Gael Bateman: student and explorer. 

I am one of those people with multiple interests that change from season to season; I don’t have a thing, like so many people appear to have in this modern world, which helps to define them. But I do love exploring.

Exploring ideas, places, people, cultures, identities, foods and experiences – The University of Nottingham gave me the opportunity to put this passion of exploration into practice.

Studying Social and Cultural Studies allowed me to meet like-minded students and inspiring professors (Nick Stevenson & Amal Treacher Kabesh) who guided me in these explorations. I unfurled theories of cultural identity by Stuart Hall which fed my passion for understanding international identities. Zgymunt Bauman’s conclusions of fluid society and our modern relationships with freedom led me on a journey of asking questions as opposed to finding the right answers that my Grandpa had always encouraged me to do. Best of all I had the luxury of time, and exemplary resources available to me, to learn, discover and develop my own theories.

Even outside of the degree, UoN provided me with the platform for exciting explorations and once-in-a-lifetime adventures…the eclectic cultural mix of the historical city with its student secrets to uncover and endless societies to try my hand at ensured an entertaining and eye-opening three years. However, it was the international opportunities available through Nottingham’s global reach that made my time there life-changing; I was lucky enough to complete a semester abroad at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia as part of the Universitas 21 programme.

My six month adventure allowed for explorations into culture, identity and individuals that many people can only dream of. The experiences in those 6 months were incredibly precious; so much so that I am now living and exploring life back in Brisbane, and so the journey begun through UoN continues on.

Studying what you love, at a university and in a city that you love, allows you to not only do what you love during your time at university, but it also begins the journey of your adult life doing what you love – just imagine where that might take you…

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Hannah Murray explains how academic networking helps her PhD.

Since starting my PhD last October, I’ve been part of a great research community of postgraduate students. We meet once a week to discuss a chapter of someone’s thesis and then attend a guest lecture usually followed by a trip to the pub. One of the major differences in moving from undergraduate to postgraduate level is that you are actively encouraged to contribute to research events in your department and the wider academic community.

In December I attended the annual British and Irish Associations of American Studies Postgraduate Conference, held at Nottingham. It was a really enjoyable weekend of meeting postgraduates in my field from across Britain and Ireland. I presented a 20-minute paper, chaired a panel and wrote four ‘live blogs’ for the conference website. It was a very helpful exercise in writing for a particular audience, one not as familiar with my research as my supervisors, and I got to practice my presentation skills, including the ubiquitous Powerpoint slideshow!

Why attend conferences as a postgraduate student?

• Networking and collaboration. Conferences are a fantastic way to meet fellow postgraduates and career academics working in your area. They can be the starting point of new research networks and collaborative projects. Also, conferences can be great social events and usually involve wine receptions and dinners out!

• Innovation. You get to hear about the latest research in your field by attending specific panels, keynote speeches and discussion roundtables. It’s a great forum to ask why a researcher has formed their particular argument and enter into discussions that can be continued over a cup of coffee. Sometimes debates can get quite heated, but at the panels I’ve attended the comments have nearly always been constructive. Postgraduate conferences especially offer a very supportive environment, especially as many speakers are presenting for the first time.

• Inspiration. Listening to a paper or keynote speech can inspire a new direction in your work or give you ideas for your next project. A conference organised around a specific theme might draw researchers from multiple disciplines and create unexpected connections. At my conference in December there were speakers from architecture, literature, history, politics, music and art and it was really exciting to see links across these different research areas.

As with any new social situation, academic networking can seem a bit daunting and awkward at first. The Graduate School runs workshops on several aspects of conferencing, including networking, answering panel questions and creating posters, which are a good idea to check out if you want to improve your skills.

Once you’ve started, it can be easy to catch the conference bug. I’ve got my nametag and pens all ready for my next one in April!

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Blaithin Hadjisophocleous shares her wisdom from studying Physiotherapy.

My last visit home was my last holiday as a Physiotherapy student. Sat at the dining table with my family, I thought about how, two and a half years later, they now have a better idea of what physiotherapy is all about – they have stopped asking me for massages and started to ask for my professional opinion and advice on all sorts of aches and pains they have. The truth is, they’re not the only ones who misunderstand the concept of Physiotherapy – it was definitely not what I expected when starting this degree.

