Why YSJ? – Rachel Grove, Occupation Therapy, 2018
My name is Rachel Grove, I recently graduated from YSJ in November this year with a 2:1 in Occupational Therapy.
I now have a job that I love at Luton and Dunstable hospital as a Band 5 Occupational Therapist.
My three years at YSJ are years of my life that I will never forget for so many reasons. Each year was different, but so special in a number of ways.
My first year was spent exploring and living in the beautiful city of York, a place that I can now call my second home. Living nearly 200 miles away from my family and home I really began to grow independently as my own person; cooking, cleaning and caring for myself. Within this year I made the most amazing memories and friendships with my flat mates and course friends, and began falling in love with a course that has inspired and changed me in so many ways.
In my second year, I joined the Cheerleading team, YSJ Kats, which widened my opportunities to meet new people and be involved in various events throughout the university. Being part of a club changed my university experience massively, I got to know so many different people, that have become lifelong friends, and meant I had more familiar faces on campus. I have done Cheerleading as a sport for a number of years and loved it, so having the opportunity to continue this whilst at uni brought me a lot of joy and really gave me purpose. Training long and hard to then be able to compete in competitions across the country with my team was unforgettable and being able to go abroad on tour each year really was the cherry on top.
My third year, though considered a tough year for all students with assignments and dissertations due, was one of my favourite years at uni. That being said, I definitely struggled at times finding uni really difficult. However, I learnt if you want something you have to work hard for it, and with all the benefits that have come from my experiences meant the hard times really don’t compare. As well as studying hard, I definitely partied hard and really soaked up York nightlife with my friends. So many opportunities were available to me, getting to enjoy the perks of; being part of a sports club, living in such a beautiful city and being a student at an incredible university. The wonderful thing about YSJ is you never really stop meeting new people, and this amazed me that even in my third and final year at uni I was still forming the most amazing friendships with new people. I truly feel that this was the year I became the strongest and most confident version of myself, and I can only thank my university experience for that.
There was a time when I didn’t think university was the route for me, however I have always been a strong believer in ‘Everything happens for a reason’, and for all the reasons noted above and many more, I can definitely say that I was supposed to be a student at YSJ, and am lucky enough to now be YSJ alumni.
