immensely useful website was the Prospects website which helped me to think about my options from a career perspective.

I started a one year course with the Open University for my own interest. At the time I had no intention of going into full-time education, but I loved the subject and the found the process of gaining new knowledge so rewarding that I wanted to be able to devote my time to learning rather than fitting it in around work. The lifestyle change was also a big draw - I had always lived in the same town until then and was keen to get to know a new city and new people!

I came to Bristol with my partner and the thought of relocating was terrifying, particularly with the competition for jobs. But the course I wanted was not offered locally. After a lot of discussion we decided to take the chance of moving to Bristol; a city which we had visited and liked a lot (we still do!). We saved as much money as we could between receiving my offer and moving in September, sold the car and found the cheapest flat we could. Another huge concern was finances - my partner would not be able to support us both - but I found Student Finance England were very helpful and enabled me to calculate quite early on how much I would have to live on: the rest I make up by working between 12 and 16 hours a week and being careful how much I spend.

I absolutely love my course and my life in Bristol. I have met some great people and find my subject engaging and the lecturers supportive. The work is certainly challenging, but not impossible; my advice would be to keep an eye on deadlines so work doesn't get left to the last minute (perhaps obvious, but easier said than done!) and don't be afraid to ask your tutor if you have any concerns. My uni run personal development workshops on things like researching for essays and note taking, which are really helpful. The other massively important piece of advice is to get involved - no matter what your age or interests there will be social events to interest you and like-minded people to meet. As in the workplace, age really does not feature and people will accept you for who you are.