Page 89 iStudy Guide 2019/20
P. 89
iStudy
2019/20
89
WHY ENGLAND?
THE UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE
In Bulgaria, choosing a high school is as detrimental, as
choosing a university is, if not more. I have an affinity
for languages so I knew I would choose a language
school, but I had already mastered English, so I was
looking for a new challenge. I chose German and,
consequently, I was expected to study in Germany or
Austria – it is just what everybody did. Medicine in
Vienna or Berlin would have been the most obvious
choice, so when I chose to study English and Creative
Writing in Birmingham, I was met with puzzled looks.
In my country, creative writing does not exist as a
degree – you are either born as writer or you do not
write at all, and the idea that you would spend years
of your education studying something that is ‘more of
a talent than a profession’ is bewildering to most. My
grandfather is still in the process of understanding my
course; after our last conversation he concluded that I
am studying ‘fast-paced writing’.
Choosing to study in England was mostly based
on my love for English language and literature, the
opportunity to develop my own writing, and perhaps
a healthy dose of obstinacy against expectations. And
although Berlin is a mirage for writers itself, I could
not imagine myself anywhere else, but at the birthplace
of Dickens, Byron, Shelley and Tolkien. All my favourite
writers were British, so I endeavoured to find that same
inspiration which formed them artistically, and England
seemed like the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
The English educational culture is massively different
from the Bulgarian one. It is highly practical and does
not bother you with unnecessary details, and it is based
on practice, rather than memorising notes for exams.
I was also shocked when asked to communicate on a
first-name basis with my lecturers and tutors, and could
not quite grasp the sense of familiarity and friendliness
that I had not previously associated with education.
Seminars were my biggest fear at first – I remember
coming up with pre-written answers every time I had
to take part in a discussion and nervously stuttering
through a statement I would have easily made had
I been talking to my friends. But that is the thing – in
university everyone is your friend, including professors.
In fact, during those discussions I learned more than I
would have from any book or exam preparation. My fear
of being the odd one out – considering that my course is
mostly studied by native English students – was entirely
ill-founded. If anything, being an international student
can sometimes be an advantage when drawing on
different sources for your studies and essay writing.
Spending most of our time on campus allowed me
to meet all kinds of people. The Guild is the meeting
place for students, in which you can find everything
from yoga classes and vintage markets to book sales
and parties. Different interests are encouraged and
stimulated through various societies, no matter how
unconventional – the tea and the baking societies are
just as popular as the business and the accounting
ones. However, it was the Bulgarian Society where I
found family away from home, although I knew I could
always count on welfare officers, who are genuinely
interested in students’ prosperity and wellbeing.
2019/20
89
WHY ENGLAND?
THE UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE
In Bulgaria, choosing a high school is as detrimental, as
choosing a university is, if not more. I have an affinity
for languages so I knew I would choose a language
school, but I had already mastered English, so I was
looking for a new challenge. I chose German and,
consequently, I was expected to study in Germany or
Austria – it is just what everybody did. Medicine in
Vienna or Berlin would have been the most obvious
choice, so when I chose to study English and Creative
Writing in Birmingham, I was met with puzzled looks.
In my country, creative writing does not exist as a
degree – you are either born as writer or you do not
write at all, and the idea that you would spend years
of your education studying something that is ‘more of
a talent than a profession’ is bewildering to most. My
grandfather is still in the process of understanding my
course; after our last conversation he concluded that I
am studying ‘fast-paced writing’.
Choosing to study in England was mostly based
on my love for English language and literature, the
opportunity to develop my own writing, and perhaps
a healthy dose of obstinacy against expectations. And
although Berlin is a mirage for writers itself, I could
not imagine myself anywhere else, but at the birthplace
of Dickens, Byron, Shelley and Tolkien. All my favourite
writers were British, so I endeavoured to find that same
inspiration which formed them artistically, and England
seemed like the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
The English educational culture is massively different
from the Bulgarian one. It is highly practical and does
not bother you with unnecessary details, and it is based
on practice, rather than memorising notes for exams.
I was also shocked when asked to communicate on a
first-name basis with my lecturers and tutors, and could
not quite grasp the sense of familiarity and friendliness
that I had not previously associated with education.
Seminars were my biggest fear at first – I remember
coming up with pre-written answers every time I had
to take part in a discussion and nervously stuttering
through a statement I would have easily made had
I been talking to my friends. But that is the thing – in
university everyone is your friend, including professors.
In fact, during those discussions I learned more than I
would have from any book or exam preparation. My fear
of being the odd one out – considering that my course is
mostly studied by native English students – was entirely
ill-founded. If anything, being an international student
can sometimes be an advantage when drawing on
different sources for your studies and essay writing.
Spending most of our time on campus allowed me
to meet all kinds of people. The Guild is the meeting
place for students, in which you can find everything
from yoga classes and vintage markets to book sales
and parties. Different interests are encouraged and
stimulated through various societies, no matter how
unconventional – the tea and the baking societies are
just as popular as the business and the accounting
ones. However, it was the Bulgarian Society where I
found family away from home, although I knew I could
always count on welfare officers, who are genuinely
interested in students’ prosperity and wellbeing.
