Hey! I am Molly, I always knew I wanted to study English Literature at university because I love how it opens up so many subjects of debate. Literature at UoM has allowed me to expand the diversity of topics that I enjoyed during my A-Levels even further. The course enables you to read around the texts you are studying and build a picture of what the world was like at the time it was written, and what angle the author is coming from.

UoM was a similarly easy decision for me. Once I visited the city I fell in love with its vibrancy as a quickly developing cultural hub. The city welcomes students, and I have found a new home for myself here. The student life in Manchester is unmatched, with a huge live music scene and lots of extracurricular opportunities. I am the Features Editor for The Manchester Tab which has given me the opportunity to write about what it’s like to be a student at UoM, covering events happening on and off campus as well as make friends who are interested in writing but not necessarily on the same course.

Every student takes 120 credits per year which works out as doing 6 modules a year. I have always divided this to have 3 modules in each semester, so I do not get overwhelmed. You can, however, do an 80/40 split, or pick to do 8 modules with some being worth 10 credits each. In first year you get to take English Literature Tutorials, Reading Literature, Mapping the Medieval and Theory and Text. This leaves you with 40 credits free to explore the whole realm of UoM’s incredible courses and expand your knowledge beyond your subject area giving you new skills and ideas to help you grow.

In second year, there are no mandatory modules but you must ensure you pick across a wide time period. However, by second year this feels natural as you learn to love the different literary periods and what they can offer you.

My favourite module so far was Modernism as it was the first time I was able to get into the nuances of a literary period. It was challenging reading more unusual texts such as The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T. S. Eliot, however, with the help of the lecturers I felt really supported and my viewpoint and ideas were valued. Similarly, the Shakespeare module explored the most canonical English writer of all time from a new and accessible angle that made it feel like I was encountering his plays for the first time.

I would recommend studying English Literature at UoM to anyone who is interested in the relationship between texts and how they interact with the world we live in. My biggest advice would be to get to know your lecturers and use their office hours! They are always so happy to talk with you about assignments and give advice. Remember – they love literature as much as you do and want to see you do your best!

Written by Molly Wilkinson, a 3rd year BA English Literature student

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