‘University Challenged’   with Vimala Clark

Genre

Education / teenagers

About me

In developing my career as a TV presenter, I can call upon my broad experience of working in a number of different roles and sectors: from flight attendant to retail property negotiator to make-up artist, to mother of three children, including two teenagers!  In all these varied roles, one thing has been consistent: I have ended up being a counsellor and confidante, whether or not the role has required it.  People of all ages just seem able to open up to me.  Recently, a lot of teenagers have been sharing their concerns and frustrations over choosing a degree course and university, while others, who are already at university have complained that they made the wrong choice.

Brief synopsis

For teenagers, choosing the right degree course and university is one of the most important, and one of the most difficult decisions they’ve had to make in their young lives.  It can be a confusing and frustrating experience, giving rise to great anxiety.  But many teenagers feel there is little or no guidance to help them through this challenging time and that they just don’t get sufficient advice over what could be a life-shaping or certainly career-shaping decision.  Who can they turn to - teachers, career counsellors, parents?  Well, not all teachers have the time, inclination or indeed the ability to advise teenagers in this area; not all schools have career counsellors; and not all parents have been to university or understand what’s involved.

And what happens once they’re at university and realise they’ve made a mistake?  What can they do if they find themselves trapped on a course they don’t want to be studying and/or in a place that they don’t want to be?

This programme would look at the anguish teenagers go through in making decisions on this critical next stage in their education – and what could and should be done to help them.  It would include interviews with teenagers, parents, teachers, career counsellors, university admission officers etc.  It would advise how to choose the course that’s right for them, what to look for in a university and how to compare one course or university against another.

In another instalment, the programme would focus on students who are already at university, comparing those who feel they’ve made the right choice with those who think they made a mistake.  It will advise what to do and who to talk to if you find you’ve made the wrong choice – and, most of important of all for many students, how to tell their parents!

To learn more about this idea and meet the creator, please get in touch. Thank you.