Keshia Austin - BA (Hons) English Language and Literature

I grew up in Portsmouth and completed an Access to Higher education course at the University.  I chose Portsmouth to study my degree because I was fully aware of the great facilities and support that is available to all students studying here.

I initially chose to study English Language because I am very interested in understanding more my own language.  I then decided to go for a dual degree, including literature, as I had become passionate about reading new pieces of literary work whilst on the Access course.

I intend go to Dubai for a year or two after graduating. One of the units on my degree is TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) so these skills should allow me to find employment easily.  After a year or two I plan to come back and do my English PGCE, as teaching within a secondary school is where my heart lies. On the other hand, the opportunities are endless once leaving university, as long as you keep an open mind.

In the BA (Hons) English Language and Literature course there are so many different units to choose from it seems that nobody is ever disappointed. Attending lectures by guest speakers is always very helpful and available to all students.   I have recently signed up to learn Arabic through the University of Portsmouth’s Institution-Wide Language Programme (IWLP). The course is free and does not eat into your timetable or social activities. I also enjoy teaching voluntarily at a Portsmouth secondary school, this being my old school. Here I am able to help students with their English, which is a great boost to my self-esteem.

The facilities at the University of Portsmouth are brilliant.  Every building has its own computer area and there are hundreds of computers at the University Library, so getting essays done away from home is very easy. As a student of English, you always hope that the Library will contain as many books as possible to satisfy everybody and at Portsmouth; this is very much the case.

I believe we have the best Student Finance team any university could ask for. As a relatively ‘mature’ student, I left a full-time job to fulfil my dream of becoming a secondary school teacher.  Money was a big issue for me in deciding whether I could do it, because I had to budget for expenses such as my own flat and car. The Student Finance team at Portsmouth were very kind in helping me with my finances and giving me extra help financially when it became available to me. I never seem to hear about any friends away at other universities being complimentary of their Student Finance teams.

The city of Portsmouth is small but has a lively connected feeling about it. There are many places to study in the open air such as parks and beaches, which is great leading up to end of year exams, when the sun is shining and you need to study, but don’t want to miss out on topping up your tan. The student nightlife is good, with many bars and clubs offering student deals on both food and drink seven days a week.