Roseanna Keane

BA History (Penryn Campus)

What has been the highlight of your time at Exeter (Penryn campus)?

I think the highlight of my experience was moving to Falmouth in the third year, because it is such a magical place to be! There town centre and the beach are a short walk away, and the pubs are very quirky, including cocktail bars and live music venues. Plus of course you learn to become more independent, choosing what you want to cook, washing your own clothes, and meeting people from all walks of life. I feel I gained a lot of confidence from this experience.

What will you miss the most about University?

You become very close to the people you live with, so that you become a close-knit family, which will be the part I will miss the most. If you find the right group to share your experience with, you can socialise together as well as helping each other through difficult deadlines! Our group were not the clubbing type, however we enjoyed cooking and making cocktails together, or watching our favourite series’ on TV.

What did you enjoy about your particular programme?

I particularly enjoyed the third year, because although you had a reduced number of modules, you were given a lot more freedom to specialise within the subjects. You could choose your own path of research, using the library and the archives, and really make the piece of work your own. I also loved the seminars, because as long as you were prepared with the reading, you could have a really deep (and sometimes heated!) discussion about the content.

What advice would you give to current and future students?

What I would say is never feel afraid to go to your lecturers to ask them questions about the assignments, or even just to drop into their office for a chat about how you feel you are progressing. In the history department, the lecturers are very approachable and friendly, because they care about how you are doing as an individual and how you are enjoying the course. This also goes for your fellow students, who will most likely be experiencing the same issues you are!

Finally, have fun in your first year, but also try your hardest. It is in this year that you will learn those all-important skills, and make those key mistakes, that will prepare you for the second and third year, which do count towards the final grade.

What are your plans now that you have graduated?

Now that I have graduated, I really would like to pursue further study in Queen Mary’s University London, and I am waiting on an application for that. If this does not work out, I am also applying for internships working with the Royal Collection, the British Library, and the Natural History Museum. These jobs will hopefully help me to save up for further study in the future.