Brian Hanley (46)

MA Classical Civilisation

'I had some experience of the subject as part of my undergraduate degree, and I had always wanted to go deeper into the subject. To have the opportunity to explore classical history was too good to be true. People ask what I had hoped to get out of the course: for me it was simple pleasure.

'The course gave me the confidence to tackle something new, including a career change. I now have a much more highly tuned sense of analysis which I didn't have before. Socially, too, Birkbeck was great; the class really gelled – I have made some friends for life.'