With this years graduates Profes-

sor Nick Fosket, Vice Chancellor,

reflects on graduation and

shares his thoughts about leav-

ing this year.

One of the greatest pleasures as

Vice Chancellor is attending our annual

graduation ceremonies and congratulat-

ing students on achieving their degrees

and awards. Graduation is a

grand occasion, with the spectacle of aca-

demics and students in their gowns, and

families and friends joining in the cele-

brations.

Students, partners, parents, grand-

parents, brothers, sisters and friends all

come to Keele to share a pinnacle life

event. We know that the picture most

commonly found on display in fami-

ly homes is the graduation photo. It

seems to mark ‘the end’ of education and

the progression towards a job and career

although, in reality, most people will

choose further study at some point in

their lives. It is the climax of three, four,

or even five years of hard work.

But alongside the celebrations, there

is inevitability some nervousness about

the next phase of life, whether it be find-

ing a job, travelling around the world or

choosing a further course of study. Will I

be successful? Have I made the right

choices? Will I make new friends?

I also very much enjoy giving the wel-

come talk to parents and new students

who arrive at Keele for the first time in

October each year. Those first few days

are also a time of excitement,

of celebrating academic achievement in A

levels and also one of nervousness. Will I

be successful at Keele? Have I made the

right choices?

Will I make

new friends?

So it’s much

the same at

both the start

and the end of most students’ lives at

Keele.

Of course, for the vast majority of stu-

dents it all turns out very well. Whilst at

Keele, they make lifelong friendships.

They study hard, get good degrees, enjoy

the high quality of teaching and the devel-

opment of independent learning skills

along the way. They apply for interesting

jobs or other opportunities and get offers

that enable them to progress in the direc-

tion they want their life to play out.

It’s not by chance that Keele usually

does so well in the National Student Sur-

vey (we were No. 1 in 2014) and also in

the annual survey of graduate employa-

bility. And of course, most have a great

time along the way. At graduation I often

ask students if they have had a good time

at Keele, and almost always the answer is

effusively positive – “It was great”, “Had

a fantastic three years”, “I don’t want to

leave”, “My friends at other universities

wish they had come to Keele”.

Several of our honorary graduates this

year are Keele alumni who have then had

very distinguished careers and achieve-

ments, for which we have recognised them

with an honorary doctorate. Each of them

talks positively and emotionally about the

way that Keele was a major mitigating

factor in their success and personal jour-

ney.

Continued on page 2...

Congratulations Class of 2015

Concourse Keele Universi ty ’s

Careers Advice Advice

Graduation Edition July 2015

Discover your options after graduating 4-5

Recent graduates share

their experiences

Special thanks to:

Professor Nick Foskett,

Vice Chancellor

Victoria Taylor

Joseph Baker

Adam Hughes

William Janes

Daniel Chorley

Keele Careers and Employ-

ability

Image c

red

it: K

eele

Un

ivers

i-

PROFESSOR NICK FOSKET, VICE

CHANCELLOR

Tuesday,14th July, 10.15am Graduation Ceremony

“there is inevitability

some nervousness

about the next phase

of life”

Est.1964 concourseonline.com

3-9

Contributors

Volume 2 Issue 10

“Will I be successful? Have I made the right choices?

Will I make new

friends?”

PAGE 2 CONCOURSE VOLUME 2 ISSUE 10

Fulfilling a life-long ambi-

tion

2

Vic’s top tips for surviving

graduate life.

3

Careers: so what next? 4-5

I’ve had some of the most

memorable experiences of my

life on the road.

6

Honorary Graduates 7

I became a man, I put away

childish things.

8

It may be a case of good tim-

ing or luck, but you will find

what you’re looking for.

9

Concourse : what’s in store? 10

Highlights

What are undoubt-

edly the three most

significant years of

our lives have final-

ly come to a close.

For many this end-

ing will be met with

celebration and ex-

citement, for other it

will be tinged with

sadness and a deep feeling of anxiety.

No more all-nighters in the library, no

more cheeky late night Dominos and no

more wasting our student loans on a Mon-

day night at the Union.

From here on out, you’re expected to be

‘proper’ adults, capable of looking after your-

selves, with a dreary 9-5 job, stable relation-

ships and savings in the bank.

I’m not going to lie, I’m so relieved that I

Letter from the Editor Carrie Hodgkins

have decided to stay on at Keele and com-

plete a masters course. Despite studying

here for three years, I don’t feel like I’ve

finished. There’s so much more I want to do.

Concourse is one of them. I’ve have so

many plans for the publication which I hope

to implement in the upcoming year. So,

while all my friends are off starting their

careers and earning money to pay off stu-

dent loans, I’ll still be here, living the stu-

dent dream.

I wish everyone who has graduated this

summer all the best and hope they’ll start

their new lives with as much confidence and

optimism they can muster.

But for me, it’s another year of squirrels,

Tuesday nights at Horwood Bar and slog-

ging it out in the library as I try to complete

a 25,000 words dissertation. Cheers!

In the middle of August I am stepping

down as Vice Chancellor at Keele after five

great years. Like everybody else at key tran-

sitions, I am asking

the same questions

of myself that

new students and

new graduates ask

themselves – don’t

think being nervous

about the future is

the prerogative of

teenagers and

twenty somethings!

But as I go on to

the next phase I

Continued from page 1…

Although, nothing is ever 100% wonderful

and, even at Keele, every student will have

moments which were academically or per-

sonally challenging.

