Soundbites with 2012 PTR graduates.
Duration 4:10
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JA: Jermaine Alexander
EN: Esther Newman
JL: Jess Letherby
EK: Ellie Kerr
IW: Isla Woodhouse
KW: Katherine Weston
AM: Abbi Macallister
Q: How did you feel graduating today?
JA: It’s amazing. It’s a bit of a surreal feeling. It’s finally sunk in that I’m finishing Birmingham University.
EN: Really happy. The ceremony was really fun, so yeah it’s been a good day
JL: Wow, it felt really scary to being with didn’t it – walking down the aisle…
EK: Yeah it was scary walking down the stairs but apart from that it was good.
JL: It was a really nice ceremony and nice seeing all the lecturers there
IW: Really overwhelming. I feel really pleased, really proud of my felling degree –mates, if that’s a word. It’s a bit sad as well because we’ve finished our time here as well but I’m really happy for everybody
KW: Amazing
AM: It’s really really good
KW: Bit of a relief to finally actually get the certificate in my hand but apart from that just really good
AM: It’s a really good way to finish the three years. The ceremony was amazing and I really enjoyed all of it
Q: Did you have a particular highlight of your time here?
JA I’d probably say going to America with the Universities athletics team for three weeks on a tour and we visited Harvard, Yale, Penn and Grinnell Universities
JL: Well, the friendships we made
IW: Meeting all my amazing friends here. They’re all very special to me and I’ll take all those friendships away with me
Q What would you say to someone thinking of coming to Birmingham?
EN: One of my home friends, I was trying to persuade her to come to Birmingham, just because I’ve had such a blast here. It’s a small department and people think that’s a bad thing because it’s so small, but I know Nikk (Nikk Effingham Snr Lecturer) so well. You really build up a relationship with your tutors and that’s so nice.
JA: I’d say it’s a really good course. You pick up a lot of analytical skills and its just very interesting. You learn so many different aspects of Philosophy, it kind of makes you think very differently as well. It’s really good.
KW: Do it. There’s something for everyone on the course. The Department is such a tight-knit group that we’ve come away with so many friends and such a community and you don’t get that in other departments
AM: And we know the lecturers so well because were small, and they do things like coffee mornings; they took us out to dinner when we finished. It’s just such an awesome department to be a part of. I’ve loved every minute of it like you said…
KW: I’m going to miss it
IW: I think they should definitely do it, especially at this University, because you’re in such a diverse city, you meet people from different backgrounds and Theology is a really current issue and it’s the best place to do it because the lecturers know what they’re talking about. The course is so interesting and so diverse and modern. It’s not all about the bible, it’s about loads of different things, yeah it’s brilliant and everyone should come here.
EK: We’ve really enjoyed it
JL: Yeah
EK: It’s really challenging but really good.
JL: And you get to do, because it’s Philosophy, a Philosophy of anything – Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Religion…
EK: There’s a real choice
JL: You get to do so many different things and it’s really really interesting, it’s a good course, we’ve enjoyed it.
Q Do you have any plans after graduating?
JA: I’m planning on doing a Law conversion course as I’m hoping to go into Law. So next year I’m doing a Graduate Diploma in Law at a Law School. Because Philosophy doesn’t really, because there’s no kind of set routes for people studying Philosophy, so law is quite popular because of the type of skills you pick up. It’s very analytical and it kind of involves a lot of arguing, so it’s quite popular for Philosophy students to go into.
EN: I’m interning at the moment in a PR agency, so hopefully that’ll lead to something. If not, PR, Marketing, down that road.
EK: Well, I’m doing teacher training to be an RE teacher next year.
JL: I’m having a year out and I’m going to go travelling, then I’m going to apply to a grad scheme to be a buyer in a company somewhere.
IW: Well I’m doing a Secondary RE PGCE here, so I will be coming back in September, but it’ll be slightly different obviously