Return To Learn Day 2023

Posted on: 27 April 2023 by Go Higher team in alumni stories

This month saw a hugely exciting event for Go Higher as we opened the doors of the University for those who were potentially looking for their route back into education.

Our "Return To Learn Day" was a chance for those who had heard of our access diploma to get a further look behind-the-scenes at what we do, who we are, and why this course could be the right next step for them. Through a wide range of organised sessions, informal chats and tours around different aspects of the campus - we wanted to offer prospective students a chance to ask us whatever questions they wanted, while being able to sample what life at the University of Liverpool is like for themselves.

We were delighted to see a strong response to our promotional material in the build-up to the event (even including a segment on BBC Radio Merseyside!) meaning over 60 people signed up via Eventbrite to be in attendance for all, or part of, the day. In the moments before Return To Learn got underway in the School of Law and Social Justice's event space, the room was already bustling and there was a great atmosphere across those in attendance.

The day started with our Deputy Director James Bainbridge giving an introduction on the course and what those in the room could expect from their day. A wide range of talks followed including an engaging chat from Dr Freya Jarman regarding the backstory behind the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest - ahead of Europe's flagship singing competition coming to Liverpool in May 2023.

Lunch provided a chance for prospective applicants not just to chat with Go Higher staff, but also previous students who were in attendance and ready to answer questions regarding their experiences with the course. Our previous blog posts over the years certainly show a varied range of different backgrounds and circumstances that people have joined us from, with many delighted to share their stories with us over the years.

Taster sessions with Stephen Kearns and Dr Alex Broadhead followed, entitled "Philosophy at the Movies" and "Metaphor in Song" respectively - with both sandwiching a tour of the University's incredible Garstang Museum. Founded in 1904, its collections include artefacts excavated from Egypt, Sudan and the Near East with highlights including an exceptional Nubian collection and the Egyptian mummy at the heart of the Egyptian Afterlife gallery.

Over the six-and-a-half hours of activities and talks we were delighted to see a wide range of attendees all potentially looking for a way to potentially expand their horizons and maybe look into taking up undergraduate study in the future. We hope that we’ll be seeing some familiar faces when September rolls around and we’ll be looking to put on more Return To Learn events in the future in case you missed it this time around!