"I have always been interested in the power of education and teaching as my mother is a professor, but I wasn't sure I wanted to teach. I wanted a degree that allowed me to explore all my options so that I could make the right career move for me."
Angelos Metaxas chose to study at the University of Reading after visiting universities in the UK.
"I had the opportunity to visit numerous universities but Reading stood out. The town itself is so warm and away from the stress of big cities such as London. At the same time, it is very close to London."
Angelos loved the atmosphere on campus.
"London Road Campus, where the Institute of Education is based is so calm, beautiful and easy to navigate. It is also closer to downtown Reading. I was very impressed with the Whiteknights campus too, the library and the plethora of services that it offered. Even more appealing was the fact the University has a multicultural student body."
When looking into courses, what stood out about Education Studies was the versatility of the course.
" Most of the other courses focused solely on teaching, however Education Studies looks into theories including sustainability, diversity and inclusive education, and many more."
Angelos found his placements were extremely helpful in showcasing how theory can be put into practice. He chose to do his first placement at a religious primary school.
"What was particularly interesting about that school was the way that it embraced the multicultural student body along with the different religions and customs that each student had. This placement also enabled me to observe the work of primary educators and teaching assistants, and really understand how the theories learned on the course translated into a real life classroom scenario."
This placement showcased the vast professions related to education beyond teaching.
Overall, Angelos particularly enjoyed learning about educational psychology, as well as special educational needs and found the classes on multilingualism especially relevant.
" Growing up in a Greek speaking country, from a young age I began lessons on the English language. It was interesting looking back on how I was taught in retrospect and realizing the methods that teachers used in order to teach me. This has inspired me to think more seriously about pursuing a teaching career in the future."