The title of this post may seem a little bizarre but I thought I’d cover what I have ahead of me this term, looking forward into the next two years and also the fun I had going to the Jorvik Viking festival, which is the looking backwards bit!
Although this term has been rather hectic it has now time to start thinking about the upcoming year of university, and in my case thinking more about my MChem. For the MChem there are 3 options; a year in industry, a year abroad or a final year project in York. Despite loving living in York I do really enjoy travel, so would be in my element studying abroad! Many people pick the year in industry as it is exciting to get out of the lecture theatre and into the working world, but personally I much prefer academia and have seen some interesting options of year abroad universities. There are placements in countries including Finland, Italy and even New Zealand to consider, which all sound like an amazing adventure. There is always the choice to stay in York, which although to some people that may not sound that is exciting, I think would still be great opportunity as there is some much fascinating research going on here to get involved in.
For the year in industry it’s helpful to get internships throughout the summer, either in companies, at the university or elsewhere. This is useful for your CV and for interviews with companies for the year in industry. Last summer, I received an admissions bursary, where I helped the admissions team and did 4 open days. On the open days I took tours, represented the department and fielded questions from prospective students and parents. If I were applying for the year in industry I would be able to talk about this in the interviews as I could give examples of the skills I have built up while doing this bursary. The department is great at facilitating work experience both for your CV and just for the year in industry, and this term and over Easter is the perfect time to get applying for these. I know my Easter is going to be full up with revision, updating my CV and preparing for the hard work to come in the following term. I am looking to new projects in labs such as the Physical Organic lab course and group exercises, which sound ominous but should be fun.
This time of the year is always exciting because of the Jorvik Viking festival.Viking themed events run all week, but at the weekend there are loads of activities for people of all ages to get involved in such as best beard competitions, and a strongest Viking competition! There’s lots for the public, such as live music, talks from historians and authors, and a huge market filled with an array of re-enactment weapons, clothes and jewellery. It was fun to spend a couple of days perusing all the stalls, see all the reenactors around town and experiencing the whole festival. A main event is a parade of Vikings through the town from the minster all the way to Coppergate, which was a great way to see all the amazing reenactors and it always attracts a big crowd. This year I went to the final event of the festival which was a huge battle held at the Eye of York, near Clifford’s tower. The battle showed the story of Eric Bloodaxe and his battle against the people of Jorvik, and began with a huge torch lit parade. There were actors and many different battles, which was thrilling and fun to watch. The evening culminated in a huge firework display around Clifford’s tower, music, dancing and a huge wicker Stag to represent the fallen leader, Eric Bloodaxe. It was a brilliant evening out and was a great way to take a break from uni stresses during this term. It’s a great event to show off the city, so a perfect opportunity to invite friends and family to visit as there is so much to see and do during the festival.
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