Rehan Shafi, just turned 17, has received an unconditional offer to study dentistry at his first choice University of Bristol, after gaining A*A*A in Maths, Biology and Chemistry at A Level, studying at our Longbridge campus (Bournville College).
Rehan started his A Levels with South & City College at the tender age of 14, two years before most students start their A Levels.
His family moved from Slough in Berkshire back to Birmingham in 2017 and he was home schooled with his older sister, following the same curriculum whilst being on a waiting list with schools in the area. Rehan sat his GCSEs at the same time as his sister and did very well.
Despite applying to many 6th forms across the city, South & City College Longbridge campus (Bournville College) was the only place that accepted this bright young man as a student.
As a 9 or 10 year old, Rehan had thoughts of becoming an astronaut or footballer, the usual aspirations of a youngster, but he concentrated on school work to do the best he possibly could and leave future plans to develop as time went on.
His dream of working in healthcare didn’t start to materialise until he started his A Levels, after watching a documentary on TV. As he wanted a career that was more hands-on, Rehan chose to study dentistry rather than becoming a GP doctor.
Rehan looks back at his time with Bournville College fondly, saying “It was a really positive experience. Despite being at least two years younger than my classmates, I was treated the same. The teachers were excellent, really supportive and motivated me to reach my full potential. I really have nothing but praise and gratitude for college staff.”
When asked what advice he would give other students, Rehan said, “You are the only person holding yourself back. Don’t fall behind, stay on top of work. You can achieve anything you put your mind to. Just go for it and do what you need to do to succeed!”
We wish Rehan much success at University of Bristol and we’re sure he will make an excellent dentist. We hope that he will come back to talk to students following in his footsteps over the coming years.
Want to study at A Level with us? We have plenty of subjects to choose from to suit varied interests https://www.sccb.ac.uk/courses/a-levels