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Rebecca has had a passion for English since A level and her love for creative writing was inspired by Gothic literature. She chose to study English Literature at the University of Reading following her visit on Open Day.
"I loved the campus, the accommodation and the course which all have a nice, friendly feel. It was perfect. Reading had everything that I wanted - especially 'Creative Writing'!"
During her degree studies at Reading, Rebecca has been particularly inspired by the Department's "Creative writing" course:
"You can choose two out of three options: I chose the Short story and Dialogue, and you can also choose Poetry, You can write about anything you want. We also have a workshop where we review each other's work. This has a really nice atmosphere and the feedback is really constructive."
Rebecca has enjoyed the opportunity to explore literature through the wide choice of modules.
"In the first year my favourite module was Poetry in English. It opened up my eyes to poetry and so I chose to continue with it in Year two."
In her final year, Rebecca is looking forward to studying 17th and 18th Century Romanticism literature, and delving into the University of Reading's archives and resources, as well as the recent find of one of the oldest examples of printing in Britain.
"It's not just teaching that matters - at Reading, research using archives and original manuscripts is really important too."
In addition to her degree studies Rebecca also submits her own articles to The Spark - the student-run newspaper of the University of Reading. She found out about it at Freshers' Week and thinks that this experience will be great for her portfolio when she is looking for a job after graduation.
"I want to get into publishing first and then later progress to writing books and screenplays."
Rebecca feels that her degree at the University of Reading is preparing her for her career and has really enjoyed her time at the Department of English Literature. There are many members of staff who have helped her during her degree and whose lectures and seminars have been really engaging:
"I am being taught by people who know what they are talking about. Conor Carville really knows his subject, gives plenty of feedback and has been inspiring. Creative writing has helped me to be critical of my own work, to meet deadlines and to read materials I would not have read otherwise. 'Creative writing' has given me a wider understanding of literature.
"It's a really friendly Department. It's a nice place to be and has given me exactly what I wanted. I have met the best friends here and I have everything that I could ever want from a university to make me happy."