The good, the bad, and everything in between – here’s what I wish someone had told me three years ago:

1. There’s more to Physiotherapy than sport and massaging rugby players – the truth is this doesn’t even scratch the surface.
2. Nothing can prepare you for the amount of work you will be faced with in first year, never mind the daily 9am lectures… But the amount of practical work and innovative learning styles will keep you intrigued from the start until the very end of the day.
3. Placements can be hard both physically and emotionally but you will meet some of the most inspiring, fascinating people and by the end of the shift you’ll be longing to tell your friends all about your working day!
4. Bring fancy dress outfits.
5. You WILL have to deal with cadavers.
6. Anatomy is literally learning a completely new language.
7. Practising physio on your classmates hardly simulates real patients. Don’t panic if you don’t get it right first time round – most of what you learn comes from clinical placements.
8. The majority of exams are oral, so study in groups and revise by repeating it all out loud.
9. You will become a hypochondriac and believe you are coming down with every disease in the book – don’t worry, it’s normal!
10. You will become the health professional of the house and be expected to be able to answer questions concerning every mysterious illness and successfully treat all sorts of aches and pains.

So hang in there! The hard work and dedication pays off in the end when you’re finally part of such a rewarding, innovative and compassionate profession as physiotherapy.

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Malvina-Sofia Nicolaou explains what it’s like being an International Media and Communications student. 

Being a Fresher can be a daunting and an overwhelming experience for some whereas others find it easier to adjust to their new environment. For me, it was a mixture of “oh my god where is everything”,” this place is huge” to “woooh party” and, of course, “oh this is interesting”, “I didn’t know that” (talking about my modules of course!). During the first semester (September-December), I studied two modules called Media and Society and Communication and Culture. Media and Society was one of my favourite modules throughout my whole degree. This module focused on the media’s role in understanding the contemporary world. I really enjoyed it because it concentrated on a lot of print media theories and the content was related to what I want to pursue in the future.

The Department of Culture, Film and Media offers the opportunity to study abroad and spend an unforgettable semester or year abroad where the possibilities are endless. Ever think of what it’s like to live abroad in a city you have never visited before with strangers everywhere? It sounds potentially terrifying and overwhelming at first but I can assure you it’s the most amazing experience you will ever have. To be honest, I wish I could travel back in time, get a B for my A level French exam and do the joint course. Saying that, my life as a student at The University of Nottingham is not so bad either! It has been an absolutely tremendous and unforgettable experience.

If you are fascinated by the evolution of the media industry, excited about going on a year abroad and looking forward in working for a leading company, then a degree in Media and Communication Studies is the right choice for you.

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Dr Ayla Lepine explains how she started studying History and English in Canada and ended up in The University of Nottingham Art History department. 

When I began my BA at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada I was unshakably determined that I would complete a double major in History and English Literature and that I would love it.

Part way through my studies, a friend told me how much he was enjoying his Art History course. I was intrigued, but also anxious about changing my major and as a result, delaying graduation. Despite my concerns, I decided to take an Art History elective. I chose the most boring topic I could find – critical theory – to test whether it really was as compelling a field as my friend had claimed. It was amazing. I changed my major.

As I studied further, I became particularly interested in Islamic and Christian architecture and the relationship between theology and architectural history. This intersection between two fields of study fascinated me so much that I decided to take two more radical steps: I moved to England, and I began postgraduate study in Theology.

After spending a year at Oxford exploring theology I began to notice something. My knowledge was growing but I missed Art History and the opportunity it provides to connect cultural discourse with interpretations of objects and buildings. As a Canadian abroad who had to pay international fees, I had to weigh the cost of student loans against the value of studying what I had discovered I really cared about: Victorian church architecture. I was fortunate enough to win a scholarship to the Courtald Institute of Art in London where I completed my MA in 2005 and my PhD in 2011.

While specializing in the Gothic Revival (think Houses of Parliament, the Albert Memorial, Truro Cathedral, and hundreds of Victorian churches by architects like William Butterfield, George Edmund Street, and George Frederick Bodley), I also worked for a conservation architecture firm as a researcher. This gave me invaluable hands-on experience and also encouraged me to join advocacy groups like the Victorian Society and the Twentieth Century Society to help save these valuable heritage buildings for everyone to learn from and enjoy.

I arrived at Nottingham’s Art History Department in September 2013. It’s a great place to teach, learn, research, and publish. As an art historian, I tend to think of my own role in the discipline as someone that connects people; this can mean working with students to give them great access to professional and academic contacts, or collaborating with colleagues on innovative research that helps make sense of the legacies of human imagination within sacred traditions and the arts.

