5 Things I wish I’d known about Clearing

By Paneez Pouryan

When does clearing open?

If you were eligible for early clearing this would have opened on the 5 July, but the main clearing for all students opens on results day the 17 August at 8 am.

How to apply?

Ring our clearing hotline with your grades, UCAS id, and the course you want to study ready. If your grades match the requirements and the degree has vacancy you will be issued a verbal offer of your acceptance. Then you will be given a 24 hour deadline to self release yourself from an existing university or add a clearing choice on your UCAS application using the code for your degree you want to study. Once this is done and your grades are verified you will receive final confirmation of your acceptance.

What courses are available?

Not every degree will be available for clearing due to limited spots, so we advise you to use the clearing course finder on our website to check if we your course is available. When you call the hotline they will inform you if the course has space.

What is the 24 hour deadline?

This window of time is for you to decide if your 100% sure you want to go through clearing it gives you time to make the decision and consider all your options as once you self release from an existing university and get accepted through clearing you can’t go back so take your time deciding! It is important you update your UCAS application before the 24 hours as after that your spot is not guaranteed. If for any reason you can’t do it in 24 hours call us and let us know! Depending on the circumstances you may be able to get an extended deadline.

When will I receive information on accommodation and lectures?

The UCAS website can take up to 1 or 2 days to update your application but once you have officially got into QMUL you will receive emails within a few days and over the next month updating you. If you have any other questions most things can be found on our website.

20 things to look forward to in 2020

Here’s 20 things (in no particular order) that are happening in 2020 in the School of English and Drama at Queen Mary University of London

  1. Aoife Monks (Drama) becomes the Arts and Culture Lead for QMUL in 2020.
  2. Caoimhe McAvinchey (Drama) has been awarded AHRC grant funding to work on a project around Clean Break.
  3. Our new Head of School is Catherine Silverstone (Drama).
  4. QMUL English graduate and contributor to our Poetry module, Caleb Femi will publish his new book Poor in July 2020.
  5. The New English Programme Launches – Discover the new programme involves in this PDF.
  6. We welcome Dominic Johnson (Drama) as our new Head of Drama from July 2020.
  7. New Suite of MA Courses including MA English Literature: Modern and Contemporary and MA English Literature: Literature and Culture 1700-1900 .
  8. New module London Global runs for the first time in 2020.
  9. Drama in Education module is launched and led by Maggie Inchley working with schools.
  10. Joel Grossman (English) will be hosting a widening participation event aimed at young BAME+ men.
  11. Sarah Bartley joins the Drama Department.
  12. Swati Arora also joins the Drama Department.
  13. Patrick Flanery‘s The Ginger Child: On Family, Loss and Adoption is released on paperback on 6 February 2020.
  14. Show and Tell podcast platform continues on 5 February 2020.
  15. Careers events include an LGBT+ event (12 Feb), a Media Summit (19 Feb) and an event on Law Careers for non-Law students (13 Mar TBC).
  16. Jaclyn Rajsic is the co-organiser of Brut in New Troy, which takes place from 26-29 June.
  17. We will be at English Shared Futures conference from 26-28 June 2020.
  18. Nadia Valman (English) continues her Leverhulme Research fellowship to produce the first literary history of east London – the site where key national questions such as social mobility, immigration, and urban regeneration are repeatedly contested.
  19. We are launching our Higher Education Achievement Record Awards for Arts intern and Student publication to give students extra activities on their degree record.
  20. We welcome Eoin Bentick to our English department in January 2020.

Did we miss anything? Leave a comment below with your suggestions…

Things I wish I’d known when I started at Queen Mary

People are always willing and happy to help; you just have to ask.

Starting uni can be nerve-racking and no doubt you’ll have questions- don’t be afraid to ask them! Whether it’s something small like asking for directions or even asking a tutor or classmate for help with an assignment, everyone is super friendly and wants to help. Instead of walking around campus for 15 minutes and ending up late for a lecture, just ask someone to point you in the correct direction and voila!

I never realised how often I was hungry, until I noticed how much I was spending on food.

