Student Profile Kevin Glasgow

Kevin Glasgow is in the first year of his PhD, having previously completed a PGCE and an MPhil in Science Education at Homerton. He spoke to us about how one degree led to another, and how Homerton shattered his preconceptions of Cambridge.

As an undergraduate I studied Genetics at the University of Glasgow. My mum’s a geneticist there (though she never taught me) and I lived at home, so although I had a great time I was keen to move away by the time I graduated!

In my third and fourth years I got involved in outreach and really enjoyed it, so I started to consider teaching. But I was also already fairly sure that I wanted to do further study in science education. I spoke to Glasgow University about a possible PhD at that stage, but was told that it would be better to have trained as a teacher first, in order to better understand the world I’d be studying. It also meant that I would always have a fall-back career.

I applied to several London universities, and only really applied to Cambridge for a laugh – I didn’t think I’d get in! For the PGCE, you don’t apply to a College until you’ve already been offered a place on the course. I applied to Homerton, because of its proximity to the Faculty of Education, and to Jesus because it was the only other College I’d seen when I visited! Thank God I got into Homerton. So many of the events relating to the course happen there, and I wouldn’t have made the vast majority of my friends if I hadn’t been there.

In the first term of my PGCE I went to everything. It was the first time I’d lived away from home and I didn’t know anyone, so I tried out all the societies. The two I settled into and have stayed with ever since were the Boat Club and the Sign Language Society, which have both been a huge part of my Cambridge experience.

I was surprised when I first arrived by how few Scottish people there were at Cambridge – I hardly ever come across another Scottish accent. But I was also pleasantly surprised by how not-posh it was. I know other colleges might be different, but Homerton has a much broader social mix than I anticipated and it’s very socially liberal.

While I was doing my PGCE I was living in College accommodation, which was great as I met lots of people, and my now flatmate and I were able to try out living in close proximity to each other before moving into a private flat.

As I knew that I wanted to go onto further academic study rather than into teaching, I was a bit worried that the PGCE course directors would resent the fact that they had put all this effort into training me to be a teacher when I wasn’t going to be one! But of course when I mentioned it that wasn’t the case at all. I was the only person from the course who stayed on to do more full-time study, and it felt a bit strange applying for the MPhil and taking on student debt at the point when all my friends were applying for teaching jobs and looking forward to having a salary. But I was fortunate that, having done my first degree in Scotland, I hadn’t had to pay fees, so I didn’t have any undergraduate debt.

I did the MPhil in Science Education the year after my PGCE, and applied for my PhD a month into the course. I’m now in the first year of my PhD, looking at perceptions and experiences of science and religion in Scottish Catholic schools. Having been to a Catholic school in Glasgow myself (15% of state schools in Scotland are Catholic), I’m fascinated by the impact of the religious ethos of the school on the way that the two subject areas are taught.

I do put my PGCE to practical use though, working as a supply teacher in the university holidays, which I really enjoy. I’ve also been working in research assistant roles, and am applying for internships in social science and policy.

I feel so lucky that I ended up at Homerton. Because it’s such a big College, it’s possible for everyone to find a group of like-minded people. It’s really nice to be able to be so familiar with the staff – I regularly sit and have a coffee with Deborah (Griffin, the Bursar) or Melanie (Keene, the Graduate Tutor) and Geoff (Ward, the Principal) sent me a Christmas card!

There’s a huge emphasis on welfare. Melanie is fantastic at making sure everyone’s ok, and Paul (Coleman, Head of Catering) makes a point of asking everyone about dietary requirements and you really feel he means it. I’d feel comfortable bringing any friend to eat at Homerton knowing that Paul would look after them – and the food’s great! The Porters are absolutely amazing too – I’ve really had to rely on them before and they went above and beyond.

But the best thing is how tolerant and liberal the student body is, and I feel that’s mirrored from the staff. I’m so grateful I ended up here.