Studying Sports Therapy as a mature student

BSc Sports Therapy student Adam Morton spoke to us about his journey into higher education and what it’s like to be a mature student, juggling a family and business while also pushing himself forward in his career.

Why did you choose Sports Therapy?

I lived in Thailand for about six months in 2014. After that I got probably my steadiest job, which was working in a factory. It allowed me to save for a mortgage and get some savings behind me, which was great. Unfortunately, I lost my job during the pandemic, which is when I decided to retrain to do Sports Therapy.

I think there's a lot of pressure at such a young age to do a degree and really know what career path you want to go down. I was jumping from job to job and then, in my latest role, I did a bit of travelling as well.

I've always been into sports and been active, and have even played football semi-professionally, so became interested in injuries through having injuries of my own. That led me to complete a sports massage course. At that point, I’d never really thought about university. I thought I'd just advance in sports massage and set up a business on my own. 

I realised I want to have more knowledge of what I'm doing, and I think that motivated me to apply for the Sports Therapy course, and it’s continuing to drive me through the course as well just to better my knowledge, as I can see the direct impact of my university degree when I see my own sports massage clients.

I’ve been increasingly able to help people the more I’ve learned. Keeping my business going is also helping me to finance my course to keep my home and family life ticking over.

How do you manage working and studying at the same time? 

It is intense to do it all together, but I structure my week very carefully, 9am to 8pm, Monday-Saturday to fit everything in, including my own business. I’ve been in business for over two years now so, I’m lucky to have enough regular clients that I can fit them in around my study.

Directed study and reading is hard sometimes alongside my work, but I manage it and am definitely enjoying it! I love everything to do with the body and fitness. Some of the content is very science focused, but it's still helpful and I engage. My aim is to get my registration with the Society of Sports Therapists.

How have you found being a mature student?

It’s a big thing to come back into education after over a decade away and it was definitely an adjustment. However, I was almost self-studying anyway when I was working. If someone would come to me with a particular issue, I'd research it and have a desire to help. 

All of my friends went to university at 18 and I remember trying to complete my UCAS form, going through the courses and thinking, “I don’t actually know what I want to do, so what’s the point?”. I think I’d had enough of education and needed a break.

The main challenge for me is working study around family time. I've got a daughter and a wife to consider, as well as work and university. Childcare can certainly be a struggle but that’s a wider issue than just university! 

The staff are really understanding though; I couldn’t have asked for more. My personal tutor has been particularly great. Whenever I've said, I've got certain childcare issues, he's willing to work around me and I’ve really appreciated that. My daughter actually started school the same year I started my degree, and I feel like it starts setting an example for her. She understands that daddy is going to grown-up school!

What have your learnt from your course so far?

I’m already using what I’ve learnt with my clients in practice, but I do want to explore other avenues. Just being able to talk to people who’ve been and done other things is really helpful. I’m a commuter student and perhaps older than most students, but I have still gotten to know people on my course and was quite surprised to find how mature they are.

I think I had other expectations based on what I was like at 18! There are opportunities to socialise but with a home and family life, as well as my business, my focus is really on getting my degree.

I’ve also been able to access support from the Academic Development Department to support my study skills. It was something else I was nervous about, as I had not been in a learning environment for such a long time. I wasn’t sure I knew how to write an essay anymore! Academic staff and the Library service also helped me a lot. 

Since becoming a student, I have become more motivated and I’ve gained ambition. Before, I felt like I had no clear career path and that made me lose some confidence. My course has opened up possibilities again and I feel like if I want to do things in life then I can go out and do it now. 

I’ve really had to knuckle down to get to grips with the science and found I can achieve if I put my mind to it. The practical side has been great too in a different way; it’s what I expected, and I like to meet people and get hands on learn about their injuries. I’ve also enjoyed the clinical assessments and exercise practicals.

What are your favourite things about the course? 

One of the things I like about BCU is that no-one looks down on you. I’m from a working-class background but that doesn’t matter – what matters is applying yourself, engaging with classes, taking opportunities. I guess I expect that some universities might be more aloof when it comes to communication between staff and students. 

It helps too that the course is accredited, the facilities are state-of-the-art, and the staff and knowledgeable and have previous (or sometimes current) experience working in professional sport so understand arena we want to move into. So for anyone who wants to work in professional sport, I think that their experiences will really help and guide people.