Perhaps, they may have even doubt-

ed whether they would achieve what they

wanted from coming to Keele. However,

that’s all part of the process and working

through those sorts of challenges typically

makes the outcome even more special.

shall take with me very fond memories of

Keele, of its triumphs and its occasional

challenges, and I shall always remember

the excitement of graduation, the smiles

on student and parent faces and the

cheers during and after the graduation

ceremonies. Have a great summer, and

good luck in whatever you will be doing

next.

The Concourse Team also wishes

Professor Foskett all the best with

his future endeavours.

Image credit: Keele University

After 3 years of being an under-

graduate, Gerry Watkins graduat-

ed from Keele at the age of 73.

Rather than going to university when

most people do, in their early twenties,

Gerry took a job in banking on the advice

of his parents.

“I’d always resented not having the op-

portunity to go to university,” he said in an

interview with the Stoke Sentinel. Finally,

he was motivated to apply to Keele

and was accepted onto a foundation

year.

“I looked at Keele’s website and

fully expected it to say I was too

old.”

But the University accepts stu-

dents of all ages, and after complet-

ing his foundation degree, Gerry went onto

do a degree in History and American Stud-

ies.

His life at university was very different

to anything he’s previously experienced. He

found himself writing essays, studying both

history and literature through time and

even spending a semester abroad in the

U.S.A.

However, Gerry adapted very quickly,

finding himself in familiar territory as he

was born in Keele. He can remember

playing beside Keele Hall when he was

younger, but that was when the Universi-

ty did not exist and the land was used as

an Army camp.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my degree.

But the past six months have been a

challenge, with my dissertation, essays

and exams,” said Gerry.

After all his efforts, alongside many

other students, Gerry completed his de-

gree in July this year and graduated with

a 2:1 class with honours.

His daughter, Rachel, aged 44, said:

“I’m super proud of him. I find it so in-

spiring that somebody of his age could go

to university.”

Gerry’s success is testament that any-

one can achieve their dreams if they

strive hard enough and chase them re-

lentlessly.

Fulfilling a lifelong ambition

CONCOURSE EDITORIAL TEAM

Image credit: Keele University

Some of you may remember Vic in

her role as SU President 2012/13,

but before that she was a student

just like you.

Wow. Concourse. I owe you a lot.

I knew having something extra-curricular

would look good on my CV – ‘Hey employ-

er, look at me, I didn’t just get drunk and

stumble through my degree, I got drunk,

stumbled through my degree and ran the

student-led magazine!’ But I didn’t realise

that it would teach me skills that have

helped me get to where I am today.

It was about a year ago that I finished

my time as President of Keele Students’

Union. That job took over my life – I lived,

breathed, ate, drank and, once or twice,

slept KeeleSU and loved it. Getting in-

volved with Concourse, got me involved

with the Union and set me up for my elec-

tion – I definitely didn’t see that coming

when I walked into Sam’s bar for my first

meeting.

In some weird combination of timing,

fate and a solid rant about the Tories, I

managed to land a job straight out of

Keele. They always tell you to give exam-

ples in interviews and I clearly remember

talking about my editorial work and my

experience of covering the national stu-

dent demo for Concourse.

So, I packed up my shitty little flat,

had a ridiculously emotional leaving do in

the KPA, and left university like the

grown-up I most certainly wasn’t. The

night ended

with my

Mum blast-

ing Metalli-

ca out of

her over-

stuffed car.

I cried most

of the way

home.

For me,

leaving uni-

versity was horrendous for about three

days. I hated not being in my office, my

friends were moving on (or staying put)

without me and I never knew when my

next night out would be. I wasn’t ready to

be stuck at home with my Mum (even

though she’s ace) and I definitely wasn’t

ready to take out a £3000 graduate loan

to pay for an extortionate shoe box in the

city.

It took me six months of walking

around London to gather myself after

Keele – it was a bit of a detox. I was ad-

justing to my new weird sense of normali-

ty; a Monday-Friday, 9-5 working week;

having to arrange to meet with friends,

rather than just turning up in your PJs

with a bottle of wine; being expected to

contribute to grown-up conversations at

work.

But I got there and employment has

been great to me. I know I very much

landed on my feet at Gingerbread – I’d

drawn up a list of my top ten charities and

they were snugly sandwiched between

Amnesty and Shelter. And it just so hap-

pened that they wanted a Law grad with a

passion for politics as much as I wanted

them.

It’s a good fit. My job mainly involves

writing content for our website and re-

searching what else is out there. My edito-

rial experience with Concourse really

comes into play when I’m proof reading

tricky fact-sheets about Maternity or Tax

Credits.

I’ve picked up other exciting bits in the

year I’ve been here, like meeting with the

Department for Work and Pensions to talk

about Universal Credit and being second-

ed to Policy to cover a period of recruit-

ment. The people I work with are ace; they

are at the top of their respective games,

they want to help me develop and I feel

like they pretend to be genuinely interest-

ed when I tell them about my latest foot-

ball/housemate/boy drama.

“I got drunk, stumbled through my degree and run

the student-led magazine!”

PAGE 3 CONCOURSE VOLUME 2 ISSUE 10

VICTORIA TAYLOR, CLASS OF

2013

Image credit: Victoria Taylor

Vic’s top tips for surviving grad life

Get a hobby

Walk around, write, do your thing. You

will find you have so much free time so

use it to invest in yourself; it pays back

the best dividends.

Take every chance

Do as much as you can

and seize every opportuni-

ty thrown your way.

Whether it’s taking on a

project, meeting someone

new or trying something

you’ve never even

considered before.

