Kirsten Koss

Becoming a student at North East Scotland College gave Kirsten Koss (24) opportunities that she had never dreamed of and helped her decide on her future career path.

Kirsten left school after her sixth year. Despite enjoying languages and modern studies, she didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life so decided to take some time out to work full-time before making long-term decisions.

She said, “I worked full time for five years in hospitality, and then in retail. I always knew that I wanted to go back to education though and, at first, I joined NESCol as a part-time student studying English and Maths – and my maths lecturer somehow got me through my Higher! I knew that I loved Politics and had a keen interest in it and when I saw that I could study Politics as well as getting involved in new and exciting subjects like Sociology and Psychology, I knew I wanted to continue as a full-time student and applied to study HND Social Sciences.”

Kirsten continued, “The College is such a wonderful place to be, and I have so many positives from my time there. The top highlight for me would be my involvement in the NESCol Students’ Association where I was elected to the position of Depute President for the final year of my HND. This allowed me to work towards enhancing the student experience with two amazing colleagues. Having the opportunity to sit on the College’s Regional Board, travel to NUS conferences and attend Scottish Parliamentary Committees to represent the Students’ Association were things I never expected to experience at College and they helped build my confidence and aspirations.”

By the time she left College, Kirsten had a good idea of where she wanted to be in the future. She said, “Before coming to NESCol I’d always fancied becoming a primary school teacher. The College definitely helped me to hone my love for education but I’m definitely a tertiary education kind of girl now. I’d love to come back as a lecturer in the future.”

Kirsten is currently at university and working towards this goal. She said, “Since leaving NESCol, I have progressed straight into the second year of an MA in History and Politics at the University of Aberdeen. This is something I know I wouldn’t have been able to achieve without the College, its amazing staff and its nurturing environment.”

When asked if she would recommend studying at NESCol to others who have been out of education for a few years, Kirsten said: “Absolutely – I don’t think college gets the credit it deserves. It’s such a wonderful place where anyone can come and discover their potential. I’m so glad that I came to NESCol because it really has been a life changing experience. I think Social Sciences is a great place to be if you’re curious about the world or if there’s something that really frustrates you about the system and you’d really like to see it change. Studying an HND in Social Sciences really helped me to see the world in a better light. The department has such down to earth, friendly, normal staff and I would jump at the chance to finish my studies at the college if I could. Choose College – it really is a wonderful place!”