The Student Experience
The Student Voice - Student essay competition 2007
The English Subject Centre’s student essay competition, run in spring 2007, was a great success, and you can read the winning entries below. In gathering first-hand experience from students we were impressed by the number and quality of essays on the set topic of:
What advice would you give to students starting your course?
Together with the external assessor, we found that reading the essays gave us valuable insights into the student experience of English and the personal sacrifices, tribulations and joys of studying in higher education. The winner was Michael Aicken , an Open University student.
The competition is an annual Higher Education Academy event in which all Subject Centres participate. The winner of the English Subject Centre competition goes forward to a national competition involving students from all disciplines.
Winning Entry
Michael Aicken - Open University (44.5kb)
'I have enjoyed reading poems that I might otherwise not have read and, by flipping backwards and forwards, from the poems by Christina Rossetti, for example, I have been able to put her writing in context with that of her contemporaries.'
Runner up
Greg Dean - St Martin’s College, Lancaster (45kb)
'Whether you are prepared for it or not, the course will entice you into another world. The academic environment and the range of texts open a door.'
Last Year's Entries
How does your experience of your course compare with any expectations you may have had?
Read essays on this topic from our 2006 essay competition -->
