The LSI Independent Sixth Form College is LSI’s dedicated university pathways centre. The college, based on our London Hampstead campus, focuses on the provision of A level courses, the standard entrance qualifications for UK universities. A levels are subject based, so international students are able to learn new subject content at the same time as acquiring the specific subject vocabulary. As the college also accepts local students, our international students benefit from studying alongside native English speakers.
To give an insight into what it’s like to study at the college, and the background and aspirations of the international students who choose to study with us, we approached our students to tell us a little about themselves.
Mushtaha’s story
Mushtaha Mahmood is Sudanese but spent most of her childhood in Dubai. All 3 of her older brothers studied A levels and then went onto university in the UK, Mushtaha plans to follow in their footsteps.
“Whilst it’s possible to do A levels in Dubai they are relatively new so I felt the best place to study was in the UK. I know from my brothers that A levels are the most recognised entry qualification for UK universities. I was looking for a college that could give me TIER 4 sponsorship and that’s how I heard about LSI. I contacted the school director, Dr. Buckley, and during a Skype meeting he was able to talk me through the visa sponsorship process. This made me feel that LSI was the right school for me.
LSI offers 2 year, 18 month and intensive 1 year A level courses and the college’s flexibility was perfect for me. My visa wasn’t in place by September, the usual starting dates for the A level courses, but I was able to join the A level courses in February last year and still cover all the course content. The A level subjects I choose to study are History, Sociology and English literature. At first I did feel a little apprehensive but as the class sizes are small I soon found my feet and the teachers are really nice. One of the great things about the school is that you get almost immediate feedback, with real pointers and practical tips on how to improve. I felt the teachers really care about how you are doing and are keen to help you achieve your best.
All in all I’ve loved my time in the college. I’ve made some great friends. We all study together but also have fun outside the school. Right now we’re doing some serious studying with the A level exams coming up in June. I am planning to go to Durham University to study Law but I feel confident that I can achieve this as I know the college will support me every step of the way. “