Sociology and Business Management, 2017
“I love living in Oxford because it’s so diverse. There are fascinating museums and theatres as well as cinemas and shopping centres. There is always something to do and loads of lovely places to eat and drink from tiny cafes to Michelin star restaurants. Of course it’s a beautiful place to live and study as well, with the Oxford colleges and parks dotted around the city”
I got my place at Brookes through clearing as I didn’t do as well in my A levels as predicted. However this doesn’t mean I’m not happy to attend! My course at Brookes is fantastic – doing a placement year is essential for me and Brookes provides so much help and support to help students like me take full advantage of this opportunity.
Something that really contributes to the appeal of doing this course is its flexibility; in Business I can do modules on subjects such as finance and law, whilst in Sociology I can take modules in Politics, International Relations and Human Geography. I never get bored of my working towards my degree because it involves so many different topics and opportunities – never being stuck on the same old topics makes my degree so much more interesting!
Last year one of the compulsory modules for Sociology was about classical theories. Now, I’ll be honest, this wasn’t something I was particularly looking forward to and I didn’t think it would be very interesting. However, our lecturer was so passionate and engaging that she made me want to listen and learn and I ended up enjoying the module. She was definitely inspiring - sounds corny but it’s true!!
Something else that I really like is that I have so much responsibility over my own learning. For example in one of my Sociology modules we are asked to write a critical review of a piece of research, something which is up to us to source and then decide if it will work for the task. I really appreciate the freedom we have here, whilst still having the support available if we need it.
I love living in Oxford because it’s so diverse. There are fascinating museums and theatres as well as cinemas and shopping centres. There is always something to do and loads of lovely places to eat and drink from tiny cafes to Michelin star restaurants. Of course it’s a beautiful place to live and study as well, with the Oxford colleges and parks dotted around the city. I also like that I’m not far away from London and it’s so easy and cheap to visit for a day or a long weekend.
Another great thing about living and studying in Oxford is being surrounded by students! It might sound a bit silly but with about 40,000 of us across both Oxford Brookes and Oxford University I really do feel like I am in an intelligent, focused place. In every café you go to there are students with their laptops and books, and that’s not including people studying on campus. It’s nice to know you’re not the only one with assignments!
The reason I wanted to come to university in the first place is because I have no idea what I want to do in the future. After working full time for a year after I finished my A-Levels I felt that I needed some time and inspiration to find my passion. I hope that doing a placement in my 3rd year will help me to find my path! The opportunity to do a placement could potentially set me up with a graduate job, which would obviously be fantastic, but even if it doesn’t, it will still give me essential experience for when I do graduate and begin looking for a job. In terms of finding a future career, the course also helps me in terms of discipline, time management, research skills and opportunities to work as part of a team. Skills such as these alongside making learning my own responsibility will always be relevant in whichever career path I decide to follow.
Despite having got my place at Brookes through clearing I’m so glad I came here. I can honestly say that I love the city I am in, and the opportunities available to me alongside the flexibility of my course will certainly help me in choosing a career!