Keeley Thain

Starting a new course in a new city would’ve been too much for me personally and Petroc provided an accessible and convenient route to higher education. Studying at Petroc has enabled me to progress in my education close to home and work, while also staying in a place I love to live. I had also previously studied A-levels at Petroc so I was encouraged by the friendly staff and the familiarity of the campus.

Conservation and biodiversity protection are topics that I have always been passionate about so this course sounded perfect for me. I’m unsure about where I would like to specialise in the conservation field, so this course offered a broad and diverse range of topics which would open many doors for me in the future.

I love that lots of our time is spent outdoors. We are often out in the field doing practical tasks which are ideal for gaining some necessary skills while also being great fun. As a group, we have spent lots of time working with Kenwith Nature Reserve in Bideford and we have undertaken lots of conservation tasks including coppicing, burning and tree planting.

Petroc is such a friendly environment and the staff are always really supportive. The learning technologies and library service team are also very helpful and they are useful when it comes to any referencing or technology queries.

After I have completed my foundation degree, I would like to go on and do my top up year, after achieving my bachelors of science degree I will then be on the job hunt. I am currently unsure of what career path to take but I am without a doubt that my study will help determine this.