I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I was doing my A-levels, so I just qualified and got a sensible job for a few years whilst I figured out what I wanted to do. A lot of people expect they’re going to be the only one who’s a bit different, and worry that they might not fit in, but actually the university is really great at addressing that. There are more mature students than you might think, and a lot of students that haven’t come from traditional backgrounds.

I still wanted to embrace the student experience. In first year I lived a short walk from campus in the Sidings in a flat with all mature students and that worked really well. I love the Penryn Campus. It’s a really great place to study, especially an outdoors based subject. We’ve got a natural living laboratory on the doorstep of campus.

One thing that seemed daunting was that I didn’t have a biology A-level, but the first year is designed really well to get you up to speed and give you all of the basic knowledge you need. I’ve been a student rep on my course and it’s been really nice to have that extra involvement.