Leah
Drew

What made you choose to study at NTU?  

“Initially I wanted to look for Universities that were relatively close to home. However, when I came to Nottingham Trent’s Open Day I fell in love with Clifton Campus. The atmosphere and welcoming nature of the staff and the campus got me from the start. I said to myself, if I don’t go to NTU I don’t go to university at all. The Course for BA History also correlated with my own interests in history for example Reformations and Crusades, but also gave the potential to learn about areas in History which I’d never even heard of.”

What were the key features that attracted you to your course?

“When I came for the Open Day the History staff were so friendly and approachable. I learnt a lot more about the course and how it mirrored both my interests of history and gave an insight into areas to which I hadn’t previously studied. The good range of history from Medieval, Early Modern and Modern was a good mix and therefore, I thought it would give me broader understanding of history through time than I’d previously studied. In particular, the Reformations and Crusades modules were what captured my attention.”

What do you enjoy most about your course?

“The variety of teaching styles and modules. Seminars are varied and include group work, individual participation and the chance to express your own ideas. In some modules, presentations are worth a percentage of the grade and that gives you a chance to showcase your own abilities and research. Sourced based seminars help with understanding how to analyse sources and interpret them, to be able to relate it to your own work.”

What do you think about the course staff – include lecturers, tutors, administrators and technical staff within this. How do they support your learning and University experience?

"The lecturers are fantastic! The group dynamic of the History staff is always a positive and friendly one. It is clear from the Course Committee meetings also that the staff value the opinions of the students and make good use of the Course Representatives to help tailor the modules and course to the students needs. For example, This year in particular the staff all got together to rearrange deadlines to spread them across the year more to make the workload for individual weeks more manageable for students.

Personal tutors are also very helpful. I think having that support is essential, as university life isn’t always easy but having the support network around means that you’re never really alone.

In terms of the university experience the staff try to put on as many additional support and activities as possible to help make the course and university experience more exciting. Film viewings of films that directly relate to the course have been put on this year, which has allowed the students and staff to come together in a fun course related activity. Course related trips are also a bonus – trips to Manchester, trips for individual modules such as to the International Brigade Memorial have also helped students engage with a wider range of history that has relevance to what they have studied which is great. The opportunities given by the course are brilliant."

Tell us more about the NTSU History Society.

"The History society is predominately students who are on the History course and we run trips and activities throughout the year. A highlight is the annual Students vs. Staff quiz, where the students can challenge the staff on their knowledge of history and general knowledge. Knowing the staff are happy to have fun and engage with students in these activities makes them more approachable to students. It’s always a fun evening that’s still related to the history we study as part of our course."

What do you think about the facilities available to you? :

“The History Style Guide is a well-valued resource. It helps especially with referencing and structuring essays and assignments. The accessibility of source material, books and extra reading is endless. The library resources and interlibrary loan system is especially helpful when studying and learning about specialised and in-depth study of new topics.”

Why would you recommend your course / NTU to someone looking to study in that area?

“The diversity of topics and sources that you engage with are fantastic. There is something for everyone – military history, history and religion, gender history, life and death in history, history across the globe, just everything! The breadth of study over the three years of the course allows you to choose your own topics from a list in second and third year so puts you in control of the history you want to learn, but introduced you to everything in first year. The modules are different, engaging and exciting. The course also includes how to relate history to employability, which I feel is very useful. Students can engage on work placements, learn about CV writing and learn a lot about their own progression and experience on the course.”

What are your plans for the future?

“I have already secured a place on NTU's MA History course for next academic year, which I hope, will further test my ability as a historian in the making. My long-term aspirations are to do a PGCE after my Masters to be able to qualify to be a Teacher and to do teaching alongside funding my PHD. I’d like to become either a Teacher of History or a Lecturer in History and therefore think this course has given me that inspiration and is building the foundations for my historical knowledge.”