Lucy

"I’ve worked at Goldsmiths for a few years and I’ve always loved the energy and creativity of the university. I’d been thinking about doing a masters for a while and having already met several people from the English department in meetings as part of my day job, I knew the staff were friendly and welcoming. They haven’t disappointed.

Before I started I was nervous about getting back into education after several years out of academia, but everyone has been really supportive. The lecturers are always happy to talk, and the department runs seminars throughout the year on subjects like research methods and structuring essays. These have been a great way to remind myself about the expectations of academia and to prepare myself for the jump from undergraduate to postgraduate study.

I was also worried about the workload, especially as I’m working full-time, but I’ve found that as long as I use my weekends effectively I can get all the reading done on time. As a part-time student I’ve only been studying one module a term which means I can really immersive myself in it.

The core module on my course was brilliant - it forced me to read texts I’d been meaning to read for years, and to engage with a variety of different literary themes. It gave me a great overview of modern literature and was the perfect way to ease myself back into higher education.

The optional modules are extremely varied and include subjects like American literature, translation and photography, so everyone’s degree can be tailored to their particular interests. I’ve deliberately chosen modules on subjects I’ve never studied before, so that I can benefit from as much of the department’s expertise, and widen my own knowledge base, as much as possible."