Show that you

are keen and

enthusiastic.

Apply for jobs you

can actually do

Sure, I want to be CEO of

Amnesty International, but

I’ve got a lot to learn first.

There’s no safer place to

learn about what being an

adult means than in a job

you can nail.

Apply for jobs you totally can’t

do

Shami Chakrabarti needed a PA

the week after I finished uni. Hell

yeah, I applied for it. Hell no, I

didn’t hear back… but you never

know. I could have made it work...

1

2

Stick at it

I spent my first few

months of work bored out

of my mind.

Don’t leave a job on im-

pulse and try not to move

on in the first year. You’ll

find your groove. It might

just take some time.

Don’t beat yourself up

There are many panics on bleak

Sunday evenings that there isn’t

enough time to do all the things I

want to do with my life. But there’s

time. Loads of it. Just sit in an emp-

ty office at 4pm on a sunny Friday

afternoon and you’ll see how slowly

time actually moves…

4

3

5

6

#4 Show an interest:

It’s vital that you don’t just go

straight into a sales pitch of your

qualities and experience. Tell the recruiter

exactly why you are interested in this spe-

cific role or training scheme that they are

offering, so that it is clear that this is a

genuine, well researched application from

a motivated candidate.

#5 Show enthusiasm:

Articulate why you would be interested in

working for their organisation. Most re-

cruiters believe in the organisation they

work for and want you to feel the same

way so make sure they think you do!

#6 Sell yourself:

Draw the recruiter’s attention to the specif-

ic skills and knowledge that you can offer

in relation to the opportunity – make the

links between your profile and their re-

quirements explicit and lead them to the

detail on your CV. Make it as easy for them

as possible to find key information.

#7 Observe formalities:

Be formal – the devil is in the detail. If you

have a name on the letter you should end it

‘Yours sincerely’, otherwise ‘Yours faith

fully’.

#8 Finishing touches:

After designing a beautifully formatted

letter, pdf it as an attachment for email, so

that your hard work is preserved and the

recruiters have a hard copy to attach to

your CV.

Is your CV now perfect but you’re

agonising over the covering let-

ter? Here’s our advice on getting

it right.

#1 Tailor it to the role you’re applying

for:

Start with the vacancy itself. Recruiters

can instantly recognise a thrown together

letter or email that has not been designed

with them in mind. Tailor every letter to

each job application – research the employ-

er and role to make sure you can do this

effectively.

#2 Be personal:

Always try to address it to a named per-

son. When possible ring or email and ask

who this should be and check their title. It

will show you have an attention to detail

and that you really are passionate about

the vacancy.

#3 Clarity:

Make it clear in the first sentence why you

are writing to or emailing the recipient, so

they know why they should bother reading

your communications. (I am writing to

express an interest in/respond to/make an

enquiry regarding…)

Let’s start at the beginning; writ-

ing your life story on two sides of

A4 is no mean feat, so where do

you start?

#1 Tailor your CV for each application:

Frustrating though it is, there is no such

thing as an effective general CV. CVs

should be designed with a specific job field

or role in mind, and then tweaked for each

application to match the job description,

person specification and/or advertisement.

Start by making sure you know what the

recruiter is looking for then you can show

them you have it!

#2 Keep a clear format:

Create a CV that is clear and accessible by

using separate sections, clear statements,

active language and a plain font. It is im-

portant to sweeten up a recruiter by mak-

ing your CV as easy to read and navigate

as possible.

#3 Qualifications, employment and ex-

perience:

It is important that you use reverse chrono-

logical order, so that your most recent work

experience and qualifications are seen first.

In other words, don’t start with your

GCSEs. Remember to mention the univer-

sity you attended (often forgotten…) and

draw out any relevant skills or knowledge

gained from your degree/masters/PhD, as

this is a significant aspect of your profile.

Also, be sure to articulate clearly what you

have gained from your employment, volun-

teering or work experience. Recruiters val-

ue experience and skills gained from all

settings not just the academic one.

#4 Maintain professionalism:

Think carefully about your email address

and any social media to which you provide

a link; consider the message that you are

sending out to employers. Some of the best

CVs are let down by applicants using fluffy

bunny emails or social media links where

summer ball let-your-hair-down photo-

graphs can be found. These look unprofes-

sional and convey the wrong impression

you’re trying to make.

#5 Include a covering letter:

Your CV should always be accompanied by

a tailored covering letter or email – see the

next instalment which discusses this. Any

experienced recruiter can spot a generic

application from ten paces, which will

make a poor impression and your CV will

most likely be discarded.

#6 Proofread before submission:

Last but certainly not least, spend time

checking the content for spelling, grammat-

ical accuracy and correct dates; make sure

there are no unexplained gaps or inconsist-

encies. A CV which shows a consistent high

standard will look much better than one

which contains unnecessary errors. It is

always useful to ask someone else to check

your CV for you to spot any silly mistakes.

Take a look at our website for more de-

tailed CV guidance with what to include

and what not to include!

Writing a cover letter

PAGE 4 CONCOURSE VOLUME 1, I SSUE 1

Careers: what next? Crafting Your CV

Image credit: Keele University

Visit:

www.nationalcareersservice.direct.org.uk

for more useful information

Ima

ge c

red

it:

nin

efe

ett

all

.com

Congratulations! You have made

it to the interview… So, how do

you make sure you shine on the

day?

