Melanie Woolf

BA (Hons) Social Work

“Why did you choose to study at Anglia Ruskin University?
I applied to study at several different universities but when I came to the Open Day at Chelmsford I was very impressed with the University Building, the staff who spoke to me and also the student ambassadors who spoke to me about my proposed course. This filled me with excitement to study at Anglia Ruskin.

What initially attracted you to your course?
I had recently been made redundant and I was looking to retrain to utilise my life/work skills. I was doing voluntary work with Parentline which I enjoyed and I wanted to transfer the skills I was using in this work to my full time work.

Which aspects of your course do you enjoy most and why?
I have enjoyed the lectures especially the interactive ones. I like to be able to join in and discuss subjects and I feel this enhanced my learning.

Has the course met/exceeded your expectations? If so, how?
I feel I have gained a lot of knowledge during my first year. When the course began there seemed such a lot to learn and looking back the way the course was delivered made the delivery of knowledge manageable.

Why would you recommend your course to others?
I would recommend this course to others because Anglia Ruskin has a good reputation for Social Work courses and it is a lovely environment to work in.

Has your course involved any work placements? If so how were these useful?
I have done an observational placement with an Independent Reviewing Officer at Southend Council. This was very useful and I learnt a lot in my 60 hours and it was a valuable experience to me to see how the theory I was learning was used in practice. It was interesting to observe the Social Workers performing their role.

How do you rate the support offered by both our teaching and support staff?
The teaching and support staff have been very supportive. Unfortunately my father died when I just a couple of months into the course and the staff all helped me to get through this difficult time and to complete my studies.

How do you rate our facilities and resources on offer at our campuses?
I think Anglia Ruskin is a lovely modern campus with a very relaxing vibe, which makes studying here enjoyable. The library is huge and the staffs in the library are very helpful if you are having trouble locating a book etc.

How would you sum up your experience of studying at Anglia Ruskin course so far?
It was a bit nerve racking going back to studying full time after being in full time work for such a long time but the experience at Anglia Ruskin has been made most enjoyable by the support of the staff and the other students on the course.
”