Nine Nelson and Colne College students are progressing on to a range of top universities to study Medicine or Dentistry after top attainment in their A Level exams.

Following the College’s stellar A Level results, which saw a 99.7% pass rate, eight of the students from the Class of 2017 and one former student who had taken a gap year are all progressing on to universities including Lancaster, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham and Sheffield.

All nine students took advantage of the College’s unique Pre-Professional Programme in Medicine during their time at NCC, one of a range the College offers. The programmes are designed to give students the edge for University applications and to help them stand out from the crowd.

A range of opportunities are available alongside a student’s academic studies to help build additional skills and experiences, and on the Pre-Professional Medicine Programme, this can include presentations from industry experts and specialist speakers, field trips to specialist centres, work experience relevant to your chosen profession, visits to Oxford, Cambridge and Russell Group universities, individual mentoring and coaching, specialist interview preparation and support in University applications.

Ateeq Jamil and Tahmeena Amin were two of those students and they are heading to University after each achieving excellent A Level grades.

Eighteen-year-old Ateeq, from Nelson, bagged A*A*A* in Biology, Psychology and Chemistry and is now looking forward to starting his degree in Medicine and Surgery at Lancaster University. Ateeq firmly believes the College’s Pre-Professional Medicine Programme helped him reach those higher grades.

Ateeq, a former student of Sir John Thursby Community College in Burnley, said: “I’m absolutely ecstatic! Three A* grades! I’m really happy. I want to do Medicine because it is rewarding academically but also in a moral sense.

“The teaching and support at College has been brilliant and I found the Pre-Professional Medical Programme very helpful. I have really enjoyed the progression from school to College.

“I chose NCC because of its reputation and the freedom and choice to make your own decisions. I would recommend NCC. It is tough, but if you keep a level head and work hard the work you put in will be worth it.”

Meanwhile, former Marsden Heights Community College student Tahmeena, from Burnley, is looking forward to studying Medicine at the University of Manchester after flying through her A Levels in Biology, Chemistry and Maths, achieving A*AA.

Tahmeena, 17, has taken it upon herself to gain experience in the field and has completed work experience in a GP practice, at Burnley General Hospital and has volunteered at Pendleside Hospice for the last 12 months.

She is now looking forward to taking the next steps towards her future, and attended Nelson and Colne College’s celebratory leavers’ breakfast with her proud dad.

Tahmeena said: “I’m very pleased with my results! I didn’t think I would get the grades, particularly in Maths as it was such a tough exam, and there was two years of revision to remember!

“I decided in Year 9 or 10 that I wanted to go down the Medicine route and A Levels were the best for that. They are challenging and more theoretical which I like.

“I have been grateful for the support I have received at Nelson and Colne College, especially applying to do Medicine, as many of my friends at other colleges haven’t received as much support. The workshops have been really helpful too.

“I would encourage students to definitely make use of the resources available to them here at NCC and the teachers are great. The hard work does pay off even if you don’t think that it will!”

Nelson and Colne College is celebrating an overall pass rate of 99.7% overall pass rate, with 26 subjects achieving outstanding 100% pass rate. 87% of students achieved A*-C grades – an increase of 8% on last year, and 57% of students achieved coveted A*-B grades.

For more information about Nelson and Colne College contact 01282 440272 or visit www.nelson.ac.uk