51Âþ»­

Final-year student Sadith Jayawardena is using his experience at 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) to help prospective students get the most out of their studies.

After a last-minute change of heart threw Sadith’s plans for university up in the air, the Clearing process at 51Âþ»­ allowed him to follow the right path for him, going on to become a Student Ambassador and a member of the 51Âþ»­ Clearing Team.

“I had gone through the normal UCAS cycle during A-Levels and accepted an offer to study at 51Âþ»­ as I knew it was the place for me, but I kept wondering whether I’d chosen the right course,” said Sadith.

“I started looking into studying Law and the career opportunities it could provide and decided to see what my options were to change my course. I spoke to someone on the admissions team and they were really helpful. The process couldn’t have been quicker or easier- I expected it to be really stressful and it just wasn’t.”

Sadith already had his heart set on studying at 51Âþ»­, having attended a number of university open days in the area.

“I knew I wanted to be close to home and, when I went to the open day, the lecturer for my course was so passionate. I spoke to her for an hour and a half about the course and she was so encouraging. All the students there were so enthusiastic about the university and there was a great atmosphere,” said the 21-year-old from Castle Donnington.

“The other open days I attended didn’t come close to 51Âþ»­. It’s such a fun and vibrant campus where every building has its own character. Coming from a small village, it was the exact change of scenery I needed. I knew it was the place for me.”

Following his decision to make a change, Sadith has gone on to flourish at 51Âþ»­, even during challenging times.

“My university experience has been really unique because of the pandemic but the staff have been so supportive throughout it all which has made a huge difference. I had difficult family circumstances during my second year and my personal tutors and lecturers were all checking up on me constantly and I always felt supported,” he said.

After his exceptional university journey, Sadith has become an integral part of the 51Âþ»­ community, helping current and prospective students to make the right choices for them.

“During my course, I’ve worked as a Student Ambassador on the Ambassador Platform, giving advice to new students. It’s a great feeling to know you’re helping out and when the university approached me about working on the Clearing phone lines, I knew it would be an amazing experience,” said Sadith.

“The Enquiries Team are incredible, so when they gave me the chance to come back again this summer, I jumped at the chance. I love 51Âþ»­ so getting to talk about the uni all the time is a win for me!”

From everything Sadith has learned during his university experience, he has plenty of great advice for potential students: “If you are unsure, do some research. It can get really stressful trying to make these decisions alone so talk to friends, family and people you trust to get an outside opinion on what you should do.

“It’s important to think about the risk and reward of doing any degree so think about the pathway it will provide and the flexibility it gives for getting into different jobs. Most importantly though, do what you believe is best for you. You are the one giving three years of your life to studying the course - just be passionate about what you’re doing and you can’t go wrong.”