This week, we caught up with Amelia, a second year English student and Her Campus Exeter Cornwall team member, to find out what she gets up to around campus and have a chat about all things Cornwall, crocheting, and fictional characters!
To start with, what made you decide to study English?
I’ve loved books and reading for as long as I can remember, and I’ve always enjoyed English as a subject. When I was thinking about applying for university, it was while looking at English courses, and I decided to just go for it and see what happened – and here I am!
What’s been your favourite thing about living in Cornwall so far?
Being so close to the sea! I’m from the Midlands, so I’m as far away from the coast as you can get, and I’m used to spending hours in the car to get to the seaside. It’s such a joy to just be able to jump on the bus or the train and be on the beach in no time at all.
We hear you’re pretty darn skilled at crocheting. Can you tell us a bit about some of your favourite projects that you’ve done?
Last year I made a mermaid tail blanket for my friend as a surprise. She sent me a link to the pattern as a “please make this for me one day” thing and I saved it away for when I’d got time to do it. She got into a university she really wanted to go to this past September, so as a congratulations gift I bought all the yarn and made it in secret, and sent it to her as part of a little care package. I am the worst at keeping secrets when I’m trying to do something nice for someone, so I was proud that I kept my mouth shut! It took absolutely ages and I didn’t want to see a crochet hook for some time afterwards, but I’m pretty proud of how it turned out.
Exams are fast approaching. Any words of wisdom on how to get through these last few weeks of term?
Everything will be alright – I keep telling myself this over and over in the hope I will eventually believe it! Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, take time to have study breaks, and don’t beat yourself up if you take time out to binge your favourite TV show or run off to explore Cornwall for a day. It’s a small consolation for me that these are the last exams I have to do as part of my degree (all of my third year is coursework-based), so I just keep reminding myself this is the last time I have to go through this stress!
And finally, as you’re an English student, I have to ask; who are your favourite fictional characters?
Oh God, such a difficult question! The first character I remember loving is Matilda – she’s clever, witty, and that little bit magical. These qualities sum up a few characters I love, actually; Minerva McGonagall from Harry Potter, Nausicaä from the Studio Ghibli film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and Lyra from the His Dark Materials trilogy. I also adore Peggy Carter, because not only is she an absolute badass, she constantly gives me wardrobe goals. There’s so many characters I love and I know later on today I’ll think “WHYYYY didn’t I think of them?!”, but that’s just a small selection!