College alumnus goes to Oxford University

A former Barking & Dagenham College student has achieved his dream of getting into Oxford University.

Having gained average grades in his GSCEs, Edward tried A-levels but found that they weren’t for him. Edward explains: “Then I had a paradigm shift; I wanted to make something of myself. I decided to go try a more vocational route to success and enrolled on a BTEC in IT Barking & Dagenham College.”

Earning money working as a bartender whilst studying, Edward excelled in his studies; he secured Distinction*, Distinction*, Distinction* - the highest grades possible.

His impressive grades plus the extra experiences he got at college, helped him secure a coveted degree apprenticeship. Edward explains: “I gained a lot of extra-curricular experience along the way at college, with companies like Career Colleges, Amazon Web Services and Comic Relief to name a few.

“These experiences and connections then helped me to get a degree apprenticeship at Ford Motor Company. Doing a BTEC was a brilliant choice for me, and I would definitely encourage other people to do it.”

At Ford, he worked as a Software Engineer, studying a BSc in Digital and Technology Solutions part time at The University of Greenwich where he achieved a First Class Honours. image004.jpgHe was promoted to a Senior Software Engineer quickly after his apprenticeship had ended.

Edward has now found out that he’s been accepted to study for a master’s at Oxford University, which he will study part-time alongside his job.

He sums up: “I wanted to prove to my 17-year-old self, who didn’t succeed at A-levels, that it was possible to achieve something. There is always a way, even if you must work a little harder.

“I never thought I would even have a bachelor's degree, and now I have been offered to study a master's at the number one university in the world. I am super excited to start. Now I just need to work out how to fund it!”