Class of 2005
English Literature with American Studies
IF YOU STUDIED YOUR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMME AT YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY OR FOUNDER COLLEGES, DID YOU GO ON TO POSTGRADUATE STUDY?
Yes, somewhere else.
JOB:
Travel and Partnerships Manager – York Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
WHAT ARE YOUR FONDEST MEMORIES OF YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY?
The sense of community – every time you went to a lecture / walked round the library / walked into town / went in the (old!) SU etc you always saw someone you knew. It was a really welcoming and friendly environment.
Leaving home for the first time is a big step for anyone, and York was a brilliant place to be a student for 4 years. I loved the fact you could walk or cycle everywhere.
The social life was great too – lots of good nights in Ikon and Diva and Toffs!
At one point I had a weekend job in a golf shop on Petergate. I’ve never played golf in my life and ended up managing it on Sundays. Through student friends who worked in other local stores, I would go out on my lunch breaks and get freebies, often coming back with free sandwiches and fudge – my colleagues were always very impressed!
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YORK ST JOHN UNIVERSITY OR FOUNDER COLLEGES?
The prospect of living and studying in York was very appealing – and the campus was by far the nicest one I visited on the open days. I wanted to attend a smaller university and YSJ ticked all the boxes for me.
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING SINCE COMPLETING YOUR STUDIES?
Upon graduating I did a few one year contracts in marketing whilst doing a CIM post graduate qualification at York College. I then moved to Leeds and worked in schools for a number of years, before moving back to York and working for City of York Council in transport projects. I really enjoyed that and ended up working with York Hospital where I then went full time 6 years ago. I love my current job; it’s interesting, varied and I work with some great people. At the same time I helped set up Menfulness (York based mental health charity) which is going well and has been hugely rewarding – with family time it all keeps me busy!
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR SPECIFIC COURSE?
I chose English Lit as it was my best subject at school / sixth form, and at that time I had aspirations to go into teaching so it seemed a good fit. I also wanted to do something else to compliment it and American Studies offered history, culture and other interesting aspects. Ultimately I didn’t end up teaching (but did work in schools for a number of years), but the skills I learned studying for my degree did serve me well; I do a lot of writing and project management / organising which were all fundamentals on the courses I studied.
WHAT WERE THE BEST FEATURES OF YOUR COURSE?
I’m a big music, film and TV fan and really enjoyed the media-related modules I got to study on both courses. The reading lists were varied (if a bit overwhelming at times!) and I got to study with some great people; the group projects were always enjoyable.
WHAT ONE PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A CURRENT STUDENT, OR ONE ABOUT TO GRADUATE?
Current students – embrace everything student life can throw at you! University can offer so many opportunities to try new hobbies, sports and meet new people. You learn just as much outside of the classroom as in it too; I had many jobs when I was a student and those experiences were invaluable when I finished university. Prepare yourself for when you leave university; its a big change but embrace it. The hard work you put in at University should pay off in due course whatever you end up doing.
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