2020 BA(Hons) Social Sciences

Gary Peter McCutcheon

Why did you choose GCU?

For my academic interests, GCU was a no brainer. My acceptance into GCU is one of the proudest moments of my life.

How would you describe your experience at GCU?

My time at University was a formative one. I was continuously engaged in the wide range of topics I was studying. The friends I made at University also helped to make it memorable. My first few weeks were overwhelming due to the intense change from college learning to University but I didn’t give up, and now I have a degree!

What are your fondest memories of GCU?

Listening to Ben Shepherd give rousing lectures on the German war machine. Listening to the late Jo Buckle talk about Foucault. Both lecturers were great at their craft and will always be great examples of the value of our educators.

How would you describe the quality of the teaching and support you received from GCU?

Lecturers were always very supportive of students throughout my course. It was widely accepted not one student learns the same way, and their methods of teaching reflected this.

Can you tell us how you coped with the transition to online learning during the pandemic?

Thankfully my transition to online learning only happened in the last few months of my degree. I coped fine with online lectures and seminars, but as I was in my fourth year, my dissertation also required constant attention. Writing a dissertation remotely was much more difficult this way. I required some critical texts that were only available in the GCU library so this definitely has an effect on students.