“Use all the help there is available to you – so speak to your personal tutor and visit your lecturers in their consultation hours.”
Claire Allen
Course: BA Geography (third year)
“Initially, the things that attracted me to the University were its excellent academic reputation and the option to study abroad as part of the Universitas 21 scheme. Also, you can take subsidiary modules outside of the discipline to maintain your interest in other subjects or learn a language. The fact that Nottingham is a campus university within an amazing city was a big draw too.
When I looked at the course, I was drawn to its flexibility and the fact I wouldn’t have to commit to either human or physical geography too soon as there’s a broad first year followed by more specialisation in years two and three. Since coming here, I’ve found the School to be really wellequipped. Having our own computer suite is invaluable and the Edwards Resource Centre is great for studying and accessing reading materials.
I’ve particularly enjoyed discovering new parts of my
subject; things that I never would have thought I’d be
studying have come to be central to what I now consider
to be geography.
My two favourite modules are European Urban Geography, and Fashion and Food, which are both third-year modules. In the former, we’ve learned about the urban landscape of Paris and visited it on a field course.
Fashion and Food is interesting because it makes you question where things come from. As a geographer it’s important to have a contentious attitude to what you buy. Tracing your jeans or what you had for dinner back to where its components derive from can be a scary process but it’s something that is vital to remember in today’s globalized world.
I think my degree has definitely helped me become more articulate. I’m much less likely to take things at face value now and am more analytical. I also studied in Melbourne for the autumn semester of my second year, which was one of the best things I’ve ever done.”