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Intern Insights: My Journey as a Copywriter and Digital Marketer

During the summer before my final year at Nottingham, I had the opportunity to work for a remote-based software recruitment company. Initially, I was full of worry; my field of ‘expertise’ was definitely in the realm of entertainment and lifestyle. How would I be able to write for a tech company when I knew scarcely …

Comparison really is the thief of joy: The dangers of comparing your university experience to others

After a long day of university seminars and lectures, you find yourself back in your dorm room, procrastinating on that looming assignment by scrolling endlessly through Instagram. As you look through curated stories and posts of your friends’ university experiences, you’re bombarded with a visual feast: endless parties, newfound friendships, perfectly decorated rooms, productive study …

The pressure to have ‘The University Experience’

‘The University Experience’ is more than just something first years use as a reason to dump their long-term secondary school girlfriends/boyfriends.  It’s a term that gets thrown around often and is commonly used to justify going clubbing when you have a paper to write or pulling all-nighters the day before your essay is due. But …

Keeping up with my contemporary reads whilst studying as an English student

Reading for pleasure can be tricky as an English student. Finding the time to balance the reading that my course prescribes me with my own personal reads is something I have often struggled with. Unfortunately, time and time again I have had to prioritise the reading for my course at the expense of the books …

Navigating University as a dual honours student

Coming to university in September, I was originally intending on taking liberal arts with a primary focus on English and history, however, I quickly realised that these two subjects as a pair were personally a better fit for me to study. History and English are luckily quite complimentary subjects meaning it made it easier to …

How MA Applied English made me a better museum professional when I least expected it

I graduated with my BA in English Studies from UoN way back in 2004; 19 years later, in 2023, I’m just about to hand in the final piece of work of my MA in Applied English, studied via Distance Learning. In my tour guide costume at the National Justice Museum The Galleries of Justice, now …

The importance of routine when living away from home

It is said it takes approximately 66 days for an individual to develop a habit that will become an effortless part of their daily routine. However, what is often overlooked is the difficulty of adhering to this extended and sometimes gruelling timeline. Establishing good habits is a fundamental aspect of personal growth and being an …

If over-thinking burned calories, I’d be a supermodel

Being in your own company 24/7 can sometimes be tiresome – especially when every thought you have, every inconvenience, every problem is on a constant loop in your mind. Even if you don’t categorise yourself as an other-thinker, there is always that one moment, embarrassing or traumatic, that has daily reruns in your mind. Unfortunately, …

Podding along: studying a distance learning MA as a mature student

It seems a lifetime ago when I was timidly embarking upon the Applied English Distance Learning MA back in 2020. I remember feeling waves of self-doubt about completing MA – after so many years away from Higher Education – questions played on repeat through my mind, haunting me with fears of not being good enough, …

How Nottingham University has changed me for the better

As a beyond anxious yet excitable 18-year old stepping into the Derby Hall courtyard back in 2020, I saw university as a sort of adult playground, where making a solid group of life-long friends and having that “unbeatable” social life clouded any academic vision I left school with. Yet, looking back on almost three years …