Sam Wiener

A young history buff from Cardiff has secured his spot to study the subject at a one of the UK’s top universities after achieving top level grades in his A levels.

Coleg y Cymoedd learner Sam Wiener, 18, from Cardiff, is set to study history at Warwick this September after landing 3A*s and a B in his History, English literature, Drama and Psychology A levels respectively.

Ranked one of the top 10 universities in the UK according to the 2022 Times Higher Education rankings and sitting within the top 10 to study history, Warwick University was Sam’s first choice.

While he is not yet sure what career route he wants to take, Sam who has had a passion for history for as long as he can remember, is excited to develop his learning further and see where the course will take him in the future.

Sam said: “I’m not sure what I’ll do career wise after university, but I think that’s okay. I feel like there’s a lot of pressure to know exactly what you want to do and to have your career planned out early, but that’s not always realistic.

“I’m looking forward to studying and developing my knowledge in something I’m truly passionate about.  The rest I can figure out along the way – I find that really exciting.”

An avid reader since he was young, Sam has a love for academic literature and is particularly interested in societal and cultural history, which inspired him to choose his A level subjects.

“I have such a love for learning, and with history, there is no ceiling as to how much you can learn – there are still so many things we don’t know. I feel like all my A level subjects have the overlapping theme of understanding people, society and how we have got to where we are today.  I love the analysis element where you can practise independent thinking.”

The course at Warwick University covers a diverse range of international history, from Middle Eastern and Eastern Eurasian to African American cultural history. Sam is excited to delve deeper into his passion for human behaviour and historical change from around the globe.

The course also offers the opportunity to spend a year studying abroad in locations like Hong Kong and Venice, which Sam is interested in exploring.

For Sam, studying for his A levels over the course of the pandemic has been tough, but he attributes his success to the ongoing support of the college.

Discussing this, he said: “The support I’ve had from Coleg y Cymoedd has been amazing. The college has offered a lot of additional learning support and tutors have been really easily approachable, which has made the process seem less daunting. The college made it clear that they were there for me throughout my A levels, and they held up on that promise.”