Interviews take all shapes and forms –

Skype, video interviews, face to face…but

these are the basics you need to cover:

#1 Be prepared:

Make sure you know what you’ve already

told them about yourself – re-read your

application so that you can think about

what they are likely to ask you such as

choices you have made in the past, why

you chose your degree at Keele, what skills

you have developed from extra-curricular

activities you have mentioned, how your

part time job has enhanced your skills pro-

file…

Go back to the job details and analyse

exactly what it is they are looking for in

their applicants. It could be anything from

effective presentation skills, commercial

awareness to research methods. Have an

example of how you have developed and

when you have used these skills. Make the

match easy for them.

Research exactly what the job or train-

ing scheme might involve so that you can

convince them you are genuinely interest-

ed in the role, not just the pay cheque

(good though that might be). Make sure

you know about their organisation and

what is happening in their sector – wheth-

er it is finance, retail or media. More often

than not, recruiters will expect you to be

informed.

#2 Conduct mock interviews:

Practise makes perfect. You need to be-

come comfortable being in an interview

setting and talking about yourself. During

the interview, you may need to describe

yourself, discuss your strengths and weak-

nesses or articulate your motivations. Be

proud to talk about your positive qualities

without being embarrassed or nervous.

#3 Have the right attitude:

Be enthusiastic and positive. The right

attitude is highly rated by recruiters, indi-

cating an intention to learn and develop in

the workplace. Your body language,

clothes, handshake and tone of voice, as

well as what you actually say, will all con-

tribute to making a good impression.

Embarking on an internship

Nailing that interview

specific paid experience, try out your cho-

sen career, and it may even lead to your

dream job! Keele Internships is available

to you for up to three years after you finish

your studies.

What help is available?

Keele Internships will guide you through

the application process, and you will get

help on your CV and cover letter – there is

lots of advice on Keele Internships website

and Careers staff at Keele will make sure

that your application is good enough to

send to the employer, therefore increasing

your chance of interview.

Top tips to get an internship?

Before sending your application to us, we

suggest you get your CV and cover letter

up to scratch – your cover letter will need

to be targeted for the role you are applying

for and you need to ensure that the profile

statement on your CV reflects the intern-

ship area of work you are applying for.

On every Keele Internship advert, the

company name is specified, so check out

their website and try and mention some-

thing about the company that you have

seen on their site – this shows the employ-

er that you are motivated and interested

and they really do need to know that you

want to work for them! Better to send in

two or three good quality applications

than applying for lots at a time!

One big advantage of Keele Intern-

ships, is that some of the roles are for

Keele graduates only, thus cutting out

national competition. Don’t be fooled

though into thinking that it’s an easy op-

tion! You’ll still need to prove to the em-

ployer that you are an excellent candidate!

Don’t just take our word for it!

Grant Mantle graduated from Keele with

a Business Management and Marketing

degree in July 2013. Grant worked at the

Trentham Estate for 12 months as a mar-

keting assistant. Things went so well, that

he is now on his second year of the intern-

ship.

Grant says: “The Keele Internship

scheme was brilliant – I was given appli-

cation and interview advice which was

very useful. They also kept me updated

me on possible internships I would be in-

terested in. The Trentham one came along

and I thought it was perfect.”

You’ve reached the end of your

degree, and you’re wondering

what do next? With so many differ-

ent routes it can be difficult to de-

cide – why not choose an Intern-

ship?

So what’s it all about?

An internship is similar to work experi-

ence, offered by employers or companies to

give students and graduates much needed

insight into a specific field or industry.

Here at Keele, there is an innovative pro-

gramme to help Keele graduates progress

with their careers.

Keele Internships is run by commercial-

ly experienced staff who have excellent

links with recruiting businesses. Intern-

ships are advertised on Keele’s website and

are all PAID. They last for at least 12

weeks. Recently collected statistics re-

vealed that up to 70% of Keele internships

led to extended, or permanent employ-

ment.

Many of the organisations offering in-

ternship roles are in fact looking to develop

their interns into future managers and

directors – some roles on offer lead to top

earnings and can have quick progression

routes to management and beyond. For

you, it can be an excellent way to get some

PAGE 5 CONCOURSE VOLUME 1, I SSUE 1

Here is a list of reliable, in-

formative websites, which can

help you establish a well-

rounded CV and give careers

advice.

www.nationalcareersservice.direc

t.org.uk

www.targetjobs.co.uk

www.prospects.ac.uk

www.keele.ac.uk/careers

www.keele.ac.uk/internships

www.jobs.ac.uk/ careers-

advice/resources

www.nationalcareersweek.com/re

sources/careers-websites

Useful Resources

Careers: what next?

If you have ever thought about

travelling after finishing univer-

sity, you’ll probably fine that it

changes your entire outlight on

life and offer some of the best

experiences imaginable. Joe

Baker, once VP Sport, shares his

adventures.

I never put a great deal of thought

into life after Keele. After all, I had been

so engrossed with Sport, SU Politics and

propping up the bar (as well as studying,

obviously).

I loved my time in the bubble, so

much so that I ended up spending an

extra year after being elected VP Sport.

Sadly, this only put off leaving the bub-

ble for another year. When March rolled

around and I made the call not to stand

in the SU elections again, I was at a bit

of a loss as to what to do.

An opportunity

presented itself one

night in the KPA.

Out of the blue one

of the Priest’s from

the church at home

called me up. He

offered me the chance to go out and vol-

unteer in South Africa.

The project itself was based in an or-

phanage in Northern Limpopo, where,

given my skill set, I’d be tasked with run-

ning the recreation programme for the

kids.

