It’s so refreshing being around other human beings that share the same passion as me!
NCA First year BSc Acupuncture student – Aggie Majnik.
Last summer whilst going through a rather tough time at work, I decided to eventually take a huge step and sign up to the BSc in Acupuncture at The Northern College of Acupuncture. As I knew that it was what I really wanted to become. Since signing up to the course, and now half-way through my first year, I couldn’t be happier with my decision!
I’m enjoying every moment of my time spent at the college. I have met some wonderful people both students and tutors, also I’ve made some great friendships. It’s so refreshing since Covid, being around other human beings that share the same passion as me.
The admissions process was very easy to follow, friendly, personalised and I was handheld all the way through. Our initial induction session gave me the opportunity to meet the team as well as previous students who have successfully set up their own clinics. This gave me a lot of confidence and assurance that I’ve selected the right place to pursue my degree.
Being a first year is exuberating and overwhelming. I love being in the college for practical studies. I really enjoy points classes, where we get to practice on other students. Bodywork is currently my favourite, who wouldn’t like to learn a massage technique and get to experience it at the same time by getting a free massage?!
There is of course a lot to take in. Learning Traditional Chinese Medicine, getting to know the nitty gritty of this amazing ancient culture and at the same time trying to have fun. I can only thank our tutors for being so amazing at explaining the subjects and making it exciting to study.
What has surprised me is how the college and my cohort handled differences in our backgrounds. As a Muslim woman, wearing a hijab (scarf) I thought it might be more challenging to study amongst male colleagues and tutors. There is a lot of practical work which means we need to work in groups or pairs being less modest than I am used to. Both my fellow students and tutors are mindful of that, I don’t need to worry about anything as I’m paired with other female students and a separate room to practice in is provided with a female teacher.
I’m based in London so normally I will get up really early on a Saturday and take a train from Kings Cross, which takes approximately 2 hours and then go straight to college for the 10am start. In the evening I would go to student accommodation for one night and travel back to London on Sunday evening after classes. I’m lucky as I stay in the same accommodation as two other students from my year and even better, one of them is from London, so we end up taking train together.
Rather than taking the 3-year pathway I signed up for the 4-year pathway weekend course, as I knew I would be able to fit the course around all of my other commitments. It means I can still work full time and go up to York every couple of weeks. During the week, when our e-learning sessions are available, I can choose to complete it in one evening or spread it across the week without rushing. I find that this level of flexibility works well around my family and work life balance.
I’m so pleased that I took the huge step to study acupuncture at the NCA and follow my passion, I can’t wait to find out what my future career will bring!