The most exciting thing about studying History at Birmingham

When I was looking at universities whilst in college, I was adamant that I wanted to do history as a joint honours, so today, I wanted to write a bit about the most exciting bits of studying history at UoB.

I'm someone who really enjoys looking at anything old, so I love visiting the museums and libraries on the main Edgbaston Campus. The Cadbury Research Library in Muirhead Tower has over 4 million manuscripts and more than 250,000 rare books, many of which come in handy with my assignments. I'm currently doing a module on women's history and I've found some of the material really helpful. Not only that, the staff are always willing to give a hand and there are plenty of resource guides on their website if you need any direction or guidance of what to look at in the archives. As a student, you don't have to book, which makes everything a bit easier if you fancy having an unplanned look through the archives.

Towards the east side of the campus, there's also the Barber Institute of Fine Arts. They hold regular exhibitions - one currently running is the 'Scent and the Art of the Pre-Raphaelites', showcasing Pre-Raphaelite artworks, with some paintings having a scent option that helps to re-create the suggested scent of the art. Like some other collections, this exhibition is free to enter, so as a student, it can be a great way to spend extra-time. The building also houses the Barber Library, which holds reference only books and catalogues, which is great if you're interested in history and visual culture.