Iuri Jacinto Manuel

Education Studies - BA

Iuri originally studied accounting at a university outside of Birmingham. When he realised it wasn’t for him, he thought he had lost his chance to go to university. When he found out about Clearing, he knew he wanted to apply to BCU to study a subject he was passionate about closer to home.

“I originally studied accounting and finance at another university, but it wasn’t for me. I thought that was the end of my education journey and maybe I wouldn’t go to university at all. Then, a friend told me about Clearing and I realised it wasn’t too late to apply again and go to university.

I did a little research about Clearing and looked into some universities that I hadn’t considered when I applied for accounting. BCU came up first and I realised it was actually perfect for me. I’m from Portugal but I’ve lived in Birmingham for eight years and knew I wanted to go to university here. I knew the social life was good and that it would be ideal for me as it’s close to my home in Birmingham.

When I gave the Clearing hotline a call, I felt instantly relieved that there was a quick, straightforward way to get a place at university, on a course that sounded really interesting to me.

I’ve always been passionate about art and drawing but I’d never really considered it as a career before, just a hobby. Once I realised I could study Education and become an art teacher to share my passion with others, I knew that’s what I wanted to do.

I got my place at BCU and felt really excited but also nervous because English isn’t my first language. I was prepared to face some barriers or for people to make comments about my accent, but I haven’t found that. Everyone is very friendly and there’s a diverse community here. I feel very happy and lucky to have made friends and good connections at BCU.

Placements on my course have also helped me overcome my language barrier. I’ve worked in a couple of schools now and it’s been great for my confidence and communication skills. Plus, I now work as a student ambassador which means I get to talk to applicants who might be going through the same things that I did. It’s really nice to be able to share my experiences and thoughts on my course whilst developing my language skills.

For anyone ringing the Clearing hotline, I’d say do lots of research and prepare everything you will need. For example, you’ll need your personal details and your results, so just be aware of what you’ll need to have on hand and what they will ask you over the phone.

I only found out about Clearing last minute, but as soon as I did, I started to prepare and do my research. Thanks to that, the process was really easy and I got my place. My time at BCU so far has been great. I love being a part of such a warm, welcoming environment.”