Dhara discusses her experience as a third-year student studying the BA English Literature with Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia (UEA)
I am local to Norwich and wasn't quite ready to move away from home. I also loved the atmosphere at the university's open days. I was initially very worried that commuting to university would affect my student experience, but it has turned out to be the best decision for me. It's a perfect balance of lectures and learning at university, and then getting to unwind, relax and rest while spending time with my family at home.
Choosing my course was very tricky. I used to be quite indecisive and unsure about my future career. I was torn between psychology and English literature with a focus on creative writing. I had always been a creative person, excelling in my English lessons, and I genuinely loved creative writing. But I didn't know of any possible careers with an English degree, other than teaching.
I was drawn to psychology because, according to my preconceptions and stereotypes, it seemed to lead to a more stable career path, leaning towards the STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) side.
Since I knew I didn't want to be a teacher, I was torn between my passions and more 'realistic' options. I ended up applying for both subjects through UCAS and chose psychology.
Unfortunately, after studying it for a few weeks, I realised I had made the wrong decision and fell into a deep crisis, feeling as though I had doomed my creative career.
After speaking with my adviser at the School of Psychology, I had many meetings with admissions and academic staff at the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing, who supported me in my degree transfer to the BA English Literature with Creative Writing.
During an intensive Christmas period, I caught up on assessments, lectures and reading and settled into the right degree.
It felt like the school truly believed in me and wanted to help me find my place. Indeed, I did, and that was when I knew UEA was the right place for me. I chose to transfer courses because I missed feeling creative, writing and reading stories, as that is where my passions, skills and strengths lie. If you love what you're studying, it makes your degree so much more fun.
There are no exams - it is entirely coursework-based. In the first year, you study six core modules that introduce you to literature and the basics of creative writing:
The aim of the literature side is to bridge the gap between sixth-form or college and university-level learning. By referencing, engaging in critical thinking, and offering criticism, all core skills are learned. This is where I had the most fun in creative writing: experimenting and pushing myself outside my comfort zone.
I love the fact that you can build your own degree, as after the first year, you can pick all your modules.
The second year has been my favourite, as I got to pick brand-new and challenging topics I had never studied before, such as 'Early Modern Literature', and then move on to 'Victorian Writing and Romanticism'. I specialised in 'Prose and Scriptwriting' on the creative side.
I also got to take a module all about 'Publishing', which was very new to me. Our final project was a group project in which we designed our own publishing company, covering finances, business, sales, editorial, marketing and design. This module was invaluable for learning about the publishing industry, gaining many transferable skills, and having so much fun developing a creative portfolio for my assessment.
It has truly been some of the best years of my life. I used to be a very shy student. I always got on with my studies and never had the confidence beyond that. University is where I've truly come out of my shell, and that's because I've pushed myself as much as possible to get out of my comfort zone, try new things and do things I'm scared of.
There are so many opportunities I've had the privilege of taking part in, from being a UEA student content creator and filming videos for UEA's social media channels, to being a student ambassador delivering welcome talks in full lecture theatres of 500 people at UEA open days, and helping out with large-scale events and conferences.
I've engaged thoroughly with UEA outreach as a student ambassador, particularly in giving student life and subject talks in disadvantaged schools to share my story and inspire others.
Part of this includes being a student coordinator for the Black Humanities Project, where I developed and delivered my own careers workshop for Years 8 and 9, and ran an on-campus event. I'm even getting to work on a podcast for this project. In addition to getting paid, these student jobs have been so much fun that they don't feel like work at all.
I also work as a student of colour ambassador for the UEA Students' Union, where I designed and delivered my own EDI (equality, diversity, and inclusion) training to UEA Careers SU, Outreach, Study Abroad, Library, and academic staff.
We create cultural events and workshops, and I even got to host and MC UEA's flagship cultural event 'Go Global' in front of a live audience of 800 people. I thought university was just about getting your degree, and I never thought I would be presented with opportunities like this, which I'm so grateful for.
I love being busy, and university is perfect for that. I feel as though I have truly immersed myself in all things UEA, and it has really paid off. I was awarded UEA's 'Student Ambassador of the Year' in 2025 and have met so many lovely people along the way.
My goals were to maintain my academic progress, enter two university Taekwondo competitions (which I did and medalled), keep writing my novel and reading books outside my degree, and start content creation on my personal social media account, which was a new venture.
Aside from part-time jobs, I took up Taekwondo after trying many different sports taster sessions. Growing up, I wasn't a sporty person, but I knew I wanted to get into fitness. I joined Taekwondo and haven't looked back since.
After consistent training, the sport came very naturally to me, despite having never done martial arts before. I began competing nationally and have been winning medals at each competition. The high school version of me would be absolutely shocked to learn that I am now a student-athlete, but I truly cannot imagine my life without Taekwondo.
I also got involved in volunteering on the club committee - from being publicity officer, vice-president, to leading the club as president and have gained invaluable skills and so many memories from this.
This year, I decided to join MMA and gymnastics - and while they certainly didn't come as naturally as Taekwondo did, I met so many lovely people and enjoyed the process of learning some very cool new skills and tricks.
I have tried to do as much as possible and indulge in as many side-quests as possible. I have genuinely had so much fun along the way, discovering who I am and pushing myself beyond the limits I used to set.
The initial support with my degree transfer was invaluable, and I have also used the careers service to get help with my part-time job applications.
One of the biggest and most unexpected, however, is the staff teams that I have worked with within my roles in the SU and UEA Outreach teams, who are all so supportive in helping me gain invaluable experience and develop skills to add to my CV.
Continue content creation, applying to lots of summer internships and then ultimately securing a graduate internship in marketing, social media or communications. I would also love to pursue an English literature Masters after that.
I love all things public speaking and media, so my dream is to combine my skills and passions to become a presenter/show host, or to pursue a career in social media/communications or journalism.