Art History tells us why and how people are creative. Studying beauty, design, and images demands hard work, close attention, and critical thinking. Architecture and the arts sustain and shape our world. I encourage my students who are searching for real meaning in their studies to read widely, keep eyes and minds wide open, and combine intuition with strong mentoring.

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Carla Saraiva juggles studying and family with the help of a distance learning course. 

I was working a full-time job when I decided that I really wanted to continue studying, in order to complement my previous education. I had already completed a BSc and MSc in Informatics Engineering and was working in the field of usability and human-computer interaction, trying to make people’s lives easier by improving the user interfaces of websites and applications.

After a couple of years in the business world, I decided that I wanted to increase my knowledge and skills, so I started to look around for courses. I didn’t want to quit my job, or move, but I still wanted a topnotch education. Luckily for me, today’s technology allowed me to do just that. I found a PhD in Usability and Human-Computer Interaction by distance learning at the world-class University of Nottingham, which perfectly suited my needs – I wouldn’t have to quit my job or move away from home, away from my friends and family.

Distance learning can, nevertheless, be a double-edged sword. First and foremost, you do miss the face-to-face interaction and excitement of life on campus. Fortunately, I had already experienced that during my previous academic studies. Secondly, you have to be very disciplined and organised in order to pursue an education online. In the end you are the one managing everything, and setting your own pace. You must decide how to allocate the time to study and define some milestones (i.e. which sections of the course materials you should have already studied by a certain date) for yourself, in order to keep up. There are some online tutorials and coursework with set deadlines, but typically everything is flexible so that students can balance their studies with the demands of their jobs and family life.

Nevertheless, if you are truly passionate about your course, like I am, you’ll most certainly find a way to manage everything and succeed. Plus, you’ll find great teachers and colleagues, always ready to help you when you’re in need. In the end, you’ll be able to study what you love, at any time that suits you and your lifestyle, from anywhere in the whole world (home, office, or even on a beautiful park!).

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I wrote the very first blog in the Study What You Love campaign and emphasised love of the subject as the best reason to choose a degree course. I think philosophy has huge intrinsic value and appeals to our natural sense of wonder. As I mentioned, however, this is perfectly consistent with a philosophical training having practical value too: a practical value understood by most of the best employers.

It seems perfectly understandable that in difficult economic times, prospective students and their parents might think more of the likely pay-off from a degree rather than simply how interesting and enjoyable it is. But there is ample evidence that the skills acquired in philosophy are indeed widely recognised and that they do pay dividends.

In testing, philosophy graduates emerge with a better all-round skill-set than any other type of background. Results from the Educational Testing Service and various graduate admission tests corroborate this. And there is corresponding evidence that this excellent balance of abilities does result in financial rewards (see ‘The Power of Philosophy’). Philosophy feeds the mind but not only the mind. It can put bread on the table.

One source of nervousness might be that there is no clear career path at the outset of the degree, in the way that you get if you study medicine, law or veterinary science. This is true, but it does mean that you keep your options open a bit longer and are left with a degree for which there is a broader range of possibilities. All sorts of careers can be filled by philosophy graduates. The reason is simple. Most employers want graduates who are clear, rational, independent thinkers, problem solvers, and able communicators: all skills that philosophy gives you in abundance.

I would still maintain that you should study what you love and enjoy. That is the best recipe for success. But reassurance that a philosophy degree is a good career choice might also remove any lingering doubt. And that will make it even more enjoyable.

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Faye Haslam explains why she’d tell her 18 year-old self to study History.

I have always enjoyed learning about history, exploring more about our heritage and how the past has shaped who we are today. When it came to deciding what to study at university, although I looked into pursuing a science subject, I ultimately chose to follow the path I knew I would enjoy the most.

What I loved about doing a degree in history is that you’re always learning and discovering something new. One minute I was learning about smugglers in seventeenth-century Britain, the next the development of the blockbuster in Hollywood!

Studying something that you love not only makes your experience of university more enjoyable, it has a knock-on effect on your results. Because I enjoyed what I was studying, I was more driven to challenge myself and achieve my best. It’s hard to imagine keeping your motivation through the (many!) stresses of essays and exams when you can’t stand the subject…

With all of the pressures surrounding students today, it’s easy to think that you should choose a degree with clear career prospects. However, the huge range of transferable skills you gain from a degree such as history, from writing and analytical thinking, to research skills, organisation, time management and more should not be underestimated and can take you into a wide variety of careers. In my current position in marketing, I use the skills I gained in my degree on a daily basis, demonstrating that a subject such as history is relevant and valuable in the world of work.

