Hello! For my first blog post I thought I’d write a little bit about myself, how I ended up at York and why I fell in love with the city and the University.
Okay, so a little bit about me; I come fro m a town a little outside of Liverpool called Southport; I have a springer spaniel cross labrador named Ollie, and two sisters. I love video games (part of the reason I chose Interactive Media), film, anything science-y and walking. I’m also currently employed at GAME Monks Cross (again, massive nerd). Basically, anything to do with video games and I’m in.
My journey to York is a fairly simple one. Having visited the city many years ago with school and remembering how pretty the city was, York was one of my first choices when I applied through UCAS (the others being University of Bath, Lancaster, Sheffield and the University of Birmingham). After visiting all bar Sheffield, it was very clear that one university ticked all my boxes. York had a nice campus, a course that focuses on what I find interesting and a lovely city to go along with it. Whilst the others had one out of these three, York was the only one to fill all the criteria.
On my visit to the Open Day I fell in love with the modern Campus East – the tall buildings, the clean, calm environment and the feeling of safety (apart from the angry geese). The Department of Theatre, Film and Television was a huge draw for me, having seen the amazing talent it had. It harbours such a welcoming atmosphere and I felt very comfortable there. Once I had finished wandering round the campus I decided to go and visit the city and be one of those tourists everyone complains about.
Arriving in the city, which is about a fifteen minute bus ride from campus, I was welcomed by a bustling historic city and it reminded me why I had wanted to apply there in the first place. Having visited Birmingham recently and been put off by the sheer scale of the city (having lived in a town my whole life), York felt a nice compromise between having lots to do and being small enough that you can walk everywhere. The city itself felt like a wonderful mix of old and new. The modern campus, the Shambles (which is Instagram-worthy) and the bustling city centre add up to a place that has all the advantages of being a city but the homely feel of a town.
Having looked round Campus East on the Open Day, I really liked the accommodation. However, I was not sure it was for me as I can often be quite reclusive unless I make myself get out and interact with people. Luckily, the University offers a slightly different type of accommodation for people wanting to live with a large amount of people. This accommodation was Fairfax House – situated slightly off campus (a free five minute bus ride), it had everything i wanted. With over 90 students living across its three floors, as well as an ideal location close to town (great for coming back from nights out), it ticked all the boxes (be warned though, some of the kitchens are a little on the small side). This was the best decision I made after choosing York. I found some wonderful friends, who I’m now living with in a house, and really came out of my shell which I never expected to do.
Getting used to the city and the University can be quite hard at first, and the city’s confusing layout can be quite daunting at first (having used the Minster and the Disney store as reference points for many a meetup with friends in first year) but over the course of the first term I began to settle in fast. The free 66 bus to Campus East became my lifeline to get to lectures after one too many drinks the night before!
So this is how I ended up coming to York, and how I came to love the city; keep an eye out on here for updates on York as well as fun things to do and see around the historic city
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