Hello! I’m Annissa, a first-year law student at the University of York.
Morning
As a commuting student, my ‘Day in the Life’ is slightly different. I wake up at 5.30am, grab a healthy breakfast and drive to uni to get some studying in at the Ron Cooke Hub before my lecture at 9.30am. I love arriving at uni early because it means I get the most beautiful views whilst studying. The photo below was my outlook today whilst I was getting in some preparatory reading!
This morning, we had two hours of lectures then a short break. I went for coffee with friends from my course at the on-campus Starbucks to discuss the work due in that afternoon.
Then it was time for another plenary which was highly engaging. The focus was on ‘Law and Society’, so today we were discussing law and gender. At York, we have ‘plenaries’ as well as lectures. These involve more interaction between the lecturer and students and we often have an activity to complete during the plenary. We then discuss it collectively, which is a really important part of developing our ideas and providing a range of perspectives that we might not have considered otherwise.
At lunch, I met a friend who I got to know through one of York’s events for local and commuting students and had my favourite burrito from the Piazza Restaurant on Campus East. There is such a brilliant range of food here, and at the many other cafés and restaurants throughout the campus.
Afternoon
This afternoon we had a Problem Based Learning (PBL) seminar which is a unique learning experience to the University of York – and one of the many reasons why I chose to come here! The format involves working with around twelve other students in your own mini ‘law firm’. We’re given two fictional cases a week and have independent study time to research and work through the legal solutions available for our fictional clients. This is a great way of studying as it makes the workload feel less overwhelming when you can discuss it with peers, making it easier to break down complex topics.
After the seminar, I headed home to work through this week’s case. Students at York have access to such a vast range of textbooks online, which is fantastic and means you don’t have to stay in the library all the time (but you can, since it is open 24 hours!). As a break between studying, I fitted in a quick workout to keep my mind active. York puts an important focus on the welfare of students and encouraging everyone to make time for themselves, whether that is through reading, exercise or just catching up with friends. It’s always helpful to take a break and there are so many fantastic social events run by the colleges. You can always find other people who have similar interests to you whilst doing something fun at the same time – we had a cocktail (and mocktail) making session last week!
Leave a Reply