Why I chose Liberal Arts: Prishika's Story
Prishika is a student and one of our Liberal Arts ambassadors who is currently in her final year of study. In this blog, Prishika reflects on her studies as a Liberal Arts student and shares her plans upon finishing her undergraduate degree.
Why I chose Warwick
When applying for undergraduate courses, I was set on selecting an interdisciplinary degree due to my enjoyment of various subjects whilst I was at school.
It was a personal tutor at my college that recommended I look into the Liberal Arts BA at Warwick. After reading more about the programme and speaking on the phone to Gavin, I realised that the course suited my needs and interests; I was also drawn to how I could tailor my degree to my chosen route or pathway.
As soon as I took the Truth and Misinformation module, I realised that I had made the right decision about picking Liberal Arts at Warwick and have not looked back since!
How my Liberal Arts course is going
I really enjoy the variety of what I study.
One of the biggest highlights of my Liberal Arts studies were the Venice residential modules Resistance and Representation and Sustainable Serenissima.
Each module takes place in Venice for over two weeks during the summer, however it doesn’t feel like your typical school trip as it had many enjoyable aspects that stopped it feeling like ‘work’!
Whilst studying Venice as a case study for wider societal issues, you get to speak to citizens who are directly impacted by its housing crisis, the damage caused by the AirBnB model, and the gentrification of the city. We also learned about grassroots efforts to preserve Venice’s culture and improve its sustainable efforts e.g., local fish farming. Many of the students who come on the Venice modules are from the GSD course and from Warwick's international partner universities, so it is nice to get the opportunity to meet other students in similar interdisciplinary courses.
Soon I’ll be finished with my undergraduate studies, my bespoke pathway will be reflected on my Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) as Liberal Arts with a pathway in Sustainability, Design and Cultures.
As I am in my final year of studies, I am currently working on my dissertation, which focuses on the gentrification of Asian cuisine in London and whether it is an extension of colonialism.
Why should you choose Liberal Arts?
It’s such a flexible degree and structured in a way you get to study what you want to, I really appreciate the ability to take different modules across the university and not be confined to monodisciplinary study.
There is a common stereotype that exists about Liberal Arts (and most of the humanities subjects) that it is only undertaken by people who come from a ‘place of privilege’ i.e., families with great wealth.
However, as a student from a widening participation background, I have not found this to be the case. Whilst yes, there are some students in my class that come from wealthy families, I didn’t find this to cause issues or create a ‘cliquey’ atmosphere. Rather, the mix of backgrounds brings a rich variety of perspectives to class discussions, and it has been interesting to get to know people from all walks of life.
My plans for the future
Right now I am applying for jobs and am hoping to secure a role before I graduate. I am particularly interested in jobs related to sustainable design and marketing (especially after undertaking some of the design modules from the school’s newly established Design Division). My plan is to work for a year before continuing my education with a Masters degree aligned to these career interests.