English Language and Communication
“One of the best parts of the course was definitely the teaching. The lecturers were fantastic; their passion for their subject comes across so clearly in all they do, and the personal support offered to me by my academic advisor made all the difference”
After finishing her A Levels, Meredith took a gap year in which she travelled in Canada, North Africa and Europe, before starting at Oxford Brookes in 2010 to study English Language and Communication.
I chose Brookes because of their focus on linguistics, which other universities didn’t have. It is also in a really superb location, and has some great links with industry. Having the ability to tailor my course to what I wanted to study was also really great, and it meant I could cover areas such as media, psycholinguistics, and even forensic linguistics!
One of the best parts of the course was definitely the teaching. The lecturers were fantastic; their passion for their subject comes across so clearly in all they do, and the personal support offered to me by my academic advisor made all the difference. Paul Wickens especially is amazing! His passion for both his subject and supporting students in their studies is inspiring. There is nothing he wouldn’t do to help his students. Chris Rizza was also inspiration in my time at Brookes and has a really refreshing way of looking at English Language and higher education.
I loved living in Oxford throughout my three years at Brookes – so much so that I’ve decided to stay here! Oxford is the perfect city! There are so many cultural things happening in the city and there is nowhere better in the country to spend a sunny afternoon than in Christ Church Meadows. As well as this I am firm believer that the student community in the city is the best in the country. It’s inspiring to work and study in a city where higher education in the UK all began.
It’s also really great that we are able to use the resources of the University of Oxford whilst studying at Oxford Brookes. During my dissertation I was able to use the Bodleian Library which is an amazing resource, and I have also had access to academics at the University of Oxford through links at Brookes, and I wouldn’t have had this if I had studied anywhere else.
I am currently moving into a job at Oxford University Press, where I will be marketing the medical materials they publish. I have always wanted to work in Publishing, and it was my time studying at Brookes and all the support they gave me, including my graduate internship with the University, which helped me to get to where I am now. In particular, I would have to say that the modules in persuasive communication and intercultural communication made me really attractive to employers.
In short, choosing to study English Language and Communication at Brookes was the best decision I ever made. It has set me up perfectly for a career in publishing, but also freed me to study more abstract things that interested me. The friends and people I met during my time a Brookes have been incredible, and Oxford has been such a great city for me to live, study, and now work in.