Shanti talks about the experience of chosing modules, getting involved in student societies and advice for prospective students.
"I’ve had a very unusual path to University and after finishing college, while most of my friends went straight to further study, I just couldn’t find a subject that sparked enough interest in me to want to study it full time and was a bit lost for a while. I ended up taking five years out, only deciding to continue to university after stumbling upon LANS as a course online. When I realised that I could control my degree and study a range of subjects that interested me, I felt like a light switch had been turned on and I knew that LANS was the right course for me. I chose UoB predominantly due to the vast range of subjects available and the cultural program which was cemented after exploring the University of Birmingham’s campus and meeting the wonderful staff in LANS.
I was a bit apprehensive about choosing my modules because I hadn’t studied in so long and wanted to choose subjects that I had no previous experience with. I needn’t have worried though because despite everything has been online, the support I needed was available. Staff have online office hours and were happy to answer any questions I had, there are lots of online resources and if you ever need to talk to someone about anything, academic or otherwise, the weekly LANS tutorials are incredibly useful.
As I had no idea what I wanted to do as a career, choosing six different modules gave me the space I needed to explore what direction I want to go in. I really enjoyed Understanding Politics and Social Divisions, particularly when discussing gender. As a result, all of my modules next year focus on gender and sexuality. Even though I still don’t know what career path I am going to follow, I have a better understanding of the direction I want to go in and the areas that interest me most.
I joined quite a few societies this year and although all of them have been online due to Covid-19, there has still been a great range of events and talks which I have loved being part of. The Women in Politics, Philosophy, Women and non-binary, and the LANS societies have all stood out. They all regularly have fun events like baking or movie nights, as well as more academic events, discussions, and debates. These, alongside the incredible cultural program that LANS offers, meant that despite lockdown, I’ve never been bored and always have something to look forward to.
My advice to prospective students is to talk to people! Get in touch with lecturers, tutors or students within LANS if you have any questions as everyone is more than happy to give you their honest opinion and advice. Also, don’t compare yourself to anyone when deciding what you want to do. Everyone is doing something different which is the beauty of LANS and that’s what makes the community so special!"