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UoN School of English

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The Relationship between Media and Gender in the Modern World

As I check my phone, turn on the TV or even subconsciously glance at the magazines near the Tesco checkout, the glaring links between media and gender jump out. This may not even be noticeable to some anymore, but the stereotypes and ideals associated with gender are often a key avenue in media. The problem …

Coping With Your New “Adult” Life: How to Combat Feeling Overwhelmed

You’ve recently become an adult; you’ve arrived at university and living alone for the first time. What do you do? Of course, the initial week it’s exciting, you’re going to be socialising and exploring and not really thinking about much else. You might have started to get the knack of cooking by the end of …

Me and My Other Life as an Online Conscience

I can’t remember the last time I left the house without my phone. Hell, even leaving a room without it leaves me feeling like I’m missing a limb. Because why would I live in the moment when I could live through the moments of other people? More interesting people. Flicking through stories and posts and …

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Learning to read… and re-read

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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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From going to Open Days to wearing that bright blue shirt yourself

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. …

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Oppenheimer and The Waste Land

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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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