From Pathways to PhD: Connor Cameron’s Journey with USP College
- Posted 06 Mar 2025
At USP College, we take great pride in the success of our students. Alumnus Connor Cameron’s journey is one that truly embodies the spirit of USP.
Having studied at USP College for five years, not only did Connor achieve outstanding academic results, but he also developed the confidence and skills needed to pursue his ultimate goal of being an academic researcher. Having recently submitted his PhD application, Connor has caught up with us to reflect on how USP College played a fundamental role in his journey.
Connor started his USP journey on our Pathways Programme, designed for young people who would benefit from a more supported learning environment. Connor said the team of teachers and learning support assistants on the Pathways Programme introduced him to a new, friendly, way of learning that consisted of “empathy” and “self-acceptance”, allowing him to work at his own pace and “be who I am without fear of judgment or discrimination.”
Connor soon progressed onto Level 1 Sport. Connor looks back on this time fondly, saying his teacher, Paul, “greatly understood the importance of introducing me to a mainstream environment in a friendly, non-judgmental manner. For me, this was essential because I was incredibly nervous about entering a mainstream environment, especially as an autistic person.” During this time, he also studied GCSE English. Reflecting on his time studying GCSE English at USP, Connor says that his English teacher, Jill, played a significant role in helping him to “write confidently and competently" because she "was a master at conveying how I could improve; she knew what worked for me and what did not."
After Connor's first year in mainstream education, he began his journey to achieving Distinction across all levels of BTEC Sport.
Connor went on to study Level 2 Sport and Level 3 Sport and Exercise Science, leaving the college with a final grade of D*D*D* – the highest grade achievable on a BTEC course. These grades secured Connor an academic scholarship for his Undergraduate degree in Psychology. Connor says his time studying Sport with the college improved his critical thinking skills and set him up well for university; “I am thankful to the staff in the Sports department, especially Steve and Luke, who pushed me academically by providing an intellectually stimulating environment that consisted of challenging yet rewarding assignments that helped me to best prepare for university as a person and aspiring academic.”
While studying Level 3 Sport and Exercise Science, Connor was given access to university-level resources which enabled him to improve his academic writing and ability to identify research methodology limitations, which helped him get to where he is now.
Since leaving us, Connor has gone on to achieve a First-Class Honours degree in Psychology at the University of Kent, a Distinction in his Master's degree in Applied Clinical Psychology at the University of Bath - where he was awarded both the Snowdon Trust Master's Scholarship and the Global Leader's Scholarship - and has submitted his PhD Application, hoping to research autism further in the context of the criminal justice system. Connor cites the support he received from the college as essential in his educational journey "USP College played a fundamental yet pivotal role in helping me develop the interpersonal and analytical skills to succeed at college and subsequently go to university."
