“Having missed out on a university place to study law, I took a gap year to work, save some money and consider my options, during which time I decided that Geography was actually the better degree subject for me.

I stayed at The University of Nottingham for a conference before applying to university and was really impressed by the facilities on campus, so I was keen to be a student here.

The Geography course is really flexible offering a broad mix of physical and human geography modules. I’ve done modules in economic geography, bio-geography, etc.; areas of the subject I had never even thought about during my A levels. You are also able to take subsidiary modules from outside of the department if you like, which means you can add an extra dimension – for example, a language – to your degree.

I enjoy being in such a friendly department. In the first year, there is a compulsory field trip – we went to the Lake District – and it was a great way to meet everyone on the course and put names to the faces you see in the department everyday. I have also been offered the chance to attend field trips in Paris and Italy.

I’m not sure what I want to do when I graduate but the good thing about a university of this calibre is that employers actively try and recruit its graduates. I think I will apply to various graduate recruitment programmes but defer my entry so that I can spend a year travelling to central and southern America.”

Top tip: “Visit a few universities before you fill out your UCAS form – it will help you get a feel for what suits you.”