Name
Jess McCourt
Course and Campus
BSc Language and Linguistics, Jordanstown Campus
Why did you decide to study part-time?
I needed to work alongside studying so part-time worked best for me!
How would you describe yourself to someone who’d never met you?
I would say I’m quite shy but then talkative when you get to know me. I’m from Manchester originally, but have been here in NI for nearly 6 years and love it!
Tell us something interesting about yourself?
When I was at school I got to take part in the BBC School Report programme and reported on the Beijing Olympics! Thankfully I don’t have the video footage from the news as I would definitely cringe to watch that now…
What obstacles or challenges did you overcome?
This is my third attempt to complete my degree. I previously studied in University of Sheffield and due to medical reasons I had to take leaves of absence and eventually withdrew. With help from the Student Support services at UUJ I was able to get back into studying and I’m moving into my final year in September 2021!
How has your life changed since beginning your study – if you didn’t take the opportunity, where would you have been?
I think coming back to uni part time has given me more confidence in myself. Without coming back, I think I would have been stuck in a job I didn’t enjoy and not really feel ready to move on to better things.
What has been your biggest achievement to date?
During the pandemic, I suffered multiple bereavements that really knocked my mental health. I managed to keep on studying despite
What are your future goals and aspirations?
I’m looking forward to graduating next year and hopefully progress in my career at the NI Civil Service or move to the charity sector to do policy work.
Why would you tell a prospective student to study part-time?
I found that the prospect of coming back to study full-time was quite daunting, so having the option to choose part time was such a good option. You can choose to work at your own pace by choosing how many modules to study each semester so it gives you that flexibility.