Joe wages war against disease with a degree in biomedical science

: Created: 09 August 2018

Joe joined us after leaving school at the age of just 16. The 23-year-old from Eltham has studied both applied science and public services at level 3 before enrolling for his foundation degree at the College just two years ago.

He has just passed his course with a merit grade and is due to convert this to the full honours degree by studying just one more year at the University of Greenwich.

“When I first came here, I didn’t have the best attitude towards my studies,” he said. “I was more interested in just having a laugh and doing the bare minimum each day.

“What a transformation I have seen in myself over the intervening years. I have come to realise that you can only take out of your course what you put in. Because I didn’t try very hard at the beginning, it meant having to resit exams and start at year-zero with my degree course. I’m so glad I did this now.”

Members of Joe’s immediate and wider family circle have suffered over the years with the symptoms of diabetes. It was through seeing how this disease had impeded their everyday life that first spawned Joe's interest in medical sciences.

He continues: “It is my goal to become a research scientist and work towards developing better pharmacological products and medicines to improve the lives of sufferers. I believe that everything can be cured eventually, and I want to be part of discovering medical breakthroughs into a range of prominent conditions.

“One of my tutors at the College has been involved in research during his career and he has taught me such a lot about the industry. He has inspired me to take this further.

“Studying at London South East Colleges’ University Centre has meant I can study local, base my study hours to fit in with my part-time job, continue my studies in familiar surroundings and take advantage of much smaller class sizes. The course fees are also significantly lower than most of the major universities in the capital - yet I will graduate with a degree accredited by the University of Greenwich.”

Joe will be starting his final year at university in September and then plans to get a job in the field of research as soon as possible. His degree qualification will open many different options into biomedical, chemical and pharmacological research.

If you think you have what it takes to be successful in the world of biomedical and pharmaceutical science, or have been thinking of studying at degree level, we’d like to hear from you. We have a great range of degree and professional level courses for you to choose from. We are enrolling from Thursday 23 August 2018.

If you would like more information about our Higher Education Clearing, please click here.