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Amina, A Levels

After being home schooled, Amina Abbas joined Activate Learning to gain the further qualifications she needed to study medicine at university.

Amina is from Langley, around an hour’s commute from Reading College, where she studies A Levels including biology, chemistry and accounting. She explains why she chose Activate Learning:

“I was home schooled for about eight or nine years, and I was at that stage in my life that I didn’t know what I wanted to do.  My parents suggested medicine as that is something that I had an interest in, and I had to retake my GCSEs in a period of around four months to get into college. When I was looking at the options around me, the other colleges weren’t up to standard, so that’s why I decided to travel a longer distance to get a better-quality education. As soon as you enter Reading College, it just looks amazing, to be honest!”

Amina found the transition from home schooling tricky at first, but says:

“College has taught me a lot, not just from the academic side, but a lot of personal growth as well. It’s taught me how to deal with different situations and how to be more aware of my surroundings. I’ve become more self-aware and able to reflect on my feelings, and I’ve adapted to different environments. I was quite independent from the start coming from home school, but I learned how to reach out and ask people for help.”

“In terms of classes, (Activate Learning) is very efficient. The teachers go through what you know and don’t know, and they make sure that you understand it, and the teachers are very good. This year I have learnt how to organise myself in a really nice way and learn from the mistakes that I’ve made, and with help from my teachers, understand course content better. So, it’s going really well.

Amina has an offer to study medicine from Exeter University and is considering Birmingham University for pharmacy. However, she is also thinking of further afield, possibly moving to Serbia or Ukraine to study. Her eventual aim is to pursue a career in cardiology.

Amina also has her own tips for dealing with exam pressure:

“I exercise to take my stress out in a positive manner, try to eat healthily and get myself into a positive mindset. Every morning I go on YouTube and listen to a motivational speech; they really do help you.”