That was the most common way my parents introduced me to friends, family and strangers. That was the first thing people knew about me. That’s still the first thing people know about me, which is wonderful as I have a quick and easy explanation of why I chose my course.
It might have been obvious to everyone (shout out to my mother!) that I would choose to study English Literature, but it wasn’t to me. I had a myriad of interests throughout my childhood and adolescence that pushed me away from the course.
I love history and travelling; I wanted to be an archaeologist. In every country we travelled to, I forced my family to visit a museum, and I have mementoes and photos from them all. Unfortunately, I hate the feeling of bugs and dirt on my skin, so I was forced to let that dream go. Since I love travelling so much, I decided I would study languages and linguistics, but grammar rules quickly killed that dream. Despite that, I chose to do French for both GCSEs and A-Levels last academic year, and while linguistics is still very fascinating to me, it’s not enough for me to study in higher education. For years, I wanted to study psychology, but my lack of love (and concentration!) for Chemistry narrowed my attention to literature.
Notice the fact that I mentioned only literature?
I studied Comparative Literature in Queen Mary University of London right after my A-Levels. I loved it – it was amazing, and I learned so much from that one year, which I carry with me now. I like to explain it as “English Literature with more languages and modern fiction”. It usually did the job. However, I dropped out and took a year off university to work as an admin at a mortgage broker firm due to my struggling to cope with the rapid changes in my life due to COVID-19. I then decided to study as a financial and mortgage adviser to see if a traditional university life wasn’t for me.
While I liked the financial industry, my heart was set on studying literature, and I re-applied to Westminster to study English Literature. The open day was the ultimate reason I was set on this university. The student ambassadors were so kind, and the teachers were incredibly engaging. I loved the non-traditional approach to assignments – presentations, portfolios, posters, and debates. The level of support I get from this university is astonishing, and the novel idea of two specific, specialised tutors who would be able to help me personally and academically is incredible.
While I took a more meandering journey to Westminster as a whole, it has helped me gain confidence in myself and opened my mind to more opportunities. I’m more active now and go out to art exhibitions and activities like pottery, charms making and life drawing on my own. I plan to go to a bookbinding workshop and a cooking class by migrants. I’m not entirely sure what I would like to do once I graduate; perhaps I will go into publishing or editing or go back to the finance industry. I know that life is unexpected, and I will certainly not let opportunities pass me by.
Mubina Rahman