Meet Louise Fligman, a BA (Hons) English student at Queen Mary. Here's her story...
The variety of modules on offer on my course is fantastic. If Shakespeare is your passion, you can study it. If you love medieval texts (like I do), you can study them. Or, if you prefer more contemporary novels, you can study them. There is something at Queen Mary for everyone.
I have loved being able to get involved in the student media outlets, CUB Magazine and The Print. Not only have these allowed me to develop transferable skills for my time after uni, but they have put me in touch with some wonderful people. There is such a friendly and communal feel amongst the team members of both publications, and I will really miss being a part of these teams.
Another highlight for me was the social badminton sessions I attended in my second and third years. They were brilliant because I was able to pursue a sport I loved, have some great matches, and meet some lovely people who I hope to stay in contact with beyond my time at Queen Mary.
I have studied a variety of literature, which has broadened my reading tastes and that leaves the field very open in terms of publishing jobs that I can (and would like to) apply for. Some publishing jobs are for specific genres of novels, and I feel that I am in a good position to apply for them because of my course.
My course has improved my confidence in suggesting ideas in seminars, which were “safe spaces” in which no idea or perspective was wrong, and no question was irrelevant or deemed stupid. In addition, my course has enhanced my public speaking skills as I had to articulate my thoughts in a clear manner, and some assignments were presentations or leading seminars.
I’m a total bookworm who’s friendly, organised, and loves compelling TV shows
Getting involved with the student media outlets CUB Magazine and The Print have been thoroughly enjoyable. They were run by some fantastic editors who were very friendly, and were always open to suggestions and new ideas for articles. There was a lovely communal feel amongst the team members of these publications, and I really felt like I was part of a little family. The social sessions of badminton were such fun! I had some really competitive matches with some great people who I hope to stay in contact with beyond my time at Queen Mary.
In the summer between my second and third years, I obtained a publishing internship, which has equipped me with invaluable experience with which to apply for publishing jobs. I was given good grounding in the end-to-end publishing process and some office admin experience, which is always useful to put on your CV.
Changing the timetable in such a way that would make one day per week available for people to pursue other interests, such as sports and society activities. Some of these events took place when students had classes, meaning they could not take part in a sports club or society activity.