"I had a great experience applying through Clearing and coming to Birkbeck has been the best decision I've made"
Saim Farook, BSc Business Psychology student, joined Birkbeck through Clearing. He shares his story of his path to Birkbeck, why he’d recommend Clearing to others, and his plans for the future.
I want to impact the world in some way
I grew up in an area of London where a lot of youth are involved in crime or gang activity. My aim is to touch one person's heart, one kid's life, and help transition their mindset to get a job, get a degree, land something that they want to do in their life, apart from just going to jail or committing crime.
I dropped out of another university within the first week
The lack of support and teaching style led to me quitting and I went to do an apprenticeship. Shortly afterwards, I was made redundant because the whole programme folded. After this, I decided that education wasn’t for me, and I started working my way up in retail. My mindset changed when I had a conversation with my manager who encouraged me to go back to university and pursue an education even though I was 21.
My cousin studied MSc Psychology at Birkbeck and encouraged me to apply
Birkbeck’s evening teaching, allowing me to work and gain experience whilst studying, was really appealing. I really liked Birkbeck’s central London location which offers an amazing nightlife and it’s a vibrant student area with other unis nearby. I can’t imagine living and working anywhere else but London, I love the hustle and bustle of everything and that there’s always something going on. I can’t see myself ever leaving!
Applying through Clearing was a great experience
I called up the Birkbeck Clearing hotline and had an hour-long conversation with an advisor who talked me through everything: how to apply, the classes, how my modules would be set out and the fees. The advisor I spoke to was so nice and accommodating to my needs, and I felt so reassured by her help. People often think Clearing is the end of the world. But Clearing means there's a backup option for you, and universities are ready to take you.
My degree in business psychology is fascinating and I have a good social life
My course is teaching me about the brain, and how people think, talk and act. There’s only 30 people on my course and we have a group WhatsApp chat. We often go to the Birkbeck bar after lectures and on nights out as well as have revision sessions at Starbucks. I’ve met people from all walks of life, with some students in careers already, working in companies including JP Morgan and Aviva, so it’s great for networking.
I’m working full-time at Nationwide whilst studying full-time
I’m a Senior Consultant at Nationwide so I’m pretty young for the role I’m in. It’s sales focused and I work with clients to sell them different types of bonds and portfolios. I credit Birkbeck with helping me to land the role – before applying I met with a Birkbeck careers advisor and she reviewed by CV and encouraged me to enrol on several courses. Fortunately Birkbeck and Nationwide have been really accommodating, for example Birkbeck deferred an exam for me when I had health issues and Nationwide give me time off to take exams.
Living with my parents is helping me to save
Commuting to Birkbeck is easy – it’s about 40 minutes door to door. Eventually I want to move out but it’s so expensive, so living with my family whilst I’m studying is helping me to save for the future.
I recently won the BBK Chat Peer Mentee of the Year award
I signed up to the BBK Chat peer mentoring scheme in which I was paired with another student from a similar course. He’s 52 and has a lot of experience so he was a great mentor and we just clicked on our first meeting. He encouraged me to apply for more advanced jobs because I was going for junior roles that weren’t paying very well and he just gave me that extra push which made me feel more confident and helped me land my role at Nationwide.
I’m planning to do a Master’s degree at Birkbeck
At the moment, I want to pursue a career in finance, so I’m looking at business and finance Master’s degrees at Birkbeck. I won’t consider going to any other uni – I love every aspect of Birkbeck!