Literature degrees in Birmingham

Newman has phenomenal lecturers who have at least 10+ years in experience in their fields. They are incredibly friendly and understanding. They personally know majority if not all students. You can always contact them easily whether that's through an email or a knock on the door. On top of that, the lecturers have attended the university themselves during their career which I think contributes greatly to the learning experience - they know how it feels to be in our shoes in this very university. The atmosphere is inviting and warm. Everyone knows everyone and all staff and students go out of their way to help and support new students to fit into this little community. It honestly feels like a second home and I understand why Newman is number 1 in student satisfaction. Moreover, Newman takes pride in their library facilities. The library, which spans across 3 floors, provides a vast amount of books, journals ,articles and even physical interactive materials to take with us to teaching placements. There are silent, bookable rooms for when you need absolute quiet or an area with booths to work on group projects. The library staff are a must mention! There over 10 members of staff at the library, some of which have knowledge on each subject taught at the university if you're looking for that extra support. They can guide you and provide information on anything you need. Student support is a facility within the library that can help you write your assignments if you get stuck and need a boost. The class sizes are small too so you really get in-depth learning.

University of Birmingham is located in an excellent location with good transport links to the whole of the UK. It supports an array of state of the art facilities in a campus which feels like home. Home to the Commonwealth Games 2022, the sports facilities are fantastic, and the campus is only a short bus ride from Edgbaston cricket grounds. We even have an art gallery and archeology museum! Selly Oak nearby has everything you could ask for as a student, including Circo! Student services provide great well being support, providing free counselling services and also an anonymous platform to discuss concerns at any time. The guild supports some of the biggest and best societies in the UK and you'll certainly find something that intrigues you! The only thing that feels lacking at times is the teaching and the engagement of lecturers with the cohort. Courses are still taught to the highest academic level, but the student experience could be greatly improved by greater co-operation with students. There is also little opportunity for research studentships etc at the University, and this is something you may have to look beyond for.

Very modern, welcoming campus. A lot of facilities and resources that are easily accessible to students. A vast amount of creative spaces to utilise. Parkside is surrounded by green spaces and plenty of social areas. Curzon Library has a large collection of academic resources and very good student support services. Would ideally love if there were more cheap food and drink places closer to campus. Also if some of the facilities like printing (e.g laser/high quality printing) were cheaper or even somewhat free for design students.

The best part is that progressing through each year for me was very smooth and easy. Difficult problems though stressful at times do eventually get sorted out. Everything is in one area easy to navigate. Hardest part is that you have to be very proactive at uni lectures don’t find you, departments don’t necessarily find you. You have to be aware of what’s going on and figure out who you need to speak to in order to not miss things and get matters sorted.