Life isn’t one straight road – Elicia Cowley

Former CSFA Student, Elicia Cowley’s Journey

It has been 6 years since I left CFSA and yet it feels like yesterday! People are not lying when they say that time flies by! Before you know it, school is over and you’re faced with the question of what to do next. For me, it wasn’t straight forward – as it isn’t for many people. I had always known what I wanted to do, but I was never particularly good at maths or science at school and so I always thought I could never do it. Despite this, I made the decision to apply for Veterinary Medicine whilst in Year 13. I didn’t get in and it was soul destroying. After moping for at least a week, I had to get on with it. I knew I didn’t want to do anything else… so I thought what should I do now? Go with what I did well in at school and study English Literature at University instead? It didn’t sit right with me and so I decided to take a Gap Year. That sorts everything out, right? I went to South Africa and volunteered on a game reserve alongside a vet. I had an amazing time and I realised there was no point in pursuing something I wasn’t passionate about. Being a vet was what I wanted to do.

It took travelling across the world to realise that we are offered so many opportunities here in the UK – all of you at CFSA go to an excellent school, you have supportive teachers, and there is a whole list of apprenticeships and jobs you can pursue. Alongside that, if University is what you want to do, you can study almost anything you can think of in other settings. Try not to waste that – lots of people across the world don’t have that chance. That is not to say you should know what you want to do at 17 or 18. I don’t think many people know this at 40 so please don’t panic. My advice would be to choose something that you enjoy. Something that, even at the end of it you decide to not pursue as a career, you will have had fun doing. University isn’t for everyone – it is essential for some careers – if this is what you want to do, you will gain some brilliant skills. I’m certain that everyone who has been to University would say that they come out the other side a much more confident person. Not only do you learn all the academic skills like essay writing and public speaking but you learn to be independent – this comes in many forms and for me it was learning to survive off pasta and pesto for 3 years, although I do not recommend that. University, an apprenticeship, a job, travelling, work experiences – the world really is your oyster. Each comes with amazing opportunities to learn about a certain trade and about yourself.

The following September, I started a Biology degree at the University of Warwick. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted to be doing, but I was on the right track. My plan was to apply for the accelerated Veterinary Medicine course at the Royal Veterinary College after I got my degree. Somehow, I managed just that. It was a tough road and very competitive but I did it and it is still one of my greatest achievements.

Fast forward to now; I am 2 years into a 4-year degree and I will graduate as a veterinary surgeon in 2022. I took the long way around, but it really was worth it. Life has a way of messing up your painstakingly thought-out plans, yet I have found there is always a reason for it. The world is a strange place right now, and if any of you are like me and like to be in control and know what is coming up next, you might be feeling very lost and frustrated. My University has moved everything online until September at the earliest and so we are all trying to adapt to this alien way of learning. It’s hard and it isn’t what I want to be doing but it is a small sacrifice to make for everyone’s safety.

My struggle is nothing compared to you all having to leave school before you should have. I can only imagine how hard it must be for you to miss those last few months of Year 11 or Year 13. Not being able to put all your hard work into practice with exams must be very frustrating. Acknowledge those feelings as you are more than entitled to them. Life will get back to some sort of normality, you will get where you need to be in terms of your next steps and I really hope you can all see each other again before you go your separate ways onto your next ventures. Even if you don’t, you will realise that the true friends you have from school aren’t going anywhere – despite how far away you may be, you’ll keep in contact somehow.

I suppose my parting statement would be to trust your instincts – if there is something you really want to do, then follow your dreams. If it is your grades holding you back, talk to your teachers. It sounds cliché but they really are there for you and all they want is to see you succeed. It might mean a bit more work now but it will be so worth it in the long run. I re-sat my maths GCSE in Year 13 after getting a C on my Foundation papers the first time around. With the help of a maths teacher at CFSA, I got an A on my second sit. I resat for a particular reason – to help with my University application. Whatever your reason is, now is the time to do it. You’ll never have the same level of personal support as you do at school. It might seem like it, but not everyone knows what they want to do as a career – or even if they want a career! If you haven’t got any idea – don’t rush into anything. You’ve got your whole lives to decide. If you really don’t know or if things don’t work out the first time around, do what I did, consider a Gap Year to do something you want to do and importantly make it worthwhile! Build skills, work experiences, learn a language, do some volunteering. University, jobs, apprenticeships – they will all be there waiting for you when you get back.

Good luck to you all. 

Elicia Cowley