Needless to say, I leapt at the oppor-

tunity and a few weeks later I flew out to

Dublin for a weekend of training, child

safety talks and meet & greets with two

other volunteers.

Eventually, June rolled around and

after an incredible year I left my role as

VP AU & Sport to jet off to the other side

of the world. We flew into Johannesburg

then drove north for around 8 hours,

eventually arriving at the orphanage in

the foothills of the Drakensberg Moun-

tains. What followed were the best three

months imaginable.

Playing sport, teaching the recorder,

fixing literally every-

thing I could get my

hands on, meeting some

of the most inspiration-

al people and seeing

some of the most beau-

tiful sights; it was 3

months I won’t forget in

a hurry.

One of my most

memorable moments

had to be coaching the

orphanage football

team. After some fran-

tic Facebook chats with

the Keele Football Leg-

end Keith Harrison, the

team put in a spirited performance

against the boys from the local school.

Since leaving I’ve heard they’ve started to

win games!

G o i n g b a c k

home was difficult

to say the least.

Myself and one of

the other volunteers had hired a car and

aimed to slip away without any drama,

but as tended to be the case with the kids,

they caught on and swooped down, insist-

ing that we stayed.

It honestly broke our hearts to have to

leave, and that first 45 minutes of driving,

down the old dirt lane, onto the main road

and finally onto the N36 heading south

was a long, silent journey.

When I got home I was never quite

myself. One of my mates diagnosed me

with Wanderlust, and I pretended to

know what that was until I found a dic-

tionary. It is defined as “a strong, innate

desire to rove or travel about.”, which

could not have hit closer to home.

I moved home and the next few months

passed in a blur of temp jobs, rugby, red

wine and dubious life choices.

All the while I was busy looking for

and planning my next adventure. Plenty

of options were tabled: Inter-railing, PGL

Leader and Camp America to name a few.

But it was through the Rugby Club that

I’d find my next challenge, and it would

take me back to Africa.

Rwanda is not normally the first coun-

try to spring to mind when discussing

rugby. But about 10 years ago, a handful

of men and women from a variety of local

clubs took it upon themselves to introduce

the game to Rwanda. Every year a group

travels out and spends 2 weeks out there,

supporting the newly formed Rwandan

Rugby Federation, distributing kit, coach-

ing and training. I went along on the 2015

tour.

Entertainingly, rather than being the

jolly green giant and spending all my time

with nuns and priests, as I had in South

Africa, I was probably the slimmest, light-

est traveller in the Rwanda group (a title I

haven’t held for many years, Dominoes in

Newcastle made sure of that).

We spent an amazing two weeks coach-

ing in schools, playing in tournaments and

training with local clubs, all the while

assessing what could be done to help the

game grow in an amazingly beautiful

country.

My whole life I’ve been adamant that I

wouldn’t be one of those people who would

come back from their travels and preach.

‘Travelling changed my life’ and

‘Everything out there really opened my

eyes’ are two sentences that I never want-

ed to say.

But they’re absolutely true, and I’m ok

with that. I’ve had some of the most mem-

orable experiences of my life on the road

and I wouldn’t change a single thing. Who

knows where the next adventure will take

me!

“I’ve had some of the most memorable experiences of

my life on the road.”

PAGE 6 CONCOURSE VOLUME 1, I SSUE 1

I left my role as

VP AU & Sport

to jet off to the

other side of the

world.

JOE BAKER, CLASS OF 2013

One of my mates

diagnosed me

with Wanderlust.

Image credit: Joseph Baker

Are you taking a gap year or intending to travel now you’ve graduated?

Concourse are launching our brand new travel section in September.

If you have any adventures, experiences or insights on travelling, whether you are a current student or a grad-

uate, we’d like to hear from you.

Email: editor@concourseonline.com for more information.

On Thursday 16th June, Con-

course had the fantastic oppor-

tunity to interview Ruth Hunt, a

key figure within Stonewall and

nationwide.

At the end of the busy Graduation

Week 2015, I had the wonderful privilege

of interviewing Ruth Hunt, CEO of Stone-

wall LGBT charity. It was the first inter-

view I’d ever carried out and I was terri-

fied, especially since Ruth is such a promi-

nent figure.

But as I sat down in the Chancellor’s

Lounge, Ruth looked cool and casual, com-

pletely unfazed by all the attention she

was receiving. She immediately put me at

ease. At risk of sounding cheesy, there

was just something about her. Ruth was

so laid back and keen to answer my ques-

tions, that I suddenly felt like I’d been

interviewing people my whole life.

Earlier that morning, she had been

awarded the honorary Degree of Doctor of

the University in recognition of her out-

standing work in the LGBT movement.

She told me: “I’m very proud, very proud

of my honorary doctorate from Keele.”

Ruth first joined Stonewall in 2005 and

was promoted to Chief Executive last

year. Since she has been involved with

Stonewall, she has been part of some great

campaigns, including ‘some

people are gay, get over it’

and Rainbow Laces.

We had some really in-

teresting discussions, cov-

ering so many issues sur-

rounding the LGBT move-

ment. Our particularly are-

as of focus were the problems faced by

transgender individuals both socially and

politically. We also talked about the LGBT

community within black and ethnic minor-

ity groups.

Ruth had some really insightful

thoughts and opinions which has made me

rethink some of my previous assumptions

about LGBT issues and people. She even

shared some of her experiences regarding

her own sexuality and her personal diffi-

culties dealing with prejudice.

I can’t think of anyone more worthy of

an honorary doctorate from Keele.

