Shannon Fleming

What do you do now?

I’m a student at Edge Hill University, studying Dance and Drama. I also do an additional small course in Spanish, with hopes of studying abroad next year.

I heard of Edge Hill University from a neighbour who studied there, so I looked into it and took note of how many successful students they have and how highly they rank every year for “Top University.” I was struggling to choose between Dance or Drama, but Edge Hill is one of the only universities to offer both as a course, so it became my dream to attend. The staff always make sure the students are doing what they love, and many options are given to explore the performing arts overall. I’ve met many people studying the same subject as me and others who enjoy similar hobbies – I have to thank South Craven for guiding me here. 

What advice would you give your 17-year-old self?

Stop stressing! A calmer mind will help you get through your A Levels easier and will avoid most mistakes. I wish I’d gone to more open days and tried to meet people on my course before arriving, as I’d have probably been more comfortable on the drive up to university.

I’d tell myself that there’s no need to stress about meeting people, which was my worst fear at the time. I worried I wouldn’t get along with people, that flatmates would be uninterested and classmates would have their friends already. Everyone – literally everyone - finds a friend at university! It’s so diverse and you can bet that for every hobby or interest you have, there’s a group of people at university who are the exact same.

What are you most proud of?

My journey of choosing Edge Hill University and settling in well during my time here. I did worry about settling into university when first arriving, but everything has gone smoothly so far.

During my time at South Craven I was always set on studying Science in Sixth Form and then Astronomy at university. My opinion changed after researching it and realising how many years after university it would take to get a comfortable position in a job, and I knew I wouldn’t enjoy half my working life in that job! I changed my A Levels last minute from Science and Maths to Acting, Dance and Drama. I’m very thankful I chose it as it makes me much happier – astronomy is now a hobby on the side.