Taiwan, BA (Hons) Music (minor in Education Studies)
“In the Music department I’m allowed to do both pop and classical modules and I think it’s quite nice that they give you a broad range of modules to choose from. You don’t have to specialise in one”
Deborah Wu - Taiwan, BA (Hons) Music (minor in Education Studies)
Why did you decide to study in the UK?
My main reason was because when I visited the UK for the first time a few years ago I really liked the environment. The people are really friendly and I like how it has a lot of history.
Why did you choose to come to Oxford Brookes?
When I did my research on the internet I really liked how everything seemed really friendly in general, and the option to combine the two courses I wanted to do, Music and Education. I didn’t find that option in other universities.
What do you like most about living in Oxford?
I think the biggest reason is that I’m not a city person. When I visited London I didn’t like the busyness, so I like how in Oxford it’s small and people get to know each other. I think it’s easier for you to know each other and the lifestyle is slower, it’s really calm and soothing. I actually quite like the parks here. I also really like the bubble tea shops which reminds me of my home.
What do you like about your course?
I have no exams at all, it’s 100% coursework which I think is quite nice because I can’t do exams. Coursework allows me to have more chance to ask my module leader and be like how can I improve on this? What can I do to achieve good marks? Instead of being nervous and trying to memorise everything. It’s also good that I can get to study Education as well as there are so many opportunities to do placement if you want to and you can do modules from early childhood to adults.
How do you find the teaching style here compared to your previous experiences?
It’s actually quite similar to where I grew up in as I was in a British school in Shanghai called Dulwich College. So I was more familiar with how things work here, which sort of helped me when I settled down. However compared with the traditional Chinese education style, it is quite different, because when I was young I still remember you weren’t to ask questions in class. I think the motivation for students is different as well. In Asia it’s that you don’t want to be humiliated in front of your class. You don’t want people to know that you don’t understand, so you just struggle on your own. However here if you don’t understand people are willing to help you and you can study together. It’s quite different.
What do you plan to do after you’ve graduated?
I’m thinking about being a Music teacher, so I think it’s quite nice that I’m doing both Education and Music here at Brookes. There are also modules related to Music Education in my course and in the future I think that might benefit me. I’m actually aiming for international schools, so I’m thinking about staying here for a few years and getting my PGCE certificate, then perhaps I can think about going back home.