Maisie's Story
Please be aware this blog contains potentially distressing topics including eating disorders.
Hi, I’m Maisie, a fourth and final year student at the University of Birmingham. It feels strange to say that, because it honestly feels like I was moving into my first year flat in Mason on the Vale just yesterday. I’m originally from Cardiff and joined the University in 2022 to study BSc Business Management with Marketing.
At school
At school, I was never completely sure where I saw my future career heading. I remember considering a degree in law, but that was quickly overshadowed by my love for the business world and a growing fascination with marketing, shaped by my business studies classes and various careers talks. Having always been very academic, my hopes before starting university were largely focused on achieving high grades and doing the best I could in coursework and exams. While those ambitions remained important, I soon realised that university had so much more to offer beyond education alone.
I was quite shy at school, and I’ll admit I was slightly nervous about the social side of university. There’s often a perception that university life revolves around going out all the time, which worried me. I’m a friendly and chatty person, and I enjoy a good night out, but I also value quieter moments and balance. Very quickly, I realised how wrong that perception was as the University of Birmingham offers such a wide range of social opportunities, and I’ve been able to get involved in things that genuinely suited me, including the Marketing Society, benchball and badminton. I’ve met some incredible people along the way including peers, academics and friends who have shaped my experience in ways I never expected.
My journey to UoB
My journey to Birmingham wasn’t straightforward. Despite being academically driven my whole life, my A-levels were disrupted when I was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, a serious eating disorder and mental health condition. At the beginning of my A-levels, I was placed on bed rest and unable to attend school. This completely knocked my confidence. Due to my condition, I struggled to concentrate, missed most of the academic year, and lost belief in myself. As my peers began discussing their university plans, I felt upset and left behind, convinced that university was no longer achievable for me.
However slowly, things began to improve. After a tough few months, the summer arrived and I was allowed off bed rest, and something shifted in my mind as I saw my peers making decisions about their next steps. I decided to apply to university, even though I still doubted myself. I applied to the University of Birmingham because of its strong reputation for business and the positive experiences I’d heard from students. When I attended my offer holder day, I fell in love with the beautiful campus and facilities, but I still didn’t believe I would achieve the grades. I however worked incredibly hard in my second year of A-levels, and to my own surprise, I achieved A*A*A*. After two extremely tough years, I secured my place at Birmingham. While I wasn’t fully recovered, it felt like a fresh start and the beginning of a new chapter, and it truly was.
How I've grown
My time at the University of Birmingham has changed me forever. I’ve grown academically, professionally, and personally. I completed an industrial placement year working in marketing, which developed my technical skills and confidence. Alongside this, I’ve worked as a Student Ambassador and Student Content Shaper, taking on opportunities I never would have imagined myself doing years ago including public speaking and panel events. Looking back at the version of myself whose illness made her consider dropping out of school at 17, I feel incredibly proud. On paper, these achievements may seem small, but to me they represent how far I’ve come. If I could go back, I’d tell my 17-year-old self that everything would be okay.
For anyone considering university and doubting their capabilities, as someone who once felt the same, it really does get better. “Tough times never last, but tough people do” - Dr. Robert H. Schuller
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