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Thursday 23 August 2012

BA (Hons) English Literature and Creative Writing

Cherie
At age 25, I wasn’t quite ready to be defined as a mature student. However, when applying for University at that age that is exactly what you are. University of Greenwich handled mature students incredibly well at their Open days and it didn’t matter to them that you weren’t fresh out of College or ready and waiting with you’re A level results on hand. They just cared that you wanted to learn and that you were contemplating their institution to do it in. I’d had a bit of a choppy educational life up until that point; never satisfied and with a hundred and one career choices spreading out ahead of me. The one thing I knew for sure, however, was that I wanted to write. I’ve always wanted to write but I wasn’t sure in what field.

The perfect choice seemed to be in the University of Greenwich’s combined choices. They do a wonderful choice of courses and information on combined courses and how they work was on hand when I attended the open day. English Literature and Creative Writing. As soon as those words jumped out of the page, I spoke to Programme Leaders from both courses and instantly knew what I wanted; to attend the English Literature and Creative Writing combined course at the University of Greenwich.
Now, two years later, here I am. I’m a little sad it’s moving so quickly. The lecturers for both courses all have a wide knowledge base of their subjects and they are always on hand to listen and advise. The classes themselves are extremely interesting; I’ve studied everything from poetry and prose to screen writing and Shakespeare. The lectures have allowed me to soak up the information and give me a starting point with my research while the seminars are great for stirring up debates and sharing observations about novels and scripts alike. For Creative Writing, the workshops are always dramatic and diverse. People write differently; the things you are likely to hear, and to write yourself, are going to be eye-opening and enjoyable. I’ve spent many a lesson cursing people for their writing and wondering how I could ever be as good.
Come second year, the tutors were taking a step back and you learn to master the skills you hone in the first year. Now you’re writing longer scripts, more meaningful short stories and delving into the world of romanticism, and writing from different eras. It can be a little overwhelming at times, especially when you have a lot of books to get through in a short amount of time, or your assignments crop up and up until they overwhelm you. Still, I wouldn’t give up my time here for anything. First year was amazing; I made friends quickly from a variety of classes throughout the writing courses.
There are also great chances to expand your horizons on this course with trips out to different places of interest. We’ve spent a day at museums in London, writing on the fly about different things around you and then, back in class, seeing the many things people can come up with from just a few artefacts and tapestries. We’ve had guest lecturers from famous Hollywood screenwriters to people just like us; starting small and working their way up.
I’m about to start my third year and for my friends and I right now it’s a flurry of dissertations and work experience in various fields, all of which extend from teaching to publishing. English Literature and Creative Writing really is the course of a lifetime and I’m so glad I came to Greenwich.
The course is taught at the most beautiful of locations, the Maritime Campus which is always alive with people, both public and University students. We are sometimes graced with various film personalities as Greenwich is a favourite location for those movies who adore the old-style architecture. We’ve had famous faces such as Robert Downey Jr., Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Hugh Jackman. It really is a wonderful place to learn (although not so much when you have someone shouting ACTION! outside your classroom window every afternoon ;))
I am so very glad that I chose Greenwich as my University of choice and even more so that I could delve into the wonders of Creative and English Writing.

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