Pilar Barrera Wey
Student spotlight details
Pilar lives in Brazil and gained the Undergraduate Certificate of Higher Education by completing online courses along with summer schools in Oxford.
'I am Colombian with a B.A. in Modern Languages, working as a language teacher and author of English as a second language textbooks. I have always been fascinated by ‘words’ and languages in general, and I have always really liked English, so when I came by the online course ‘Ancestral Voices: the Earliest English Literature’, I knew I’d found a subject I wanted to study.
'This course was the beginning of a journey that led me to take the Certificate of Higher Education. This programme was perfect for me as I live in Brazil and have a family. I found each module extremely enjoyable and learned a lot through the courses’ different contents and resources, and from each of the tutor’s different teaching styles.
'Another aspect that was very interesting during the Certificate was being able to choose from a wide variety of courses. In this way, I created my own study path; after the Anglo-Saxon Literature course, I took Middle-English Literature, then Shakespeare, and so on. I found that the freedom of being able to choose the modules I preferred let me craft a curriculum that worked very well with my personal interests. The additional assignments were challenging but very interesting and enriching. I learned a lot about how to write research papers and became confident when expressing my opinions.
'I truly enjoyed attending OUSSA (Oxford University Summer School for Adults). These summer courses are wonderfully designed and taught.
'Now that I’ve finished the programme, I know that I want to continue studying English Language and Literature. I have been offered a place for a Masters in Literary Linguistics at the University of Nottingham and this would never have happened without the experience of the Certificate.
'I would definitely recommend taking courses with the Department for Continuing Education; you never know where they will lead you!'
