Rowan Maxwell (20) from Falkirk graduated with a HND Electrical Engineering and won the Most Inspirational Student in the Department of Engineering and Science award at the 2022 Falkirk Town Hall Graduation event.
Rowan, said: “I chose to study at Forth Valley College as the Falkirk Campus was close to home and, with being so local, I had heard many good things come from former students and attending students.
“The lecturers were very helpful and encouraging. They were able to engage the class in course work as well as have a laugh when the time was right. Since I had just come out of high school, moving to an environment where I was being treated like an adult was very refreshing.
“I did not explore many of the practical facilities, but from some of the work that lecturers have shown of other student’s performances, facilities are all very well catered for, providing the correct equipment to get a practical task underway and completed. Classroom wise, the staff have clearly created an environment that had the health and wellbeing of students at heart. Laptops could also be accessed in all the classrooms that I used which made access to technology very easy.
“Studying at Forth Valley College has provided me with a better understanding of further education past high school, as well as given me a small insight as to what is to come when progressing on to working life.
“After achieving my HND in Electrical Engineering, my next step is to move on to my third year at Heriot Watt university to attend the rest of my MEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering degree course.
“By attending the college, it gives a much easier way to gain the HNC or HND qualification than what university would. It’s also a good way to get to know people that have similar, or the same interests as you, and it could be possible to work in the same job as them too. During and even after college, staff are still able to lend a hand in helping you to acquire a job or apprenticeship, as they provide you with updates on job posts that match your interests or as a guide on how to apply for one.
“The best bit for me has to be working on my project in my HND year of college, as not only was it my own project, but it was exciting and fun to make. However, I also enjoyed watching my classmates develop their projects as well and learning from things they had learned. This all created a brilliant environment with helpful and joyful students.
“If I was speaking to someone who was in the same shoes as me, coming out of high school and believing that university had to be the next step, I would say to them that attending the college was a great way to get introduced to further education, as coming out of high school and being treated as an adult is very refreshing. Also if university is the goal, the College can provide easy access routes that will give additional credit courses, so you can get into the exact university you want.
“The thing I loved the most about Choosing College was getting to know people on the campus. After spending my HNC year online – due to the pandemic - and not being able to talk to many of my college classmates outside of class calls, being able to sit in a class and see everyone come from different backgrounds, such as on apprenticeships, or if they had taken a few years out of education or people like me that have just came straight out of high school, and getting know my classmates and lecturers was an experience I never expected.”