Yes, it’s enjoyable to eat out, but no, it’s not feasible to do so every day. I found myself constantly popping back and forth between the library and Sainsbury’s, across the road, for snacks. But I realised if I just woke up a little earlier every day, I could pack myself a good enough lunch which would mean I wouldn’t have to buy food during the day, saving myself a good £6-7 a day; it really does add up.

Tutors have office hours, but if you can’t make them it doesn’t mean you can’t see them.

When I started uni, sometimes I’d want to see a lecturer or my advisor about something but I would find I was busy during their 1-2 office hours of the week. Instead of emailing them about it I would wait weeks until I happened to be free during that narrow time slot. But eventually I realised, if I just popped them an email letting them know I couldn’t make it, they were more than happy to rearrange a meeting at a time convenient for us both. Everyone here is super accommodating and is here to make your time at university the best it can be.

The Careers Service is a gem.

The Careers Service can help you in finding a job or any kind of work experience, whether it be a part-time retail job or an internship at a big firm. What’s also great about them is that you can book appointments with relatively short notice where they’ll review your CV for you, pointing out where it can be improved, so it stands out amongst the many other applications employers receive. They also offer interview practice; in combination, all these aspects add up to an increased likelihood of securing competitive jobs.

New Videos: English and Drama at Queen Mary

We’re excited to premiere these new videos about life studying Drama and English with us at Queen Mary.

We’re very proud of all of our graduates and would like to thank all of those who took part in the interviews at graduation this year.

Drama at QMUL

English at QMUL

 

Let us know your thoughts on the videos on Twitter @qmulsed or why not record your own memory for our #SEDstories competition here.

Meet our Honorary Graduate and Fellows 2017: Peggy Shaw, Kazi Ruksana Begum, Virginia Simpson and Daljit Nagra

At graduation we honour the work of people in our field with Honorary Degrees and Fellowships.

This year there were a record four people given these honours:

Kazi Ruksana Begum – Fellowship

Kazi Ruksana Begum is the producer of A Season of Bangla Drama, a dazzling festival of Bengali culture. Working with QMUL she has helped the university connect with the local Bengali community and form partnerships with students, researchers, policymakers and artists.

Peggy Shaw – The award of Doctor of Letters (DLitt)

New York born Peggy Shaw (Actor, writer and producer) is one of the most important feminist and lesbian perfomance makers of the 20th and 21st centuries. She and Lois Weaver (QMUL) have made work together since the 1970s including the WOW (Women One World) festival and with their theatre company Split Britces.

Virginia Simpson – Fellowship

Virginia (Gini) Simpson is an arts strategist who hot houses new artists through initiatives such as ‘The Sick of the Fringe’. She was Head of Learning and Participation at the Barbican, Head of Media Arts at SPACE in Hackney and has been a pioneer in bringing new-media arts to the forefront of the creative industries.

Daljit Nagra – Fellowship

Daljit is one of contemporary Britain’s most successful, well-known, and critically acclaimed poets. His fourth collection British Library, was published by Faber and Faber in 2017.

See some of Daljit’s work with QMUL’s English department here

 

Find out more about the School on our website here

What next after Queen Mary? Jobs & Further Study – How we can help!

Graduating from University can be a very exciting and sometimes scary time.

We’re here to help with some advice about your next steps including jobs and further study.

References

Your tutors can give references but please remember to ask their permission before putting any details in a job application etc. Their email addresses are in their staff profiles.

QM Careers

Please do take advantage of the services available to you for 2 years after you graduate from Queen Mary.

Mailing Lists to Join

  • Arts Jobs: Arts Council England’s jobs portal. Good for jobs in the creative entries.
  • ArtsAdmin E-digest: Good for Arts Jobs in performance.
  • The Dots: A good source of jobs, opportunities and a place to make an online portfolio.
  • Jobs.ac.uk: Great for jobs in universities and further education.
  • Mediargh: Good place to find internships in media.

How tos

Further study

Masters

  • There is an £1,000 discount for QMUL graduates for our English and Drama Masters programmes.
  • If you’re a Home student you can also apply for a UK Government Postgraduate Loan.

Studying while earning

Get a whole lot of work experience whilst learning with graduate schemes, paid internships and part time study.

Clearing and Results Day 2017 FAQ – School of English and Drama

Update: Clearing and adjustment in the School of English and Drama is now closed for 2017 entry.

