T Levels: Taking you from college to university

We hear from former student Artur Florowski and learn about how completing a T Level course helped him to pursue his interest in science at university.

Ever wondered what people go on to do after T Levels? We chatted to former Capital City College (CCC) student Artur Florowski to find out about his experience of completing his T Level Science course with us and where it has led him.

After completing his GCSE’s Artur embarked upon a T Level in Science, with a specialism in laboratory science. He completed the second year of his course at Capital City College (CCC)’s Angel campus.

Why did you choose to do a T Level course?

When I was in Year 9 or Year 10, someone came in and gave a talk about T Levels. After my GCSEs, I was hoping to get into my high school sixth form, but I didn’t get the grades they wanted. 

I met with a group of my friends and we started visiting other schools. We found a school that did a T Level in Science, and I decided to do it. I didn’t really enjoy the first year – it was more about the theoretical side of things, which was a bit harder than the practical work. I decided to switch to Capital City College for my second year. 

What did you like about Capital City College?

I really appreciated the fact that the careers team tried their hardest to find me a work experience placement because I needed to pick up my hours. In T levels, you need to have 315 hours completed by the end of your course to pass, and I hadn’t done any with my previous school in my first year of T levels.

The main reason I switched to Capital City College was that I didn’t really want to be spoon-fed. If I wanted support, I knew I could go up and ask for what I needed. I also really liked the fact that the college employs highly-skilled and qualified tutors to teach the subjects. 

What did you like about your course?

I really enjoyed the fact that the assessments for the second year weren’t exam-based or written assessments, but were practical activities like experiments.

Where was your placement?

After my initial placement didn’t work out, the careers team at the college worked really hard to find me one near the Angel campus at Meira GTX, which is a privately owned laboratory that specialises in making vaccines and treatments for lots of different diseases.

What did you like about your placement?

I liked the fact that it was more hands-on than being in a classroom, and the real life experience of working in a laboratory, especially one that’s as big as Meira GTX. On the first day, they walked me around the whole building, and then as time went on I started to shadow different members of staff across different parts of the team. They had one part of the team which prepared all the solutions and buffers that they needed, and I contributed to that system. Also, everybody was friendly, and my supervisor was a really nice guy.

What kind of skills did your placement help you develop?

I definitely learned more about working in a team, because I had to meet strict deadlines. Most of the chemicals they were using only had a two-week or three-week lifespan, so members of the team who were making certain parts of a vaccine would message me to let me know what they needed and when, and I would have to create that buffer on that day.

How did completing a T Level support you in your next step?

I had no problems with getting offers from multiple universities, but I hadn’t applied to many of the more competitive ones. When it came to results day, I got a merit, which is the equivalent to 120 UCAS points. I went through clearing and phoned up multiple universities, including Reading and Leicester, and they all offered me biomedical or biochemistry degree courses. On the final day of clearing, I called up Nottingham, and they offered me a place to study medicinal and biological chemistry.

How has doing a T Level at CCC supported you at university?

At college you had to make your own notes, and that has really influenced me and encouraged me to use different sorts of software to make notes during lectures so that I can look over them afterwards. Uni is a big step up in terms of content and I’m finding it a bit challenging but I know I’ll figure it out eventually. 

What advice do you have for anyone considering a T Level?

Don’t be discouraged by not doing a traditional A Level course as, at the end of the day, if you can get a decent grade, most universities will still accept you. It’s pretty much like doing an A Level, but you get hands-on experience at the same time. I feel that if I hadn’t done that 315-hour work placement, it would have been a lot more difficult to try and persuade higher-ranking universities to accept me onto the course.

What’s next for you?

I’m thinking about applying to be an intern at Meira GTX again over the summer, and since I’m pursuing medicine or biochemistry, it links to that sort of laboratory vaccine sourcing. But what I’m hoping for is either to work in the NHS as a lab analyst or to become a drug representative for a pharmaceutical company.

If you’re interested in a post-GCSE course of study that combines academic skills and practical experience, take a look at our T Level Courses.

Still unsure about what T Levels involve, take a look at our blog on What are T Levels?: Our comprehensive introduction to a modern qualification.

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