My name is Fads, and I studied the Access to HE: Health Professions course with Mediprospects. After completing the course, I went on to study Paramedic Science at the University of Greenwich — my first choice on UCAS.

One of the biggest highlights of my degree so far has been my placements. Before starting, I thought I'd mainly be doing behind-the-scenes work, but I was actually out on the ambulance, attending real situations and gaining hands-on experience. I've been to police stations, theatres, schools and along the River Thames, working alongside the fire brigade and the police, and attending emergencies including seizures, anaphylaxis and drug overdoses.

Studying the Access to HE course really helped prepare me for university. We covered anatomy as part of the course, and when I started my degree, one of the first modules was anatomy and physiology — so I already had a foundation. That gave me a strong start.

The course didn't just prepare me for the subject; it taught me how to study at a higher level. The teachers showed me how to find reliable academic sources like PubMed and Google Scholar, how to reference properly and how to structure my assignments. These are skills I took with me into university, and they really helped me get through my first year.