Student Information about Higher Education┃Lift Off

Overview

LIFT OFF are here to help young people from our partner schools, across Angus Dundee & Fife make sense of the choices and challenges that come after school, particularly college and university.

We have created a great digital leaflet which helps give an overview of our programme, check it out here.

You can also select your year group below to find out more about the LIFT OFF engagements we offer both in and out of school.

In addition to the LIFT OFF engagement programme, the team are available to contact via telephone or online to provide remote support and answer any questions you may have.

S3

LIFT OFF visits tier 1 schools providing an Introduction to Higher Education session. Ask your LIFT OFF Contact teacher for more information.

S4

Sign-up to be a LIFT OFF Core Pupil to get a taste of Higher Education. Experience student life at LIFT OFF 2 Success (LO2S) summer residential and campus visit days.

S5

Develop your skills, knowledge and understanding of H.E by taking part in LIFT OFF Learning Skills (LOLS) SCQF accredited course and creating your Individual action plan.

S6

Begin your journey beyond school with the LIFT OFF S6 Transition sessions, supporting you from application to arrival at H.E.

Ask a Student

The LIFT OFF volunteer team are current students who are here to share their experiences with you. Get in touch with our volunteers directly to ask questions about student life, Higher Education courses – or anything else you can think of!

Abs

I’m Abbie, and I’m currently in the final year of my music degree at Aberdeen uni! When I got into uni I wanted to be a teacher. At school I kept changing my mind (and still do!) about what I want to do. Right now, I know that I like composing and want to learn more about it, so I’d like to study a postgraduate degree in composition. I was lucky enough to be supported by LIFT OFF when I was at school through all of these difficult decisions – I had a rough time in S5 and ended up not getting the Higher results I needed, but LIFT OFF were so encouraging and kept me from giving up on getting into uni. Seeing what LIFT OFF does and directly getting support from them was what made me want to volunteer and I’ve had an amazing few years with them.

Rebecka

When I was in secondary school, I knew I was passionate about both maths and biology and didn’t want to commit to picking only one of them for my further studies. Mathematical Biology was the perfect way for me to combine the two subjects while continuing to learn them separately, while also giving me a solid knowledge base in both subjects.

I am originally from Stockholm, Sweden, but I always knew I wanted to move abroad. University became my first chance to do so, so I took it. Moving to a country I’d never been to in the middle of a pandemic had its challenges, and there was a lot of uncertainty around it, but when I arrived in Dundee I immediately knew I had made the right choice.

After finishing my undergraduate, I want to train to become a secondary school maths teacher. Everyone’s future starts in the classroom, and I want to do everything I can to make sure my future students have the support, help and resources to do what they want with their lives. For similar reasons, I was drawn to LIFT OFF – I would love to help students get excited about shaping their own future and make them aware of all the possibilities they have and what they are capable of.

Casey

Hey y’all, I’m Casey and I’m currently in my Third year of studying Animation at DJCAD! I’ve been with LIFT OFF as a volunteer for about 4 years now and I used to be a core pupil with them too!! (The just can’t get rid of me!) In all honesty, without LIFT OFF I probably would never had even considered University, thanks to them i was put in contact with the ACES program which helped me build my portfolio for entrance in to DJCAD. LIFT OFF really helped improve my confidence and gave me the necessary skills/experience for going in to HE. They were there for me when I ended up doing college for a year as I was rejected first time round from Uni. I really enjoy being a volunteer with them, in a way I feel I am returning the favour to them for helping me get to where I am today! Seeing the kids come out of their shell like I once did on events like LOLS, LO2S is definitely one of the perks of the job. Volunteering with LIFT OFF has definitely been one of the most ‘Up-Lifting’ experiences and I hope to stay with them for more years to come!

Jordan

I found that school wasn’t for me. I left at the start of S5, due to mental health difficulties, and had no ambitions, qualifications or any sense of direction for what I wanted to do. I was hesitant to try college, but with some support I studied an introduction in accounting and haven’t looked back since. I often reflect on my time in college and I’ve now realised that it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and I would consider college a great stepping stone for getting into university. It was during my time at college that I chose to volunteer with LIFT OFF, which allowed me to share my experiences of higher education.

Sarah

I decided to study politics and IR after becoming increasingly interested in how the media portrays politics. I was a bit confused if I wanted to study politics or journalism at the time. Since deciding to do my course, I’ve been able to successfully understand the world around me a lot more. My understanding of HE while at school was limited, I knew of some routes into HE/FE but I didn’t understand a lot. I was a LIFT OFF core pupil and then volunteered with them since I went off to University in 2017. I’m hoping to help young people understand that although they might not get the grades in school (I didn’t!) they can still attend university via alternative routes. I’m hoping to study a PGDE in Modern Studies to teach children how important understanding not just Scotland but the wider world around us.

Rachel

During high school I suffered from social anxiety, I didn’t do to well at high school. I didn’t want to go to uni straight away so I decided to do my HNC in applied science last year and am currently studying my HND in biological science. I enjoy learning new things about the science industry and spending time with my family. The reason I became a lift off volunteer is Becuase I enjoy helping people and want to be a role model to people who were in the same boat as me. My dream career is to be a biomedical scientist with a masters in microbiology.

Success Stories

Do it! It was a great experience and helped me in making decisions for the future.

I really enjoyed the catch-up meetings that were offered, I felt really supported and the help and resources that were offered at these were things I’d never found before and that really helped me in applying to university.

LIFT OFF is a very good and worthwhile experience. Even if you aren't sure about attending university this programme has given me skills that I can take into the future with me no matter what it holds.

If you are lucky enough to get the opportunity, go for it! Dive in headfirst and you will have the most incredible journey so full of fun that you don't even realise you are learning everything you need to know for life in Higher Education at the same time.

LO2S is my best memory, I met so many amazing people. LIFT OFF also assisted me in deciding what I wanted to do after school by showing me different universities and learning more about what they have to offer. Furthermore, the LIFT OFF team has helped me achieve great goals, (especially in the last year). The team helped me to become Head Boy in my school, get into college, improve my literature, and make preparations for college. I would not change anything about LIFT OFF as it was an amazing experience that has given me a lot of confidence and motivation. I highly respect the LIFT OFF team and believe that their work is amazing.

Pupils