Our hugely popular Higher Education & Careers Expo took place on the Friday before half term where students from Edinburgh High Schools joined our Lower Sixth Form students and their parents to explore and consider Higher Education and career options.

The day started with a welcome by The Head, Mrs Helen Harrison, who also  introduced the opening session – a conversation with young entrepreneurs and Old Fettesians, Mark Bushby (Mo 2013-2018) and Nicole Stark (Da 2018-2020), chaired by Miss Victoria Chandler, Head of Sixth Form.  Both spoke about how they chose their university courses, where their careers have gone so far, and what they considered where key drivers?  Whilst at Bristol University Mark was able to create a sports club management platform that went on to reach the top 100 sports apps in the UK, scaling to 35 universities.  He developed opportunities to develop and share ideas and learnt how to seek financial support, gaining critical business and commercial acumen and is now the BizOps lead for The Modern Milkman one of Europe’s leading grocery delivery ‘scale-ups’.  Nicole uses social media and digital platforms to run her vintage clothes business, Glownic. She is in her final year at the University of Edinburgh and has managed her time wisely along with her studies.  She has brought her brand to Oxford Street in London and her digital content has caught the attention of the media including CNN.

Jack O’Toole, Student Recruitment Manager from the University of Newcastle gave a very useful talk on ‘Choosing your Course in Higher Education’, covering the range of things students need to think about when considering Higher Education: location; course; teaching style; accommodation; lifestyle and finance. 

The Higher Education & Careers Fair offered students and their parents the opportunity to speak to representatives from 24 UK universities, 5 international universities, 7 gap year organisations and 2 employers who offer apprenticeships.  We were also joined by 40 industry experts from our supportive alumni and parent community.  Experts represented a huge range of career areas from technology to medicine and international development to product design.  Students also had the option to join specialists talks on ‘Considering an International University’ and ‘Considering Oxbridge’.

The closing session was led by Mike Nicholson, Director of Recruitment, Admissions & Participation at the University of Cambridge, who explained how to make university application competitive, emphasising the need for relevance, accuracy, authenticity and relevant life experience.  As an expert in University Admissions, Mike used case studies to explain the competitive landscape of the UCAS form  and the importance of getting a quality application in before a university deadline.

Mrs Caroline Davies, Head of Higher Education & Careers says ‘’At this important juncture in young peoples’ lives it is key to begin a serious exploration of all the possibilities beyond school.  I was delighted that we were able to bring together Higher Education institutions, Employers, Gap Organisations and Experts to support the 300 students in attendance, not just from Fettes College but also from local Edinburgh High Schools. I hope that the day was a hugely valuable experience for all who were able to join us as they begin their Higher Education journey.’’