Learning to read… and re-read
December 11, 2023
Reflecting on my time as an English student, a large part of my enjoyment has come from exposure to an array of diverse literature. From Old English elegies, to gothic comics, to creative writing, I’ve certainly not been short on options. But accompanying this range was a feeling of ‘switching brains’ to fully engage with …
Intern Insights: My Journey as a Copywriter and Digital Marketer
December 4, 2023
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
November 8, 2023
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 …
From going to Open Days to wearing that bright blue shirt yourself
October 19, 2023
When I came to my Open Day for Nottingham back in 2019, I remember sitting in Trent Café with my dad, who asked me, ‘Can you imagine yourself studying and living here?’. That is now the question I ask every prospective student I talk to while working for the School of English on Open Days. …
Oppenheimer and The Waste Land
October 10, 2023
Early on in Christopher Nolan’s 2023 film Oppenheimer, there is a whirlwind montage of the young J. Robert Oppenheimer imagining phenomena within quantum physics. We see visions of the universe, atoms and waveforms intercut with shots of Oppenheimer surrounded by art, history, and monumental architecture. It is a kaleidoscopic composition signifying the turbulence of the …
The pressure to have ‘The University Experience’
October 4, 2023
‘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
July 31, 2023
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
July 19, 2023
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
July 5, 2023
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 …
How working on the ‘Plants & Prayers’ exhibition gave me post-uni clarity
June 26, 2023
As someone studying a non-vocational degree (BA History of Art and English), I am often inundated with questions about what I plan to do when I graduate. What people expect to hear is ‘teaching’ or ‘journalism’ or, as my parents probably hope, ‘a PGDL course’ so I can follow in the footsteps of my hotshot …
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