Student Profile: Emily Aitken

English Literature

Why did you choose to study English at the University of Liverpool?

I really enjoyed studying English Literature at A-Level and I knew I definitely wanted to pursue it at a degree level. I chose to do this at the University of Liverpool because it’s a prestigious and famous university that is right on my doorstep. It also helps that Liverpool is a great city to live in.

 

What do you enjoy most about the course, and why? 

Definitely the variety of choice in terms of modules. In my first year I was worried that all of the modules and the texts would be very classical or traditional. However, this isn’t true and there’s something in the module list for everyone, whether you prefer much older texts or more recent ones.

 

Can you tell us about an exciting project you have completed on your course? 

I couldn’t pin down one thing that I am proud of because for each module every essay is very different. What I am proud of is my ability to write about a variety of topics in great detail. These topics have ranged from Native American communities and identities, globalisation and terrorism, the continuation of colonial legacies, and the issue of unreliability in war narratives.

 

What does Liverpool have to offer as a city? 

As someone who has grown up in Liverpool, I think the city is a great starting place for newly independent young adults. The city isn’t too big where you’ll get lost every single day, but not too small to the point that nothing goes on. It’s also been good to see how the city has adapted to its student population, especially in terms of the nightlife. 

 

Can you tell us about the teaching methods/how your learning has been facilitated?

There isn’t many contact hours for my degree (probably around 8 hours a week). However, I’d suggest learning sooner rather than later that all this ‘free time’ after lectures definitely isn’t free time. It’s a lot of independent work so I’ll often make sure I’ve finished any tutorial prep or reading ahead some of the books on the reading list.

 

What extra-or co-curricular activities do you take part in, and how do these affect your student experience? 

Outside of uni I have a part time job at McDonald’s, I mainly just work on the weekends as through the week university work is my priority. It’s great to get some extra money, but it’s easy to miss out on stuff that might be going on, like nights out etc. 

I also work as a Digital Coach for the university. The opportunities that have come from this have been amazing and worthwhile. The digital sessions that I put on only take up an hour every few weeks.

 

What are your ambitions for the future and how will your experiences at the University of Liverpool help you in your future career?

My ambition for the far future is to get into marketing, hopefully doing some sort of copywriting. Soon, I’m hoping to go to Vietnam next year to teach English. My experiences at the university will help me because I’ve gained more confidence speaking in groups, which was an issue for me before I started. From this I’ve gained more confidence in myself as a whole.

 

If you could go back, what advice would you have given yourself before going to University?

Don’t worry if you don’t enjoy typical ‘student’ things, like parties or society nights out etc. There’ll be people that feel the same and Liverpool is great in that there is so much more to do than just its nightlife.