Sarrina studied the Lancaster University course Shakespeare’s Language: Revealing Meanings and Exploring Myths. She summarises the content of topics covered, including

• how Shakespeare’s life influenced his language and the words he created.

• the language of the time and how Shakespeare’s differed to it.

• how English was spoken at the time and the different classes in society.

• removing the misconceptions about Shakespeare.

Lauren chose the Edinburgh University course: How to read a novel and says,

“This course covered a range of topics that refreshed, but also built on my knowledge of novels and how to interpret them. What I found especially helpful was the information about characters in novels and more specifically how to understand their behaviour and motives. I felt this not only helped me outside of school when reading, but also within my classwork such as fully understanding the character of Gatsby and Nick in ‘The Great Gatsby’. The quizzes throughout the course and at the end encouraged me to consolidate the learning I had done. The course, as it covered a range of different novels, also sparked my interest to pursue reading one of the ones covered- ‘A Children’s Bible’ by Lydia Millet.”

The students will also have the benefit of being able to comment on the following skills in their personal statements and Unifrog applications:

– self-discipline

– stamina in completing independent study

– wider reading and insight beyond the course syllabus

– demonstration of commitment to study and development of cultural capital.