Francesca, Liberal Arts student
"I had never done media before and now it’s going to form the biggest part of my degree!"
Why did you choose to study Liberal Arts?
"I did IB (International Baccalaureate) during sixth form, so I chose six different subjects instead of the traditional three.
I didn’t really know what I wanted to do at university. It’s the breadth that drew me to liberal arts to begin with. I liked the fact that you could switch your subjects each year and test out different modules in first year.
I decided to do media, which isn’t something that I could do in my sixth form, so doing liberal arts allowed me to test that out. I’ve really enjoyed it, so I’ve taken it onto second year and am planning on doing it in third as well."
Which subjects did you choose to focus on and why?
"In first year, I did Spanish, media, and film and television. I thought media and film went together, and the modules that I chose looked really interesting. Spanish I’d really enjoyed in sixth form and I wanted to keep that up alongside the media. It wasn’t something I was thinking of doing after university, but something I wanted to keep my skills in.
This year, I’ve decided not to do film. I’m just doing Spanish and media. You can specialise a bit more as you go through or keep it broad. I decided I was enjoying media a lot more than the film side, so I decided to carry on with that."
Did you choose subjects you know you like, or try some new ones?
After university I was thinking of going into fashion marketing. I’m trying to choose modules that compliment that, so I went for media ones and ended up really enjoying it.
"I decided to do media to try and do something different at uni. I’m actually really enjoying it – they’re my favourite modules."
What are the main skills you’ve gained so far?
"Definitely reading and researching. Especially with media, there’s a lot of essays and research that you’ve got to do. Then there’s critical thinking and analysis, so developing those skills. I’ve really improved on that.
With Spanish there’s communication. It’s not only language skills, you have to articulate yourself and we do debates about real-world topics. Even though it’s in a different language, it’s still your own ideas and presenting yourself to other people."
Any staff shout-outs?
"Ross Wilson is always really good if you have any issues. To be honest, all of the liberal arts team are always there to help you with formulating your essay titles. As liberal arts is quite subjective, you just get given a pointer or overall umbrella of what your essay should be and then you investigate something that you want to do within it.
It can seem a bit daunting, but the staff are always helpful at steering you in the right direction. Because I’ve said I want to do fashion, they’re really helpful at tailoring my essay titles towards that sort of area. The support is there, 100%"
What’s been your favourite module?
"One specific module this year has been 'Memory, Media and Visual Culture'. We’re looking into specific case studies and how they’ve been mediated.
I wrote my recent essay on Madeleine McCann and how different aspects of personal and collective memory has been mediated, which is really interesting.
You can tailor the module to your specific interests and choose your own case study. It’s applicable to current world events – you could choose something more recent."
Are you part of any extra-curricular activities or societies?
"I’m part of Impact magazine. Last year I was writing for the style section, then I applied to be the Style Editor for this year, so that’s what I’m doing at the moment. Last year I was part of the photoshoot for one of the magazine editions. We did it on sustainability, so we went into town and did photoshoots in the vintage shops, which was really fun.
Because I want to go into fashion, I'm trying to do other things alongside my degree, so that’s why I decided to take the position."
Do you know what career you’d like to go into yet?
"Ideally fashion marketing or social media, something in that kind of realm. It’s a hard sector to get into, so I’m trying to do as much as I can outside my degree. I’m doing a placement next year as part of the year in industry, which you can do on this course. I’m doing that at MNC in London, it’s a marketing company.
With liberal arts assessments, I’ve tailored them all towards fashion. It has really helped.
What does ‘success’ look like to you?
"For me it’s feeling satisfied in what you’re doing. And having time to enjoy yourself as well. It’s a balance."
Any advice for students considering a Liberal Arts degree?
"In first year, definitely just choose modules that you’re interested in, even if you don’t have a plan for what you want to do after uni. I had never done media before and now it’s going to form the biggest part of my degree!"
Also, joining societies is really important. I’ve made a lot of friends outside of my course through that. It’s a really good way to expand your friendship groups, especially in first year."
Go further
Find out more about studying Liberal Arts