Hello all,
I’m Freddy. I’m a second year Social and Political Sciences student, and I’m going to be blogging about all things York this year.
For my first post, I thought it’d be a good idea to keep things nice and simple. Also, in writing this article I’m reminding myself of the great amount of work that I really ought to be doing. So far I have found second year calmer than first year. Firstly, I knew what to expect from the social life, and secondly living off-campus is quieter than the rush that I experienced around Derwent College this time last year.
With more time on my hands, I haven’t worried quite as much about deadlines. However, last year keeping up with the workload was more difficult (especially as I was *tired* more of the time!). For our course, you firstly do a formative assessment, which doesn’t count towards your final grade – like a practise version. You then write a summative assessment, which is the piece of work that does count. Managing my time so I was able to do both of these was a little tricky in my first year. So my advice would be to plan in advance, in order to manage your workload and then figure out your social life around it. This will stop you getting really far behind!
Also, I’ve been told that second year gets harder as the year goes on. So, in addition to arranging the time to work (whilst also attending your lectures etc), it’s important to be productive during this time. This is something I personally struggle with when I’m sitting in the house; this morning I found myself on Facebook watching the new M&S Christmas advert when I was supposed to be planning an essay.
It’s so easy to get distracted, and in this situation I’d recommend going to the library. It does seem quite silent upon entrance, but that’s really helpful when you sit down to work, as you’d feel too ashamed to watch Christmas adverts on your laptop! This forces you to actually do what you came to do, greatly improving your productivity.
With the holidays approaching it is important to get a fair bit done before you return home for Christmas. Last year I found myself struggling with politics essays on Boxing Day, not a scenario you want to bring upon yourself! My suggestion would be get ahead whilst the term is winding down – this also applies to those who have exams in January. Also it important to allow yourself time to refresh your memory following Christmas, so perhaps returning a few days early is advisable
I hope this has been in any way helpful, the holidays are a busy time for students, especially those with seasonal jobs.
Good luck and happy holidays
Freddy x
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