Highlights:

[CARRIE] ‘What sort of things do you do

at Stonewall, what are you main responsi-

bilities?’

[RUTH] ‘My job is to run the organisa-

tion: to make sure that we have a really

clear strategic vision for

the next five years and to

make sure that the staff

are all swimming in the

right direction.

Also, one of my key

roles is about managing some of the more

difficult conversations with people who

are really antagonistic about LGBT is-

sues, so we can bring those people into the

organisation as well. So, kind of a figure-

head and a leader for the organisation.’

[CARRIE] ‘How would you like to see

greater awareness of LGBT issues being

raised?’

[RUTH] ‘At Stonewall, we’re really aware

that a certain type of gay people are in the

public eye now. People have a good aware-

ness about some gay people, but there are

so many LGBT people from black and mi-

nority backgrounds who have much lower

visibility, and there are loads more

[LGBT] women than we see.

It’s really about that next stage of rais-

ing awareness really, and at Stonewall we

will always have some great campaigns,

like the no bi-standards campaign, which

encourages people to call out

bad language when they

hear it and things like that.

I loved the Rainbow Lac-

es campaign where we try

and get all the sports clubs

to lace up and to kick homo-

phobia out of their sport.

But really we want individu-

als to be the champions, you

know. The Student Union President at

Keele, a heterosexual guy, is one of the

best allies that the LGBT communities

have got. We’re really proud of that. We

want people to be the champions now and

really push that through.’

[CARRIE] ‘Would you agree that, in re-

cent years, transgender issues are becom-

ing much more problematic than those

faced by homosexuals?’

[RUTH] ‘There is certainly a difference

how LGB people are treated and how

trans-people are treated. I think that’s

very clear. I think that we often experi-

ence prejudice in the same way and that

people who are homophobic and trans-

phobic don’t see the difference.

There are some very real issues, partic-

ularly facing trans young people, concern-

ing access to services, being able to choose

the most appropriate bathrooms and

changing rooms to use and even just hav-

ing the space to be

themselves without

experiencing prejudice.

I hope that Stone-

wall can support organ-

isations, institutions

and individuals to help

push back that preju-

dice. We need to increase better under-

standing of issues faced by trans-people.

You can view the full transcript of the

interview on our website.

Follow Ruth on Twitter: @ruth_hunt

Interview with Ruth Hunt

PAGE 7 CONCOURSE VOLUME 1, I SSUE 1

Honorary Graduates

CARRIE HODGKINS, EDITOR IN CHIEF

Ima

ge c

red

it:

mir

ror.

com

“I’m very

proud to re-

ceive my hon-

orary doctor-

ate from

Keele.”

“Keeping a

secret can

really get

in the way

of being

yourself.”

“We want

individuals

to be the

champions.”

“The visibility

of bi-sexual

people is much

lower than les-

bian and gay

people.”

“I’m just a lesbian who likes wearing

ties.”

Considering a postgraduate de-

gree? Then Adam Hughes, recent

graduate who has gone onto do a

masters has some words of ad-

vice.

You know when you watch an early

episode of a sitcom, before it’s really found

its feet, and all the old familiar actors and

elements are there, but everything seems

a little off? Or in Invasion of the Body

Snatchers when Donald Sutherland

points and shrieks at Veronica Cartwright

before cutting to the credits? Or those

creepy Japanese robots that look like peo-

ple with rubber skin that are probably

going to rise up and slaughter us all one

day?

This is all some horribly convoluted

and self-indulgent way of saying that be-

ing a postgraduate student isn’t for every-

one. Even if you soldiered through three

years of undergraduate study.

Is it your first big plunge into the

stuffy, tooth-and-nail world of academia?

Or an elaborate, expensive way to put off

getting a real job for one more year? No

matter your reasons for doing it, however

noble, mis-

guided or risi-

ble they may

be, provided

you’re willing to take on the burden of

more debt, it can’t hurt to have an extra

qualification under your belt now, can it?

Even though, allegedly, we’ve weathered

the worst of economic armageddon, and

the outlook is brightening as graduate

jobs and salaries are rising. Alleged-

ly. Allegedly.

For whatever reason you’ve decided to

rain check the dreaded real world, you’ll

be an old spectre, haunting your campus

of choice. Freshers will be uneasy around

you as you queue up in Select and Save,

wearing the all- nighters and early morn-

ings of the past three years on your un-

shaven / un-BB creamed face. Just like

the topographical map of some horribly

stressful, pissed up continent.

But it’s easy for postgrads to feel that

way; like the sad dogs they cart out for

those RSPCA adverts set to Coldplay

tracks. Little guidance is ever given on

the topic, which is probably why

the higher education section of The

Guardian reads like a slab-

sized Dungeons and Dragons instruction

manual for postgrad scrubs.

Yet, however much of a snakebite-

chugging lad or lady you once were won’t

matter once your usual cohorts have sal-

lied off into the real world of nine ‘til five

internships, or more likely, the dole

queue. It may be a case of starting your uni

friends circle from scratch. But per-

haps after three years of propping your

head up in 9AM criminology lectures, re-

gretting those last few sambuca shots the

night before and enduring breakfast feasts

of stale Dominos crusts and Relentless,

you’re ready for such a change of pace.

If you can handle the social upheaval,

break out of the undergrad chrysalis and

spread your magnificent new postgrad

wings, you’ll find yourself in the midst of

an all together very rewarding year or two.

It may not be as zany as your time as an

undergrad, but, hey, these things pass.

You had your time to find yourself, and be

reckless and irresponsible and to never

clean your kitchen utensils. Now it’s time

to try adulthood, with training wheels on.

