Student Spotlight - Laura Watt
In this week’s blog, we meet a professional Curling player who is juggling competing in the sport, alongside her studies at Perth College UHI 👇
What is your name, and where are you from?
I am Laura Watt and I’m from Auchterarder.
What course are you studying at Perth College UHI, and what year are you currently in?
I am in 1st year, studying Soft Tissue Therapy.
How did you hear about Perth College UHI?
I picked this course last minute at the end of my 6th year in school due to not being accepted into any of my choices of universities to study physiotherapy. I was feeling a bit lost with what to do and my careers advisor from school told me about this course. Then, once I applied and was accepted, it was like everything fell into place, and the course is perfect for me!
What were you doing before you came to college?
I had just finished school in May this year before starting the course in September.
Why did you decide to pick this course?
I picked the course because of how well my careers advisor talked of it. I have always wanted to do something sport-related and the balance of practical and theory suits me well.
What is your favourite thing about the course?
The course works well due to everything that you are learning in each of the different modules is put into practice during our clinical sports massage lecture. It helps you to understand the theory you’ve been learning, by putting it into practice and it brings the theory to life!
Has there been any standout/memorable moments from your course?
It’s still early in the year, but there have already been memorable moments, such as getting to practice different massage techniques. We have a three-hour long lecture specifically for clinical sports massage which everyone looks forward to each week. We are encouraged to practice at home to get used to massaging different body types which gives us experience, so I’m sure my family are enjoying me being on this course just as much as I am! Being a very visual learner, I love using skeletons to study. Having these resources makes it easier for some of us to learn.
What knowledge, skills and experience have you gained from your course that will help you when you leave Perth College UHI?
Our clinic is almost up and running for us students to get real life practice on helping patients and using their injuries to learn and we can hopefully help them. Although we haven’t started in the clinic yet, I know this experience will be valuable as we can practice massage and clinical assessment on each other, but it’s not quite as valuable as practicing on a patient who is experiencing pain.
Have your lecturers been supportive during your studies?
I couldn’t have asked for better lecturers that support me as much as they do. Besides being great with supporting me academically, they’ve also been very understanding and supportive of me being absent a lot. I have been abroad competing four times already this semester which obviously makes it tricky to be present in all of my lectures and makes my studies more difficult. I have to be proactive with my communication with the lecturers for when I will be absent, but they always prep me for what I’m going to miss, and I can always ask them out with class time for some extra help.
What do you like about the campus/facilities?
The Perth campus is great! I’m trying to make as much use of the library as possible and I’ve been able to borrow a laptop to allow me to study when I am abroad competing. It makes it much easier for me to stay on top of studying and to keep up with the rest of the class. The Starbucks near the ASW Building also helps me to get through the long days when I'm training before and after lectures!
Have you enjoyed studying at Perth College UHI? Any highlights?
I really enjoy studying in Perth. It means I am close to home and it’s a great campus to be studying on.
Outside of college, you are a successful curling player. Can you tell us a bit about how you got into this sport?
Curling is a very family orientated sport, with the majority of curlers being introduced to the game by their parents. My dad introduced my brother and I at a young age. I was always in the ice rink watching my dad play and was desperate to start as soon as I could but had to wait until I reached the age requirement of 8 to get into the Perth Junior Curling Club. From there, the coaches at Perth taught me how to curl and I've been hooked since!
You are heading to Finland for the World Junior-B Championship, congratulations! Can you tell us a bit about the championship and what it will mean to you if you win?
We head off to Finland for the World Junior B Championships on the 12th of December, which is coming up very quickly! I am over the moon to be representing Scotland for the first time and can’t wait to get started but am apprehensive with this being such a busy time of year, that we don’t have a lot of time to prepare! This championship is an important one as it allows us to qualify Scotland for the World Junior Championships in Germany in February 2023. We can only qualify Scotland if we medal, so we are definitely feeling the pressure. Despite the stakes being high, I am ecstatic to be representing Scotland for the first time. After watching my dad and brother competing for Scotland, it motivated me more to achieve that one day too and now that I have, I am really proud of myself!
What are your future career plans?
After my studies here at Perth College UHI, I'm hoping to one day open my own practice or to work for a sports team being their therapist.
And finally, what advice would you give to someone thinking about studying at Perth College UHI?
I would really encourage anyone who is thinking of studying here to do so. It really is a great Uni that throws loads of different opportunities at us, I would encourage them to take as many as they can! The Uni is really supportive and inclusive which is a great thing to be a part of.
