Thomas Pilling

Winner of the Rowlinson Scholarship and the Adrian James Memorial Prize

Lots of students take a year out before university. Thomas Pilling took eight! “It was only meant to be one year,” he says, “but I ended up working in television, which I really enjoyed, but always wanted to study for a degree.” It’s certainly a route that’s worked for him – his very active involvement in faculty life and exceptional marks have won him not one but two prestigious prizes.

The awards

The Rowlinson Scholarship is awarded each year to a first-year undergraduate student who attended secondary education in Birmingham and achieves the best average marks over the year. The Adrian James Memorial Prize is awarded for outstanding academic performance for a continuing student in the school of Engineering Design and Manufacturing Systems. It’s quite an achievement to come away with both!

Combining work and study

Like many of our resourceful students, Thomas also worked through his studies, freelancing in satellite television transmission to support himself financially and expand his work experience.

Take a tip

So what was the secret of his fantastic academic success? “Enjoy your time here, take advantage of all the help available to you and don’t leave work to the last minute, it’s much easier ahead of time!” he says.