Mature student graduates 20 years on from dropping out of sixth form after illness distress

Mature student, Caroline Rudge’s teenage ambition of studying to be a vet at the University of Bristol was thwarted by two debilitating bouts of glandular fever. Caroline burnt all her A-Level notes after dropping out of sixth form due to illness.

However, two decades on and after an eclectic career that saw her travel all over the world, she has graduated with a degree in Zoology from the University of Bristol.

Caroline commented: “It’s a big, bold jump to leave a secure job and income to do a degree. But I’m really glad I’ve done it. The provision at Bristol for mature students is exceptional.”

She said: “A lot of people go to university because that’s what you do, but for me it was a real mission, so I’ve sucked everything out of it that I can.”

After leaving school, Caroline spent a decade as an international dressage groom, which included spells at the Athens and Beijing Olympics.

Caroline’s love of epic swimming challenges, including a relay of the English Channel, led her to become a swimming teacher. However, she said: “It just didn’t scratch my academic itch… I got  11 GCSEs but A levels were a complete right off because I got glandular fever twice. I ceremonially burnt all my notes, the whole thing was awful.”

Eventually, Caroline took the plunge and earned a place on an Access to Higher Education Diploma at Gloucestershire College.

Tragically, her father was diagnosed with terminal cancer just after starting the course: “I looked after him at home alongside studying… I was so determined to get to university and not let circumstances get the better of me like before, that I ended up sitting a maths exam the day after his funeral. I was so scared of failing again.”

Since being accepted for zoology in 2021, she has not looked back since.

“I’ve done the Bristol PLUS award (the university’s employability award), I mentor students and I’m on a student panel that advises the University on how to make it more accessible to underrepresented groups.”

She added: “Family and friends kept saying ‘what on Earth are you doing’, especially as I have two young kids. But I’ve treated it as a full-time job and I do most of my work after our kids have gone to bed.”

Caroline was asked what her message would be to those thinking of going back to university later in life. She answered: “Be brave, do your research and work out your finances. Talk to friends and family and have really clear vision of what your motivation is and why you’re doing it.”

Caroline has now earned a scholarship from the University of Bristol to pursue a Master’s programme called “Science Communication for a Better Planet.”

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