Not to get all Corinthian on you, but it re-

minds me of this line from the Bible:

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I

understood as a child, I thought as a child:

but when I became a man, I put away

childish things.”

You may well find yourself amongst an

older crowd, perhaps of a more internation-

al bent, full of new ideas, stories and inspi-

rations. And they’ve either returned from

the real world to carry on their education,

or travelled from abroad – much further

than you with your daysaver ticket. These

are real people, with knowledge of the real

world, and a bit of time in their company

will probably do you more good than anoth-

er sesh at the SU

with some bell-end in

a Jack Wills shirt.

You’re no longer

the hour or two your

tutors fear every

week, where they

have to walk you and your cohort through,

say, linear equations, or Dostoyevsky, or

the amygdala, or something. They’ll afford

you some leg room in your studies, and all

they expect is a sharper edge to your work.

You’re running with the wolves now.

They’ll take a serious interest in your in-

terests, since it appears that you’re really

taking an interest. And seeing a tutor or

lecturer talking about what they want to

talk about is like pure unadulterat-

ed jazz, maaan…

That isn’t to say that your three

years as an undergrad have been worth

nothing, of course, far from it. But be-

fore he painted the ceiling of the Sistine

Chapel, Michelangelo probably had to

paint a few garden sheds. And as the

legendary Canadian poet and philoso-

pher Drake did say, started from the

bottom, now we here.

Finally, the government are begin-

ning to see the value of postgraduate

courses, and not as that clunky awk-

ward step between an undergraduate

course and a PhD. The market for such

a qualification is gestating, and given

another year, you won’t even have to

sell a major organ to fund your Masters

to boot! Funding for a course that didn’t

come part and parcel with an undergrad

degree was terribly scant for years,

leading many to march away from high-

er education with the modest debt

they’d already accumulated. But that’s

all set to change.

The number of people with degrees,

and the

n u m b e r

of post-

gradders

(to coin a

term) is

rising and rising, despite the govern-

ment’s best efforts to put everyone but

pony-obsessed, inbred to-the-back-

teeth yahh-ing toffs off higher educa-

tion, so a little something more is need-

ed to give your CV that extra bit of

gloss. And, let’s be honest, no-one really

gives a flying toot if you camped out in

the Brecon Beacons for five days eating

moist rice for a Duke of Edinburgh

Award.

Final verdict? To postgrad or not to

postgrad? To bite a bigger hole in your

finances to up your employer cred, or

scurry as far as you can from anywhere

vaguely resembling a lecture hall and

taking your chances? If my scrawl has

convinced you in any way, well, you’re

easily led, and maybe further education

isn’t your thing. I suppose whether you

decide to carry on or otherwise, is a case

of you flexing your independent adult

muscles, rather than, say, a sixth form

careers advisor, intent on torpedoing as

many students as they could to univer-

sity.

So, while you’re languishing in the

muggy British heat of what’s probably

your last long summer before you’re

boring and incontinent, why not put

away childish things and have a cheeky

peek in a prospectus or a website. Don’t

listen to me. Believe in yourself! Allez-

vous-en!

“I became a man, I put away childish things.”

PAGE 8 CONCOURSE VOLUME 1, I SSUE 1

ADAM HUGHES, CLASS OF 2014

Being a postgraduate

student isn’t for every-

one.

The government

are beginning to

see the value of

postgraduate

courses.

You’ll find yourself in the

midst of an all together

very rewarding year or

two.

Ima

ge c

red

it:

Ad

am

Hu

gh

es

For a small number of students and

graduates, the process of choosing a ca-

reer path is relatively simple and

straight-forward. To the lucky few of you

who find yourselves studying in a field

you love, I envy you. Unfortunately, I

have found myself to be part of what

seems to be an enormous number of

graduates who lack direction, and for

whom the desire and ambition to follow a

specific career path is hard to come by.

I, like many others, have arrived at

the one year graduate mark. Since leav-

ing, I have held two jobs, one as a gar-

dener in the west-country, and the se-

cond as an administrator for a local coun-

cil, both separated by a couple of months

of unemployment. Although I have en-

joyed the work I have done so far, I am

still left craving an occupation that I find

stimulating, challenging, and ultimately

fulfilling. As a consequence, a feeling of

being adrift with no direction in a large

world has become a recurrent feature in

my life.

The reason I mention these personal

feelings and experiences is that I am

acutely aware I

am far from

alone in having

them.

Throughout

the many dis-

cussions about

careers and work I have had since leav-

ing Keele, it has slowly become more

apparent that this feeling is not limited

to recent graduates, but also people in

various phases of their life.

Initially, it was surprising to find

people with much more life experience

than I in this situation. However, it oc-

curred to me now that the notion gradu-

ates SHOULD find passion and a rele-

vant career path immediately after leav-

ing university is unreasonable.

After leaving Keele University I had

expected to spend my year transitioning

into a stable job with prospects to be

hopeful about. Much to my dismay how-

ever, this has not happened. Although

my expectations were not met, this is not

a message of pessimism.

I have learned, as I have grappled

with the idea of finding a fulfilling ca-

reer, that uncertainty and indecision are

not to be feared but to be embraced and

accepted.

It is fine to not know what you are

going to do next. But be sure to keep an

open mind, be patient, and enjoy yourself

in the mean time. This will give you the

optimism you need to keep going like it

has for me.

their lives.

