Why did you choose Reigate College?

I liked the College’s approach to teaching students to take responsibility for their own learning, and to master the skill of working independently, an approach that’s better aligned with universities.

I also liked that the student pool is much larger than at RGS, which gave me an opportunity to meet more people (and more types of people).

How and why did you decide which subjects to study?

I was decided on doing Maths and Physics at A Level but I wasn’t sure about my third choices. Most Engineering courses only required Maths and Physics so I saw my third subject as an opportunity to meet people who thought in a completely different way to the logicians doing Physics and Maths.

Psychology has been great as its enabled me to continue improving my literary skills through essays and analyses, while learning about different aspects of human behaviour.

How did you find the move from school to College?

I was used to high levels of teacher intervention at my old school, which made the cultural switch to working more independently more challenging. Prioritising my time and working efficiently towards deadlines is a skill I’ve been improving for the last 2 years, and I know it’ll be critically important at university.

I didn’t struggle with making friends. I saw the move as an opportunity to branch out and forge new relationships, and being able to meet friends of friends who’d also moved from my school to College really helped with the transition.

What do you think makes Reigate College a good place to be a student?

I think the support system makes the College what it is. There’s always a number you can call, a teacher you can talk to. It’s great. There are people from a range of different backgrounds, doing all sorts of different combinations of subjects.

What’s your plan for when you leave College?

I’m weighing up whether to do an Apprenticeship or study Engineering at university. I have conditional offers at both Loughborough and Birmingham.

I’d like to work at places such as Lockheed Martin, Tesla, Boston Dynamics, Tsubame Industries – all incredible examples of real-world companies pushing the boundaries of Engineering. I see myself applying concepts of Robotics to solve real-world problems – there are too many fields to choose from!

I’ve looked at many different career fields from space exploration to ocean cleanup to military development. I’m totally open to the idea of self-employment further down the line – starting a Robotics business sounds like a dream to me.

Simeon, 2024