Starting your course is exciting, but there's lots to think about.
This is probably the first time you've experienced choosing modules. Or you might be worried about keeping up, if you haven't studied your subject before.
Our students share their experiences below.
"It’s important to choose modules that are a bit out of your comfort zone. I chose 'Language Development' which is very kind of 'science-y', and normally science is not my strong point at all. But I thought it’s important to know all the sides of English."
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"When choosing my modules for fourth year, I decided to go with what my strengths were. I knew that I was better at the literature and culture side of the course, so it was more of a strategic 'What can I get the best grades in, but also enjoy at the same time?'."
"I chose things that sounded engaging and unique. Reading all the module descriptions and thinking ‘Is it similar to something I’ve done before? Is it going to teach me something new?’, I remember that being a fun way of choosing."
"I wanted to do the most 'out there' subjects I could, so thought archaeology, why not? I’ve done alright in my assessments and I’m quite happy with that. At the beginning there were really complex new things, like the OxCal archaeology dating software we have to use. But the lecturers do explain it for beginners."
"When I started learning Russian, I was a total beginner. Learning Russian has definitely been one of the hardest challenges that I have ever undertaken. However, I think that the most rewarding thing about learning a language is seeing the progress that I have made in such a short space of time."
"I didn’t even do media studies at A level. I saw 'Film and Television Studies' as part of a joint honours degree and thought it sounded quite interesting. I looked at all the modules and thought 'I could easily pick three years of fun, interesting modules from this."
"For philosophy, they want you to think and write and reference in one way, and in theology it was completely different. Every time you had to write an essay, you had to get into the mindset of that particular project. That’s been helpful as I can switch between audiences, change my writing style and be flexible."
"The extracurricular opportunities at Nottingham were so important for me. I worked on Impact (the student magazine) and worked my way up from being a writer to editing the whole thing. I learned so much, not just systems like InDesign, but also how to edit, how to write, how to put things together, how to manage contributors."
"The ability to read anything, to write clearly, and to form cohesive arguments is a really powerful skill, and I need to do those things all the time. The vast majority of my work world is spent talking to people, sending emails, communicating. I have found that as I grow and mature my background in Philosophy serves me more and more."
University of NottinghamUniversity Park Nottingham, NG7 2RD
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