My name is Rose Pryor and I am from St Neots in Cambridgeshire. I am a third year BSc Biological Science student.

I was planning to study at another university but in the August before I was due to start, I received a call from Beds about the University’s ‘Enabling Bursary’ which I was eligible for. I decided to visit the University’s Luton campus to check out the facilities and meet with one of the main lecturers on the course, Dr Steven Dodsworth, who answered all my questions about Beds and biological science in general.

This interaction with a lecturer really helped me get a good feel about the course and who I’d be studying with, so I decided to switch my chosen university to Beds. All I had to do was call the Clearing line and they sorted everything out for me – it was hassle free!

The pandemic has of course brought its challenges and made studying a lot more difficult in my eyes. As rather than being away from distractions, I had been working more hours in order to help out at my work place (a care home) that needed the extra support during the pandemic.

In addition to this, I am single mother, meaning that when I'm at home I have to factor in studying around my four year old son. However, the brilliant School of Life Sciences team at Beds has worked their hardest to ensure we still get the best out of our university experience and leave with the same quality knowledge and skills that we would have had, had we been attending university in person.

After graduating I hope to complete my masters, and maybe even a PhD, then go onto work in the drug development industry.