For people making their CAO choices around now, God love ya – I’m sure your head is melted. I prepared a 20-page dossier and accompanying PowerPoint for my guidance counsellor, trying to rationalise why I wanted to do the courses I did – with hindsight, it was overkill.

But I do think it’s a big decision to make, so do take the time to think about it. Email faculty at the places you’re interested in going to, talk to anyone you know who might be at that HEI. At the very least, check if there’s a good pub nearby!

Don’t go somewhere just because your mates are going – do the thing that makes your heart sing. If it goes wrong, well, you tried. That’s all you can do. I chose English and History as my undergraduate, because I thought they would be a broad combination.

The university was a great supporter of my artistic pursuits throughout my degree. But it wasn’t an easy experience by any means: a new city, coming out, making friends, and adapting to the expectations of university. There were days where I’d skip lectures because I felt too stupid, too unsophisticated to be there. But once I gave myself the chance to succeed, I got to know my lecturers, who were very encouraging.

Then I fell into student media and sport and found my tribe there, so a lot of good came from that time.

A year later, after taking a moment to breathe (see: save money), I signed up for a MA in Journalism & Digital Content Creation at a Technological University. I can honestly say I never realised how much I loved learning until I did my MA.

The class sizes were small, the staff were exceptional – it was about going out into the world and doing something. I loved the practical application of the work. I loved being told “go write an article” or “I want a micro-documentary made by the end of the week”.

I think technological universities and traditional universities are more alike than either institution likes to think. Both want to help unlock your potential, but just have different priorities when it comes to doing that.

There are pros and cons to both technical and traditional universities, but both have been formative in my identity. Certainly, the practical nature of my experience in a TU, and the small class size, really made me feel seen and heard. I could learn at my own pace. When things went wrong, the attitude was “What can we do to get you over the line?” It wasn’t about you trying to meet the standard of the institution you were in, but trying to better the standard for yourself.

Read the full education special in the Hot for 2024 issue of Hot Press, out now.