The George Birkbeck

Boy has this place changed! There is a really neat cafe on the right as you come in. The staff are really helpful. On the left is the information area where you can find out about all the courses that the college has to offer. The library is past the security barrier and you need a Birkbeck student ID or pay a daily fee of £6 to gain access. Very bright. Much better then it was 20+ years ago.

I've just finished a taught MA with Birkbeck and the experience was great! The courses were challenging, most of the lecturers were top class, and overall it was a brilliant two years. I studied part time as I work full time and I found the College to be very understanding of the stresses and strains of people in my situation. The library is quite good and the access to online resources was a huge bonus as I couldn't always visit in person. That the library was being refurbished during my time will help future scholars but I found the closure of summer 2007 inconvenient as my dissertation was due in September. Luckily Birkbeck's location encourages use of other local resources. I would recommend evening study to anyone. It has changed my life for the good and I'm sure it will be beneficial to others.

Birkbeck College is the continuing education branch of the University of London. There are a few Qype entries for it since, as a college, there are several offices and classroom locations. I've taken five evening classes from Birkbeck over several years: four of these were for a Certificate in Philosophy and one was in the Psychology of Advertising. All have been very good: lecturers are great, the classrooms (I had several, most of which were actually in the LSE) were appropriate and not with too many students.

Birkbeck College have some great creative writing courses. I recently completed an introduction to creative writing tutored by Raul Peschiera. We explored prose as well as poetry. Raul was engaging and quirky and I looked forward to our weekly sessions. The classes were informal with critiques on our work and weekly homework goals. My only criticism is that the course went on for 4 months and so lost a lot of momentum, however I do feel more confident in my writing skills after completing the course. Birkbeck offers other more intensive part-time courses (such as the Certificate of Higher Education or the Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing) which gear one towards studying for an MA.

I have to admit, I’m a bit biased. I study and work at Birkbeck, which I believe is an incredible university. Where else in London can you earn a first-class degree without having to quit your job and rack up tens of thousands of pounds in debt? Birkbeck is truly an inspiring place. Students work during the day and then dedicate their evenings to learning and personal development. I’m currently studying economics, and while it can be tough to juggle everything, I know the payoff will be worth it in the end. The tutors are very supportive and understand that we all have jobs and families, which they consider when assigning work. I wholeheartedly encourage anyone considering a certificate, short course, degree, or more to enroll here— it really can change your life!