Ani Reynolds-Hewitt

I knew that I wanted to help young people, and initially considered a few options – such as teaching, counselling and psychology. My final push towards social work comes from my own experiences and the lifelong admiration for my own childhood social worker. However, what really drew me to social work at Edge Hill was the reassurance from the social work teaching team. Everybody seemed so eager to help me with anything I needed before I’d even enrolled! The consistency was reassuring and I felt very well-supported.

Edge Hill was a real no-brainer for me – there’s so many exciting things happening all of the time. The campus is beautiful all-year round, and boasts a range of events, societies and successful academic courses. The staff are dedicated to the success of students and will always go the extra mile to help. Edge Hill have gone above and beyond for me in every way – the wellbeing services are always available, disability support also helped me to manage my chronic illnesses and the impact that they have on my studies. My degree at Edge Hill feels adapted to me and my needs, and I know that I can always ask for help without any judgment.

For me, the best thing about Edge Hill is the diversity and acceptance. Campus is home to people from all walks of life, but everybody unifies. Edge Hill has filled me with a sense of belonging. I feel so proud to be a student here and to be part of a collective of other unique students. 

The top three skills I have developed on my degree are:

• Resilience – sometimes social work can be challenging, and I think I’ve definitely gotten better at powering through challenging scenarios.
• Time-management – myself and many of my course mates learnt this very quickly, as keeping up with lectures is essential to success.
• Perspective – since joining the degree, I have definitely learnt to challenge my own perspective on a situation compared to what somebody else’s perspective may be. This is incredibly important as a social worker – to be able to see somebody’s perspective on their situation to help them make positive change.

My favourite thing about studying social work at Edge Hill is that no two days look the same – the course is perfect for people who like challenges within a supportive academic environment. I’ve also made some amazing friends for life since starting the course. For me, the most memorable moment was my first social work law lecture – I looked at the legislation on the whiteboard and realised that this was my future. I felt very proud of myself to have made it so far. Beyond graduating, I would like to complete a PGCE at Edge Hill and leave university dually qualified. My main goal is to work in pastoral support at a secondary school, and to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds to have a fair chance in education. 

My favourite place on campus is definitely our on-campus Costa – it’s perfect for a pre-9am coffee, and the staff are always so friendly! And due to our Costa being campus-run, you won’t be paying the high street prices… 

My advice to someone considering studying this course is to definitely pop along to an open day and say hello! It’s an easy way to answer any questions, ease any worries, and to get the information that you need about your degree and what to expect when you start in September.

I lived in Palatine Court for my first year, and it was great accommodation. Everything is a quick walk away, including the free EdgeLink student shuttle bus into Ormskirk. The rooms are clean and spacious, and the communal areas are kitted out with everything you need. The cleaners visit every day Monday-Friday – my cleaner Jenny was always a fab listening ear whenever I needed it.