I’ve never regretted my choice of degree, and if I were to speak to my 18-year-old self, I would tell them to make the same choice. By choosing to study something I am passionate about, I have made myself more employable and graduated with a range of crucial skills, but more importantly, I loved every moment of my university experience!

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Rebecca Maryan on research, archives and travel.

Doing a PhD in Medieval History means I get to travel to lots of different libraries and archives all over the UK. I spend a lot of time in Oxford, Cambridge and London, enjoying the excellent wealth of material housed in beautiful surroundings. I’ve also been as far afield as Edinburgh and Exeter, although not in the same week!

Travelling all over the UK is exciting, but the highlight for me is the enjoyment of looking at a wide number of interesting manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts are exceptionally ornate and they all provide a fascinating window into the lives of medieval people. There is nothing like the thrill of finding a new piece of the puzzle that helps me to better understand the past. I like to imagine what life would have been like for the scribe whose handwriting I have been trying to decipher, or the many hundreds of people who must have handled a book over the centuries. Sometimes you can even see their thumbprints pressed into the page.

Frequent travel to other universities provides many opportunities for networking. I am able to draw on a wide knowledge base by meeting some of the experts in my field, benefitting from their experience and the feedback they can offer on my research. As my research is very interdisciplinary, it is helpful to have this network of academics who work in different areas, from English literature to the history of medicine. Attending conferences is also a great way of meeting other academics and expanding the horizons of my own research. Some conferences I have attended have been very specific, such as the Colloquium held by the London Medieval Society on ‘Who Read What in the Middle Ages?’, which I attended last year. However, I have also been to interdisciplinary conferences that cover a broader range of approaches, which is very valuable for the purposes of my research. I recently attended the Oxford Blood Conference at the University of Oxford, which looked at medieval and early modern ideas about blood from the perspectives of English Literature, Medicine, and Art. At the other end of the scale, I am presenting a paper at the Leeds International Medieval Conference taking place this July, which is the largest international medieval conference in the UK. I have also undertaken opportunities to get involved with conferences and workshops at the University of Nottingham, such as the Institute for Medieval Research’s ‘IMR@25’ event last summer.

Studying for a PhD is a varied and greatly rewarding experience. It can be hard work, but also hugely enjoyable, with no two days the same. I am grateful to be able to continue studying what I love at The University of Nottingham.

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Katherine Haywood explains how life outside the lab can help your studies and research.

When most people think of a Chemistry PhD they probably think of hours on end in the lab, stuck to your bench, churning out reaction after reaction, and this might turn some undergraduates off continuing a subject they enjoy. Although this can be true in some cases, here at Nottingham there are lots of opportunities outside of the lab which make studying a PhD much more varied and enjoyable, which I was pleasantly surprised by when I started my course, and is a reason why I love it.

I decided to take a PhD because I thoroughly enjoyed my undergraduate course, and wanted to continue studying a subject I love. Although I enjoy the practical aspect of my course, it’s great to have the chance to take part in other activities around the School, to get out of the lab and make the most of my time here. PhD students are encouraged to study extra, non-examined, modules to add more to our studies and give us extra skills and experience. I recently enrolled on a module which allows me to take part in a variety of outreach activities with children or the general public – it’s great for anyone wanting a non-research career, such as teaching or science communication, or just for students like me wanting to experience something new that they might enjoy.

My PhD has also given me the chance to visit new places and meet people from other research groups and in industry. A lot of people cringe at the word ‘networking’, but it’s vital for starting your career, and luckily a Chemistry PhD gives you plenty of chances to do it. I’ve already been to two conferences, where I had a great time, and I’ll be going to another this year. Not only do these allow you to network and see interesting research in your field, but they allow you to visit cities which you wouldn’t normally see otherwise. In November last year I was able to visit the BASF headquarters in Germany, which was daunting at first but turned out to be an amazing experience. I got to see how the biggest chemical company in the world functioned and meet some great chemists from the UK and Germany. I’ve also been able to learn a lot about the chemical industry, partly because my PhD is completely funded by an external company. This means I can get valuable industrial experience doing lab work there, and learn what a career in the chemical industry might involve.

Hopefully, this post has shown how a PhD can be so much more than just lab work – and how choosing to continue studying a subject you love can open up a world of opportunities!

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