Early morning yoga
It is 7am and my dreaded alarm is going off. After some deliberation, I get out of bed and pull on my sports kit. I am heading to the gym on campus for an early morning yoga session, naturally, I am running late so I hop on my bike to save some valuable time. I manage to make the class with a few minutes to spare and enjoy an hour of stretching and relaxation. I leave feeling zen! I get back on my bike and cycle home to get ready for the day ahead.
First lectures
Thankfully my first lecture isn’t until 11am so I have plenty of time to get myself ready. After a much-needed breakfast, I pack my bag, meet my two friends outside my house to walk to uni together.
Today I have two lectures: Gender, Environment and Global Poverty and Environmental Politics, with a one hour gap between. These are my two favourite modules this year. In Gender, Environment and Global poverty, we learn about the disparity and inequalities that exist in poorer nations. In Environmental Politics we explore laws and legislation that are involved with the environment, drawing on real-world examples such as Brexit and COP21 (conference of the parties).
Time for a break
After my two lectures, I am in need of a break so I walk to Costa coffee at James College to get some lunch. This particular café serve waffles and milkshakes- my two favourite things! I catch up with two of my friends from the Psychology department over a banana milkshake and a sandwich. I definitely try to make lunch a social activity as it is something nice to look forward to in-between uni work. After an hour of chatting, I am suitably refuelled for an afternoon studying.
Heading to the library
I then make my way across campus to the library, digging out my university card from my pocket so that I can get through the turnstile (it’s a rookie error to forget your card!). I am in familiar territory as I spend a large proportion of my free time in the library… it’s not as bad as it sounds! Many of my friends work here so there is definitely a social atmosphere and plenty of opportunities for breaks in the library café.
I opt to do my work in the Burton section of the library as it’s a silent area and this is where I can concentrate and produce the best work. I have some seminar work to do and some reading for my dissertation. The seminar work is really enjoyable as my lecturer creates weekly podcasts and uploads them online, interviewing key stakeholders in environmental law, all I have to do is listen and make notes in preparation. I then finish off by doing some reading for my dissertation – I am writing it on the impacts of the red meat industry, a topic which I find fascinating.
Students’ Union meeting
After a very full day on campus, I leave the library at 5pm and walk 10 minutes to get back home. I am only back home for an hour but it’s great to have a break and catch up with my housemates who all study different subjects. I have a snack and get ready to go back out again as I have a meeting at YUSU (York Students Union) to discuss the exciting opportunities that the RAG (Raising and Giving) committee have to offer this term. As the Events Coordinators, we discuss all things charitable from Jailbreak, RAG raids and blind dates, trying to engage all York students with the great charities that we work with.
Athletics Team run
Following the meeting, I walk to the sports centre at James College to meet the Athletics Team to take part in a club run. I only joined UYAC (University of York Athletics Club) this year, but I wish I had joined earlier. It is a really social sport and a place where you can meet like-minded people. I have made countless friends with whom I will keep in contact when I graduate. This evening we ran five miles together, providing an opportunity to catch up and discuss this week’s social – it’s themed ‘On Wednesdays we wear pink’ (classic Mean Girls quote). The socials are every Wednesday, they are great fun and allow the club members to really get to know each other in an informal setting.
After the run, I jog back home with some of my friends. It’s already 8pm – I can’t believe how quickly it has gone! As I get back in I find my housemates have ordered in a takeaway for us to all enjoy- I deserved it after that run! We tuck into our food and discuss what we have all been up to, making social arrangements together for next week. It has been a very a busy but enjoyable day, I am ready to do it all again!
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