A love for literature and a passion for storytelling

Each year, the Faculty of Arts provides Alumni Scholarship Awards to undergraduate students, easing financial burdens and allowing them to fully engage in their studies.

For Jodie, this scholarship has provided her the freedom to embrace every opportunity university life has to offer.

What brought you to the university?

“I live in Cambridge with my parents and despite having six siblings, I currently only live with my two sisters. I am the second person in my family to go to university. My dad used to be a plasterer but is now a carer and my mum is unemployed. I am considered to be a Young Carer as my mum and four of my siblings have a rare illness.

“I did very well in my GCSEs and was accepted to Hills Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge, where I did Combined English, Film Studies and Sociology. My Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) enabled me to write my first book, a feminist portrayal of the story of Medusa, from which I received the full 60/60 marks. At the end of Hills Road, I achieved A* A* B in my A Levels, with an A* in EPQ.

“My true love for the subject started in Secondary school, where I had a wonderful teacher who not only introduced me to Gothic writing, but also gave me book recommendations that improved my reading and allowed me to enjoy English.

“By the time I had moved on from Secondary school, I was confident in my love for English but more specifically, my interest in dystopia and utopian novels. This was only amplified by studying sociology, which opened a whole new world of concepts and ideas that I not only resonated with but was passionate about. My sociology class was great at debating, enabling me to make connections between sociology and English, reading several books such as 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale. This was why I was certain I wanted to do an English degree.”

Why did you choose Nottingham?

“The second I came to the open day at Nottingham, I fell in love. The greenery and overall environment, as well as its location outside the main city centre, was absolutely perfect for me. Its beautiful appearance reminded me of home a lot as well. I did research into the University of Nottingham after getting accepted into all five of my universities to confirm it as my top choice.”
 

Campus life

“Since starting university, I have been overwhelmed by how exciting and new it all is! It is very fast-paced and active, and I feel like for the first time I can properly indulge in English as a subject. Living in Broadgate Park, close to the campus, has been a wonderful experience. Between having great flatmates who are rapidly becoming close friends and the on-site events, I never feel overcome by loneliness or trapped in my room.

“My lecturers are all very nice people, but more importantly, extremely funny, and they open up space for debates in seminars often, allowing my voice to be heard. Creative writing has taught me a lot on how to refine my skills, so much so I am writing a new book!”

Favourite module

“The English with Creative Writing degree had so many different modules in the first year, some of which I never would've chosen. Drama, for one, was a surprising topic we have to cover, but I was so excited because my experience with film directing and scriptwriting meant I felt comfortable leading a group project of a play.

“Language, for another, though scientific, had always interested me, and Sociolinguistics linked to sociology, allowing me to develop my knowledge in that subject. I always like figuring out why something happens, and Language is a subject about that. Furthermore, Nottingham is one of the UNESCO Cities of Literature, so I knew it would have a lot of opportunities waiting for me.”

How the scholarship has helped

“When I found out about this scholarship, I was instantly relieved and applied, knowing it would allow my university experience to be financially stable, something that I had never experienced before. Upon being accepted, I was utterly gratified, the knowledge that I didn't have to stress about money and could focus on my degree and passion solidifying university as an option for me."