Christina Stores

English Literature, 2019

When Christina Stores left school she had a handful of CSEs and no expectation of further education. Following a series of posts in the NHS, IT and business project management, she eventually left work to raise a family. She went on to take numerous literature classes in the evenings while working part time. When her children left for university, Christina thought this was the time for her to go too.

I decided on this course in particular because I never wanted to read any other subject other than English Literature. As I live locally, Oxford Brookes University was always going to be the obvious choice. Yet I was attracted to Brookes because I was impressed by the development plans for the university and the friendliness of the admission process.

Studying part time has really worked well for me. I have found the modular system an ideal way to learn about literature from different historical periods in all its forms. The online resources provided by the teaching staff are extensive and have proved invaluable as they can be accessed from home at any time.

The combination of lectures and seminars has proven to be an excellent framework for effective study for me and provided a friendly and supportive environment in which topics can be discussed and developed.

The course is wide-ranging, challenging and – most of all – well taught. I have particularly enjoyed learning about the various critical theories and applying them where appropriate. I have also benefited from being introduced to many authors, especially poets, I would otherwise have overlooked.

I’ve found the staff to be very helpful. Lecturers Caroline Jackson-Houlston and Antonia Mackay have both managed, in their own inimitable ways, to get the best out of me. As a mature student, I am grateful to the other mature students on the course who have kept the bar high.

Oxford is simply one of the most beautiful and cultural places in the country in which to live and study.