Student success stories
The media often want real life examples to support a story so it is useful to build up a bank of student success stories that can be used to illustrate both news and feature articles. Student success stories can also be used to add human interest to publications (see Greater Manchester example below) and to demonstrate the success of Aimhigher activities.
Usually by student success stories, we mean examples of young people from the Aimhigher target cohort who have applied to HE, are participating in HE, or have recently obtained an HE qualification. It is worthwhile gathering a diverse range of case studies to help engage with specific audiences and remove some of the myths associated with higher education. Also, the media may often want to feature an individual from a particular background and you may often only be able to use each case study once in a particular publication.
Partnerships use a range of approaches to gather case studies. For example:
• HE students participating in mentoring schemes often have strong success stories to tell
• Tracking the progress of participants of Aimhigher activities such as summer schools and masterclasses can be a good source of success stories
• Partner organisations may be able to share specific examples such as students with disabilities or apprentices
• Aimhigher South Yorkshire has attended over 30 graduation ceremonies in the area to interview graduates about their backgrounds, why they decided to stay in education and what benefits they have gained from doing so. This has generated a bank of worthwhile role models.
Remember that you must always get specific permission from an individual to use their story in any type of publicity - an example case study consent form is included below. Let them see a written draft of the information you plan to use and provide details of what you plan to use it for - in a specific publication, at an event or with the local media - and when. Never include people’s addresses or contact details, simply refer to the institution they are studying at or the area they are from. If you are planning to use a photograph to support the story then make sure you follow the photography guidance elsewhere in the pack.
If you want to re-use a story after a period of time it is always worth contacting the case study again to check that their circumstances have not changed and that they are still happy for the information to be used.
Greater Manchester newsletter - case studies special (867KB)
Usually by student success stories, we mean examples of young people from the Aimhigher target cohort who have applied to HE, are participating in HE, or have recently obtained an HE qualification. It is worthwhile gathering a diverse range of case studies to help engage with specific audiences and remove some of the myths associated with higher education. Also, the media may often want to feature an individual from a particular background and you may often only be able to use each case study once in a particular publication.
Partnerships use a range of approaches to gather case studies. For example:
• HE students participating in mentoring schemes often have strong success stories to tell
• Tracking the progress of participants of Aimhigher activities such as summer schools and masterclasses can be a good source of success stories
• Partner organisations may be able to share specific examples such as students with disabilities or apprentices
• Aimhigher South Yorkshire has attended over 30 graduation ceremonies in the area to interview graduates about their backgrounds, why they decided to stay in education and what benefits they have gained from doing so. This has generated a bank of worthwhile role models.
Remember that you must always get specific permission from an individual to use their story in any type of publicity - an example case study consent form is included below. Let them see a written draft of the information you plan to use and provide details of what you plan to use it for - in a specific publication, at an event or with the local media - and when. Never include people’s addresses or contact details, simply refer to the institution they are studying at or the area they are from. If you are planning to use a photograph to support the story then make sure you follow the photography guidance elsewhere in the pack.
If you want to re-use a story after a period of time it is always worth contacting the case study again to check that their circumstances have not changed and that they are still happy for the information to be used.
Greater Manchester newsletter - case studies special (867KB)