Congratulations if you’ve already got your grades and are coming to study with us. Welcome information is here.

Don’t worry if you’re not in this situation.

We’re here to help you on our dedicated Clearing and Confirmation hotline on results day and beyond.

Call our Queen Mary Clearing hotline:

0800 376 1800 or +44 (0)20 7882 5511 (international)

The clearing hotline is open at the following times…

Thursday 17 August 7.30am – 7pm
Friday 18 August 8am – 7pm
Saturday 19 August 9am – 2pm
Sunday 20 August Closed
Monday 21 August 9am – 5pm
Tuesday 22 August 9am – 5pm

Complete our enquiry form to get a reply

What does Clearing mean for you?

For some of you it’ll be when you first discover Queen Mary or it might offer you a chance to change your mind about what you want to do or present an opportunity to talk to us about your interest in our programmes.

 

When is the Clearing period?

The main clearing period starts on A Level results day, Thursday 17 August 2017 and ends on the first day of term (Monday 18 September).

However, you can always get in touch with us before clearing starts (or anytime afterwards) to register an interest in one of our degrees.

 

Which courses have availability within the School of English and Drama?

There are a limited number of places available on the following programmes:

Please call us as soon as you have your results to ensure the maximum chance of getting a place.

          

 

How do I apply through Clearing?

Please call the main Queen Mary Clearing hotline on to discuss your options with us: 0800 376 1800 or +44 (0)20 7882 5511.

 

Where will I live?

Before making enquiries into accommodation while you study with us it’s best to make sure you have an offer and accept it. This will allow us to access the resources available within our accommodation team more easily. We can then help you either find accommodation on campus or private accommodation nearby.

Queen Mary Student Accommodation

There are limited number of rooms available on site, which are allocated to Clearing applicants via a ballot.

Private Rented Accommodation

There are a large number of privately rented rooms and shared accommodation options available in the surrounding area.

Find out more about accommodation here

 

Can I come and visit you?

There are Clearing Visit Days on:

  • Wednesday 16 August: 1pm – 5pm
  • Thursday 17 August (Results Day): 9am – 6pm
  • Friday 18 August: 10am – 1pm

These days start at Queens’ Building Reception at our Mile End campus. (map). If you’d like to visit the School or meet a member of our teaching team please complete this form and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.

 

How do I apply for student finance?

Please see our handy student finance guide here for more information about student finance.

 

How do I get more advice?

See the full Queen Mary University of London Clearing Guide here

Independent advice is available from Which! University Guide or contact us and we’ll be more than happy to advise.

 

Share your #SEDstories & you could win £250!

Just extended until 4 September 2017 at 17:00 BST.

We are inviting current SED students and graduates to share their experience of studying at Queen Mary through video and photography to win some big cash prizes!

Theme

What’s your SED story? Film yourself or take a photo of something that represents your time studying at Queen Mary. If using a photo, please include a caption with your story.

Prizes

  • Grand prize winner will win £250
  • 5 x highly commended prizes of £50
  • 10 x runner up prizes of £10

Each winner’s work will be used to show the School to the world and will be exhibited in a prominent location within the ArtsOne building.

How to enter

Simply use the hashtag #SEDstories with your picture or video on Twitter or Instagram or use the online form below.

The competition now closes on Monday 4 September 2017 at 17:00 BST. Please note that the School of English and Drama reserves the right to use all entries to promote the School on the Queen Mary and SED website, in publications, on School and Queen Mary Social Media accounts with credit of course.

Here’s some hashtags to help get you started:

#Multicultural #Art #Theatre #Medieval #Queer #Maps #Canal #LiveArt #Body #Gender #Narrative #18thC #Literature #Philosophy #London #Postcolonialism #Performance #Campus  #BestinBow #Romanticism

[woobox offer=’w634tw’]

Terms and Conditions

Entries must be made by using the hashtag #SEDstories or using the entry form. You can only enter if you’re a current School of English and Drama at QMUL student or alumnus. Entries must be received by the closing date 31 July 2017 at 17:00 BST extended until Monday 4 September 2017 at 17:00 BST. You can enter as many times as you like and each photo or video will count as one entry. Winners will be selected by a panel of judges and you will be notified by email or direct message on social media if you win. Please note that the School of English and Drama reserves the right to use all entries to promote the School on the Queen Mary and SED website, in publications, on School and Queen Mary Social Media accounts with credit of course.

