Why I ended up studying Creative Writing at Falmouth University

This article was written by Creative Writing BA(Hons) student Lottie.

Delving into the world of Uni applications had me rattled with choice, especially when it came to writing courses. So many, most in fact, were twinned with English Literature studies or other equivalents, which all seemed to be talking me out of what I wanted as an aspiring author. When I found the Creative Writing course at Falmouth, I selected it as my top choice pretty quickly, and here are the reasons why: 

My top reason was definitely the staff here. My interview for Falmouth Uni was game-changing, because of the conversation I had with my interviewer surrounding the lecturers on this course; nearly every lecturer has their own field in which they excel in and with it, passions that drive their expertise. Listening to him discuss the accomplishments these staff members have made outside of their work here, how they apply those accomplishments to their teaching, and how their experience shapes their offered advice was a huge convincing factor for me. 

Having reached my third year on this course, the staff are still the top reason I’m confident I made the right choice coming here. Not only do they put together excellent curricula that incorporate their and your passions and interests, but they operate as a fabulous network; whatever creative question you may have as a student/writer, they will work together to answer it, redirecting you or coming together and collaborating to support students. They’re the backbone of this course. 

My next reason was the range of subjects covered by this course. It appealed to me on the Falmouth Uni website, and it appeals to me now even in retrospect. All three years, but namely second year, offer not only so much choice in the genre of writing you study but enforce that you explore a range of genres/topics/mediums to write through, including everything from poetry to table-top-gaming scripts to writing hero content - I didn’t even know what hero content was before this course! If you don’t either, never fear, you’re in the right place. This truly opens the world of writing and its industries to students. 

Another reason was the size of the cohort here. Falmouth itself isn’t a huge place and, while the writing courses are by no means the smallest on campus, they’re on the smaller end of the spectrum. There were only 18 students in my cohort, about 50 including the English and Journalism students, and this atmosphere was perfect for me as it cultivated plenty of one-on-one engagement with staff and students. Staff and students can learn one another quite quickly over the first year and, after they get to know you, they’re always available to help solve problems based on your stylistic choices or strengths and weaknesses. Lecturers are able to tailor their teaching to the pieces you’re writing and the support you need.