Clearing at Birkbeck

13 August 2014

Staff are available to speak to students throughout Clearing 2014

2016 update: Birkbeck's Clearing hotline - 0203 817 7033 - is open from 7.30am on Thursday, 18th August 2016

Find out more at www.birkbeck.ac.uk/clearing

A different way to study

Birkbeck staff will be speaking to students who want to study for a University of London degree in the evenings, during Clearing 2014. Birkbeck’s evening-taught degrees are highly popular with students who want more from their university experience: one that will give them top qualifications and top-quality teaching, as well as real opportunities for future career development and the chance to study alongside other motivated and ambitious classmates.

Birkbeck teaches all of its degrees in the evening – giving students the opportunity to study at one of the world’s top research-intensive universities and to move forward with their career and life goals at the same time.

Jonah Duffin, Birkbeck’s Deputy Director of External Relations, said: “Clearing is a good moment to pause and think about what you really want from university. Our focussed evening teaching attracts a special type of student: one who is dedicated to their studies and determined to improve themselves. We’re experiencing huge demand for our three-year evening degrees as more and more students realise that they can transform their futures by wrapping high-quality evening study around daytime work.”

Enthusiastic and motivated students

A wide variety of students study at Birkbeck, attracted by its intense evening model of teaching, and prestigious qualifications. From young people starting out on their careers who want to gain experience in the workplace and get ahead of the competition; to working Londoners keen to improve their chance of promotion or to change direction in their careers; to people who missed out on university education the first time around. What they share is a real commitment and enthusiasm for learning. These students bring their varied experience into the classroom and share it with fellow students. Discussions not only cover the latest academic theory, but also how that theory relates to the workplace and the wider world.

Internationally renowned academics

Many of the academics at Birkbeck are renowned international authorities in their field, who are passionate about passing on their knowledge to their students. Many are also leading practitioners who are actively involved in the economic, political, cultural and intellectual life of London and bring the latest ideas from their own research into their teaching.

Support for students

Because the majority of Birkbeck’s students are combining their study with work or other commitments, the College knows how to support them, with facilities and support services geared around evening study and teaching. The library and cafes are all open late.

Most former Birkbeck students are based in London and remain connected to the College. They build careers in London’s corporations, firms and in government bodies, cultural organisations and NGOs, and many of them take part in programmes to support current students through mentoring, sharing career tips and helping them understand more about the sectors they are hoping to move into.

A student’s view

Abdul Wahid (pictured), who gained a BSc Psychology at Birkbeck, said: “I wanted a course that would enable me to get some work experience at the same time, and Birkbeck not only offered that opportunity, it also had great facilities and a great reputation. Enrolling at Birkbeck wasn't a difficult decision to make.

“When you're applying for jobs it is definitely a very good thing to have a Birkbeck qualification on your CV. The College's research reputation is excellent, plus you can show that you have good organisation and prioritising skills and are able to deal with a heavy workload. Those are all skills that you will need in your professional life.

“The environment at Birkbeck was really nice. The tutors were also really helpful and their door was always open if you needed help with anything.

“Some of the other students I met at Birkbeck will be my friends for life. I was 23 when I started and in the first seminar it felt quite strange as there were students who'd come straight from sixth form, and others who were old enough to be my parents, but by the second or third seminar we all just saw each other as students, regardless of age or background. The group of friends I made is really varied and I met people who were totally different to the people I went to school with in east London, where we all had similar backgrounds. The mixture of people in class meant that class discussions were much richer, with a wide variety of perspectives and personalities. I feel like it really opened my mind up to new ideas.

“Birkbeck has fuelled my passion for learning and I'm now applying for a Master's degree at the College. I want to pursue my education for as far as I can.”

The College has a variety of accommodation available at different price levels to suit the wide range of students.