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Bill West (42)
Certificate of Higher Education in Life Sciences
It's been more than 25 years since Bill West was last in a classroom, so he was understandably nervous about his first lectures at Birkbeck Stratford.
'The lecturers are friendly and approachable; everyone at Birkbeck tries to put you at ease.'
Bill is taking Certificate of Higher Education in Life Sciences for Subjects Allied to Medicine, and works as a laboratory manager for TDG Chemicals at the Port of London in Dagenham. He is making the most of studying the second time round. 'I imagine that, like most people, school was one of those things you either loved or hated. For me it was somewhere in between - I didn't really take advantage of the opportunity when I was younger.'
'It's a bit scary putting in the first assignment not knowing what the academics will think of it or how well you've done. Getting it back a couple of weeks later was a welcome relief. I think I did pretty well for the first one, and I was happy with the result.'
The flexibility of Birkbeck's evening teaching appeals to Bill. 'It means you don't have to give up work or worry about paying the mortgage. And I can fit my study around my home life. My sons think it's great that I'm back at "school" when they are; my whole family has been very supportive.'