Support SED graduate Scott Roberts’ new book box subscription service, SwiftLit

2016 graduate Scott Roberts is launching an exciting new book subscription box called SwiftLit.

The service delivers newly released works of paperback fiction direct to subscribers doors every month, along with some bookish treats and exclusive items!

On the site, you can register an interest and be automatically entered to win the first box for free when SwiftLit launches in September 2017.

Here is the link to the website: www.swiftlit.co.uk

Instagram: @swiftlituk

Facebook: SwiftLitUK

And Twitter: @SwiftLitUK

For an introduction to Scott and the project see the Instagram caption below.

Intros. Hey everyone! My name is Scott and I am the creator of SwiftLit. I thought I should upload at least one selfie to introduce myself and give a little background on the company. So here goes! . I graduated university after studying English for 3 years and for the past year I’ve been working as a Bookseller. SwiftLit I suppose came about when due to some unfortunate changes in the company I work for, I faced the possibility of losing my job as a Bookseller. This was a job I’d dreamed of for YEARS and I knew that somehow I had to keep bookselling in my life even if the worst happened and I lost my job. So I used that fearful kick to start investigating the launch of my own company and now here we are. . I have thought long and hard about what I want SwiftLit to represent. Below are just a few points that have gone into forming the business so far. . 1️⃣ I want to provide a subscription box that offers great literary fiction to everyone in an accessible way. 2️⃣ I want to communicate the passion I have for books with a wider group of readers. 3️⃣ I want to challenge people to read things they may not have considered picking up before. 4️⃣ I want to create a company that offers individuals the chance to connect over a passion for books and lively debate! . I’m sure in the evolution of this company many things will likely change, but the core points raised above are at the centre of SwiftLit’s ethos and I hope to bring that into everything we do. . Thank you for reading! Coming up I shall be uploading some of my favourite reads to give you all an insight into the kinds of books you can expect in our boxes! . #swiftlit #book #read #bookstagram #bibliophile #booknerd #instabooks #igreads #bookboy #subscriptionbox #bookbox #bookworm

A post shared by SwiftLit (@swiftlituk) on

Goodbye for now from Head of Drama, Dr Bridget Escolme

Hi everyone,

As a lot of you know, each Head of Drama at QMUL takes on the post for three years and then hands it on. Today’s my last day as Head and I’m writing to thank all of you for making it such a pleasure. When I’m asked what it’s like  at QMUL I always say that its brilliant, creative, energetic, original students make it an extraordinary place to work (and the staff too, of course!). Thanks to everyone I’ve worked with on Costume Dramas, Madness and Theatricality, London Theatre Now, Performing Shakespeare, MA/MSc Performing Mental Health.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the projects I did to keep me going through some of the less exciting bits of admin (trips to Bath, Coriolanus at the Barbican, Wiltons). Thanks to everyone who’s come to see me about everything from Theatre Company, to new societies, to Diversity in the Drama Curriculum. Thanks to all the student reps and all the ambassadors. Thanks to everyone who’s participated in this amazing Department over the past three years.

Next up as Head is Caoimhe McAvinchey. I know you’re all going to enjoy working with her enormously.

See you at graduation if you’re a Finalist; best of luck to everyone for next year.

Much love,

Bridget.

Dr Bridget Escolme
Head of Drama
School of English and Drama
Queen Mary University of London
London E1 4NS.

Queen Mary English student Seren Morris makes news with London citizen journalist competition win

Queen Mary student and Tower Hamlets citizen journalist Seren Morris was awarded Third Prize in the 2017 London Voices journalist competition sponsored by The Media Society and London Learning Consortium at a high profile event at the London Reform Club last week. 

Seren’s written entry considers the problems of London students trying to earn a living wage, and was part of a competition designed to encourage new talent into journalism.

Dubbed London Voices, the competition aims to promote emerging journalism talent across the capital and to generate a range of new perspectives and ideas about London. Aspiring citizen journalists submitted articles, videos or photos which debated and challenged the ways people think about their communities. The competition was launched against a background of discussion about the proliferation of ‘fake news’, and is part of an attempt to fight back by encouraging citizens to become part of reporting ‘real’ news about their communities and issues.

