Economics at the University of York is generally a relatively contact-hour heavy course. In second year I can have up to sixteen contact hours on campus a week! Balancing the workload of university with social commitments can be tricky, but it is definitely doable to ensure you get the best of your university experience. Hopefully this post will be proof of that!
Monday
Mondays are generally my busiest days of the week, as I have five hours’ worth of lectures in total. These include Mathematics, Development Economics, Microeconomics, Econometrics and Economic Growth and Development (some are definitely more interesting than they sound! Others… not so much). My Mondays start at 9am, and only finish at 5pm. Since I live about twenty minutes from campus, it means I am on campus all day.
I usually go to the library in the hour between my lectures. It’s a chance to do some work and look through the notes and slides for my next lecture. I tend not to do much work in the evening, as often I’m quite tired after my full-on day… and honestly can you blame me?!
(Kuda) Tuesday
Tuesday can be another relatively early start, at ten in the morning. Also, another relatively late end, at 6pm! Again, I often choose to stay on campus, to do a bit more work between lectures. I’ll either catch up on previous lectures, do some reading for modules or complete worksheets and assignments ready for seminars later in the week.
During first year especially, Tuesday was our night out. Kuda was the place to be (although I can’t say it’s going to be the same for second year!). Even after my long day on campus, I’d still be ready and raring to go out and quite literally dance the night away. (Although I will mention that this year I have been getting a lot more early nights!)
Wednesday
Wednesdays are generally my free days, which I definitely need after a very full-on start to the week. Aside from the odd seminar, on Wednesdays I tend to stay at home and get work done. This can be housework, such as doing my laundry, or university work (most of the time it’s the latter!).
Wednesdays are my day to catch up on lectures from the previous two days. Even though it’s the middle of the week, it tends to be my favourite day, as I generally have nowhere to be, which is quite nice! It also means my housemates and I can start cook dinner together. It is something I really enjoy doing. We are all so busy during the days that it’s nice to come together and unwind. It definitely means we get through the washing up a lot quicker!
Thursday
The later part of my week is a lot less busy than the start. Often my Thursdays consist of one lecture, and perhaps a seminar or two. Again, these tend to be quite close together in terms of timing. The seminar alternates between modules from week to week, which can be a bit confusing at times. I definitely have to double check I’m bringing the right work for the right seminar!
Friday
My Fridays also tend to vary. I normally have one Macroeconomics lecture and either one or two seminars. Since I finish on campus relatively early most Fridays, it makes it easier to go home for the weekend if I want to.
In York, in our house, Friday nights aren’t so crazy. I genuinely think my housemates and I have turned into actual grandmas since returning to university after summer. Usually you’ll find us all curled up on our (slightly uncomfortable) sofas, either watching reruns of The Chase on TV or Waterloo Road on my housemate’s laptop. Possibly the best way to round off the week.
Weekends
There is so much to do and see in and around York. My friends and I have definitely been making more of an effort in second year to get out and about.
I have marvelled at the beauty of the Northern Lights in York Minster, and enjoyed the festive spirit at both the York Christmas lights switch on and Coppergate’s lights switch on (where I also managed to bag a Santa hat and win myself some sweets!).
My housemates and I have also ventured out of York a little, visiting the Christmas markets at Harrogate. Being organised and trying to work as much as we can during the week means that we can do more at the weekend. But on Sundays you’ll still find us lazing around the house, working in our rooms or watching TV together!
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