Questions

Hello Natasha, I am a prospective student from Sri Lanka and I am awaiting admission to the University of Birmingham for the MA in Antiquity, specializing in Classics and Ancient History. My finances are not up to the level to fulfil the tuition fees and thus, I would like to consider a few options to work part time. I am interested in becoming a campus ambassador and take any part time work available for international students. Would you please help me on this? I would be highly grateful if you could tell me how much I can earn on average working? Thank you very much for your time. Best regards.

What was your motivation for undertaking postgraduate study?

My undergraduate degree studying Ancient History at the University of Birmingham was both intellectually stimulating and inspiring which is what motivated me to pursue it further in the form of a Master’s. During my time as an undergraduate I studied various ancient civilisations and became keenly aware of the links between them, which is one of the reasons I find Ancient History so fascinating. I wanted the opportunity to explore this further and was attracted by the broadness that the Classics and Ancient History pathway offered. I was able to specifically focus on the areas of Ancient History I had enjoyed the most and broaden my knowledge of these areas.

Have you joined any clubs or societies, gone on any research trips or done any volunteering?

I currently hold a part-time job as a Receptionist at the Guild of Students and am also involved with the society Intervol, an international volunteering society which recruits students to volunteer in various destinations across the globe. Having previously been selected for one of their programmes, I am training new volunteers to undertake their own programmes this summer. I also volunteer at two local museums in Birmingham; at The Coffin Works I am currently working with their collections and at The Pen Museum I have taken on the role of the Communications and Marketing volunteer, aiding the museum to rebrand themselves.

What, for you, are the best things about the course?

One particular aspect of the course that has been truly beneficial are the flexible contact hours. This has allowed me to undertake a part time job to help fund my studies and also volunteer in local museums in order to gain more experience about the sector I wish to have a future career in. Furthermore, I have also enjoyed the way the course operates, which is mainly seminar-based. This allows you to debate on matters and engage with your peers and tutors more efficiently to allow for creative discussion and fun and interactive sessions.