Seren has just completed her second year at Queen Mary, University of London, where she studies English Lit.  She interviewed six London students about the vexed issue of trying to earn a living wage for work and internships, and the problems they face surviving economically while needing to take low (or no) paying work relevant to their studies and future work prospects. Her magazine-style entry can be watched on the London Voices website at http://www.londonlc.org.uk/london-voices/.

Media Society judges Patrick Barrow and Barney Jones loved Seren’s “beautifully presented” article and felt it was, “detailed, thoughtful and clear, with some great photos and graphics”. She was presented with her award by President of The Media Society, Richard Peel.

Seren credits her interest in journalism to both the Welsh tradition of celebrating arts and literature, and her mum and grandmother’s talent for creative writing and poetry.  She also values the encouragement her father gave her around photography, which has impacted on her love of media in general. She hopes one day to work in print journalism and independent magazines, concentrating on women in the arts.

Refuge/e art project at M.I.A.’s Meltdown at Southbank Centre in June 2017

I’m in the second year of my PhD at Queen Mary’s SED and a Teaching Associate. I have been balancing my PhD work on portraiture and radicalism with researching and creating project refuge/e which has so far toured to Yorkshire Sculpture Park, The Millennium Gallery in Sheffield, BALTIC centre for contemporary art.

Next week the installation is coming to London’s Southbank where it will be part of M.I.A.’s Meltdown Festival from 13-18 June.

The project originated in Lebanon. I was driving with my partner from the mountains in the north back to Beirut. We saw encampment after encampment of makeshift Syrian refugee shelters stretching across the Bekaa Valley. In Lebanon, 1 in 4 people is a refugee. This recent arrival of Syrians has added to the refugee communities of Palestinians, Iraqi and Afghani refugees to which the country already host. It was like nothing I had ever seen. Many of these structures had been standing for five years. They were built by the families which lived in them.

The shelters, barrikea, were made from ramshackle materials, wood and plastic sheeting provided by UNHCR as well as found items to improve and weatherproof the structure: advertising boards, corrugated iron, at least ten tyres to hold down the plastic on the roof. Between 8 to 14 people lived in a 7m x 4m space. The land the each shelter stood on was rented for around $100 a month. The architecture of the shelters tells us about the political situation in Lebanon and the social and economic pressures the whole county is under. The government’s policy is to make life sufficiently uncomfortable that Syrians will not be able to stay long term. The kit that Syrians are given on arrival is flimsy and short-term, designed to allow them to build themselves a shelter that will last a year or two at the most. It reminds you of the £55 per week asylum-seekers in the UK are expected to live on – as it is impossible to live on that with dignity, it is supposed to be a sop to domestic voters and to put people off coming if possible.

We wanted to show people in the UK what is going on in Lebanon, to counter the myth that refugees could just stay in their neighbouring countries. refuge/e is a reconstruction of one of these typical Syrian refugee shelters found in Lebanon. With funding from Art Fund and The British Council, we planned with UNHCR Lebanon an extensive research and material gathering trip in November 2016.  We learned first-hand how people coped with this challenge, then shipped a shelter kit and local materials back to the UK. We then crafted sculptures in plaster and brass of  of possessions found in these homes. As you walk around the installation you can listen to refugees speaking about their daily experiences of living for years in tents or shells of buildings, struggling for normality in displacement. Hassan and Birra, two young men resettled to Sheffield from Syria and Ethiopia respectively, will be in the installation everyday acting as our guides and experts by experience.

Each day there are live link ups to emerging refugee DJs from around the world at 18.30 most evenings and a talk on the role technology has played in the refugee crisis. There will be Iftar each evening too.

More details can be found at www.projectrefugee.co.uk

And you can follow us on twitter @amp_art_uk or on Facebook

Secret East London Map

East London is one of the most diverse and culturally rich areas in the world. We’ve made this east London map to help you discover the hidden gems that can get you closer to your ideal career, meet new friends and have fun while you study or work with us.

Did we miss a hidden gem? Email us or tweet @QMULsed with your favourite place in East (ish) London and we’ll add to the map.

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