Luckily, it all worked out – just a few

days later, I was offered a place at Initial

Officer Training at RAF College Cran-

well. But that sudden feeling of pressure,

confusion and anxiousness never left me,

and it made me appreciate how much

pressure finalists are under to make the

decision between further education, ca-

reer paths or gap years.

The message: there is something

out there for you. It may be a case of

good timing or luck, but you will find

what you’re looking for. Whilst I am cer-

tain there was a great deal of initial con-

fusion in deciding what the next post-

university course of action would be, I

cannot think of one person who has strug-

gled to move forward in their life. It’ll be

no different for you!

As for me, the military lifestyle and

career path had always been appealing.

Two months after finishing my exams

and finding out my results, I began Initial

Officer Training. The nine month course

was considerably different to student life!

No last-minute rolling out of bed for lec-

tures, or sleeping in till midday. It was a

packed schedule of air power studies,

Sometimes life after University

may not turn out how you expect

it to. Dan Chorley talks about his

unusual career choice.

After getting into Keele by the skin of

my teeth, my post-Keele experience was a

rather bizarre one. It was actually in se-

cond year which my graduate life began.

I had been a member of the University

Air Squadron (UAS), which is a part of

the Royal Air Force specifically aimed

towards university students.

Fortunately for me, I was hooked and

made the decision to get the application

process for the

RAF rolling.

After complet-

ing a gruelling

6-9 month selec-

tion period, I

was waiting for

the results on my application. A good

friend and neighbour asked me, “Not say-

ing you won’t get in Dan, but what are

you doing to do if your application isn’t

successful?”. It was at that point I real-

ised how all of my friends were feeling –

under significant pressure to make life

decisions that would affect the rest of

leadership development, physical educa-

tion and exercises in the field. But the

camaraderie amongst the people on the

course was something I had never experi-

enced before, and the vast majority of

them I am still in touch with.

I graduated from RAFC Cranwell in

March, and held with 8 Squadron at RAF

Waddington, who fly the E3-D Sentry (an

Airbourne Early Warning & Control air-

craft). In the last seven weeks I have be-

gun my phase 2 training at RAF Boulmer

and, all being well, I shall graduate in

the next few weeks as an Identification

Officer within the Aerospace Battle Man-

agement branch. The career options for

me are vast – I could end up on a variety

of exercises abroad, particularly working

with the US military and other NATO

nations. I could also be working with the

army and navy within the British Armed

Forces.

This time of the year may seem daunt-

ing, especially when you start to see the

Fresher’s 2016 Facebook pages exploding

on your news feed. But keep your head

up, and keep looking out for the right

thing for you.

“Be sure to keep

an open mind,

be patient and

enjoy yourself.”

“It may be a case of good timing or luck, but you will

find what you’re looking for.”

PAGE 9 CONCOURSE VOLUME 1, I SSUE 1

WILLIAM JANES, CLASS OF 2014

DANIEL CHORLEY, CLASS OF 2014

I have found myself

to be part of what

seems to be an

enormous number

of graduates who

lack direction.

Image credit: William Janes

It may be a case of

good timing or luck,

but you will find

what you’re looking

for.

What’s in store for Concourse

next year?

Concourse will be undergoing a revamp of it’s

look and style over the summer. It will be re-

released as a magazine in order to reflect the

need for an outlet where students can voice their

opinions about the things they feel most passion-

ate about.

We have a brand new editorial team in place who

will be working hard to ensure that a higher

standard of articles are published, ones which

and insightful and provoke conversation amongst

the Keele community.

There are lots of exciting plans for which there is

the opportunity for anyone to get involved in.

We remain dedicated to providing top-notch jour-

nalism and wonderful material for you to read.

We really value our contributors; without them,

Concourse would be impossible.

For any queries, please contact:

editor@concourseonline.com

VOLUME 1, I SSUE 1 CONCOURSE PAGE 10

Jaime Marshall wins Student of the

Year 2015

Every year one outstand-

ing student is chosen as

the recipient of an award

which recognises out-

standing achievement,

both academically and

within the wider commu-

nity of the University. Jaimie Marshall was award-

ed the 2015 Neil and Gina Smith

Student of the Year Award at

Keele University.

Jaimie graduated from Keele

with a First Class Honours De-

gree in Biomedical Sciences. and

has been accepted onto the un-

dergraduate medicine course at

Keele, committing herself to a

further six years of study.

She has been described by the

Director of Teaching and Learn-

ing as “a highly intellectual and

most capable student”.

Furthermore, Jaime has

made vast contributions to the

Hockey Society winning Most

Improved Player in her first

year. By her final year,

she was Club Captain and Secre-

tary of the Athletic Union, pro-

moting sport and participation

across campus.

CONCOURSE EDITORIAL

TEAM

Congratulations and good

luck to the Class of 2015. Be

sure to remember us all here

at Keele and let us know how

you are doing.

Contact John Easom, Alumni

Manager for more infor-

mation:

j.c.easom@keele.ac.uk

Jaimie has

also worked as

a student am-

bassador, as a

demonstrator

in her School

and as a men-

tor, supporting

prospective and new fellow stu-

dents.

The interview panel members

were extremely impressed with

Jaimie’s drive and determina-

tion both to succeed in her cho-

sen area of study, but also to

make the most of every oppor-

tunity at Keele.

Her Director of Studies has

said that Jaimie has made an

“excellent contribution to citi-

zenship”.

Ima

ge cre

dit: K

eele

Un

iversity

Ima

ge c

red

it:

Keele

Un

ivers

ity

Winner of

the Neil and

Gina Smith

Student of

the Year

Award.