A student who joined De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) through Clearing after narrowly missing out on her first choice place said she “could not be happier” with life at DMU.
Ashton Matthews said she has had an “incredible” year with the university, enjoying her
Drama Studies degree course, getting involved with student-run channel Demon TV and presenting her own weekly radio show on Demon FM. And with A-level results day just a week away, she urged other students to stay calm and consider their options if they do not get the results they had hoped.
She said: “I think if you don’t get what you want, don’t panic. Something that is going to be just as good - if not better - is right around the corner.
“This year has been incredible for me.”
Ashton had been to an open day at DMU while she was considering which university to apply to, and had researched its Drama department and the opportunities it offered.
She also praised the quick decision she received from the university after initially making a call in the morning to DMU’s dedicated Clearing line. She said: “My results came out in the morning and probably around 3pm I had got into DMU, it was really quick. I could not be happier because the last thing you need is to be kept waiting.”
DMU has close links with Curve theatre which has a national profile, often previewing shows which go on to the West End, and students perform there throughout the year.
Students also have opportunities to perform overseas through
#DMUglobal experiences created for the department. Next year, the National Student Drama Festival is being held on campus.
Ashton advised A-level students to visit potential universities to get an idea of what life on campus was like, and help them decide if it would be a good fit for them.
She said: “I think if I was going to a uni I had never seen before I would have been a lot more apprehensive starting in September.”
Next year, Ashton has chosen modules which will test her directing ability, she will be devising new drama and is applying to become Demon TV’s entertainment producer. “I always knew I wanted to do drama and my time at DMU has shown me how right I was, it’s definitely the degree for me.”
Posted on Tuesday 8 August 2017