Next Step York is a programme for Year 12 students in England. It gives you the chance to explore what university life is really like, whilst also supporting you with your current studies. In this blog, I’ll share some of the exciting things I got to do during the programme, and how I think the experience helped me and what I took away from it.
What I did on the programme
During my time on the Next Step York programme, I got to take part in all sorts of activities. Everything was split into helpful “modules”, which is actually how work is organised at university. If you’ve never heard the term before, a module is a bit like a topic in a school subject. It’s where you focus on one section of learning at a time (kind of like doing fractions in maths, for example). While I was on the programme, our modules were YorStudy, YorSkills, and YorUniversity. Each one explored a different side of what university life is like, and for each module, we joined online Zoom sessions where we learnt more about the topic.
The YorStudy module gave us the chance to try out taster sessions in different subjects. We also completed academic-style tasks, like writing an essay. It was a great way to experience what learning at university is actually like. For me, this really helped with the jump from post-16 study to university as I already had an idea of what to expect, so it didn’t feel like such a shock when I started my degree.
The YorSkills module was incredibly useful. We covered lots of practical parts of university life. Things like finance and budgeting, cooking, accommodation, and fun activities available at uni. We also got study tips from current students, which was really helpful.
Then there was the YorUniversity module. This was where we spoke to current students about their experiences at University of York. We even got the chance to stay overnight on campus and experience it for ourselves. It was so much fun and made everything feel much more real.
Experiencing the social side of university
Alongside the academic online sessions, we also had online “college socials”. This was a chance to meet other students from across the region and take part in fun activities connected to what we were learning. At York, a college is where you live in your first year, but it’s also so much more than just accommodation. In your college you can play sports, join social events organised by your college committee, and find your community at university. The college events on Next Step York worked in a similar way. They helped me meet other students who were in the same position as me. Everyone there was a current sixth form student, so it was nice to connect with people going through the same experience.
During Next Step York, I had two chances to visit the university campus, which made the whole experience feel much more real. The first visit was a day trip in February, for the ‘Academic Conference’ and it was mainly focused on study. We attended a lecture taught by a real university professor, which was really interesting. University students usually have several of these each week, so it was great to see what that’s actually like. We also took part in a debate with the other students on the visit, which made the day feel really interactive and fun. Then in July, we visited University of York again, for the ‘Summer Residential’, this time for three days. This was probably my favourite part. We stayed in real student accommodation and got a proper taste of student life. We experienced all sorts of things, from studying in the library to using the sports facilities. We even had a trip into the city, which made it feel even more like real university life!
How the programme has helped me
Online
When I first heard about the Next Step York programme during an assembly at sixth form, a lot of things immediately caught my attention. At the time, I was starting to think seriously about university, but I wasn’t completely sure what it would be like or what to expect. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that one of the biggest draws was the widening participation offer. This meant that the grades I needed for my course were lowered from AAB to BBC, which definitely took some pressure off during exam season! But even though this was what first sparked my interest, it turned out to be just one of many things I gained from the programme.
By attending the online sessions, I learnt so much about parts of university life that you don’t really hear about anywhere else. A lot of this came from the current students we got to speak to during the programme. For example, neither of my parents went to university and I don’t have any siblings, so I had no idea how things like student finance actually worked. During the budgeting session, we learnt all about it. The current students also shared their own tips for managing money at university, which was incredibly helpful.
In-person
The in-person events were also a big confidence boost for me, and my personal favourite part. They helped me get used to travelling away from home and meeting new people, both really important parts of university life. I travelled by train to York, stayed away from home, and met lots of other students who were going through the same experiences as me. I also learnt about all the different ways you can meet people at university, whether that’s through your accommodation, sports, or societies. We were also introduced to the support networks available to students. These are things I’ve actually used during my time at University and honestly, I might not have known about them if it wasn’t for Next Step York.
So in summary…
The Next Step York programme was a really great experience. It made university feel much less intimidating and helped me feel more confident about applying. It also supported me during my post-16 studies and has continued to help me during my time at University of York. If you’re in Year 12 and considering applying, I would definitely recommend it and I’d really encourage you to make the most of everything the programme offers. There are so many opportunities to learn, ask questions, and try new things. It’s also important to remember that lots of people on the programme are in a very similar position to you. It’s a great chance to connect with others and learn from each other’s experiences. And most importantly, there really are no “silly questions.” The whole point of the Next Step York programme is to support you and help you succeed.
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