Britta Gustavson
Britta is from Canada and received a Rowland Scholarship. She studied for her Master's in Brain Sciences at UCL.
I received a number of rejections from medical schools over the course of the two years before applying to Goodenough. I had been left feeling as though, despite my persistent efforts, I was not doing anything valuable. While this now seems both incorrect and severe, it was how I felt nonetheless.
The scholarship has had enormous practical value to me, by making it possible to live at the College, but it was the psychological effect that has perhaps been the most valuable. In what was likely not an intended outcome, receiving the scholarship has given me a renewed sense that I am doing something worthwhile with my studies.
From my experience receiving a scholarship and living at Goodenough, I could not encourage donors more to support the College. Making Goodenough accessible and promoting students is of such value. With the stress that inevitably accompanies any sort of postgraduate degree, it is such a wonderful thing to not have to worry so much about finances. There are so many other things to enjoy about being a student and so many opportunities, especially in the context of Goodenough.