Rise and Shine… It’s Thursday, we’re almost there! We’re towards the end of Autumn Term, so by this point I am in a routine and ready to go. Studying English in Education, Thursdays are my most laid back day – and my favourite.
7:30 – 8:30: We’ve got an early one today…
Nobody likes early mornings, especially students. So one very important piece of advice I would like to give is make time for breakfast! Just take your time and chill. I pride myself on my breakfast and I find this time so relaxing. Living on Campus East, I begin my morning looking outside at the frost covered greenery before. Then I head over to Campus West to start my day.
9:00 – 10:00: Today begins with a one-hour seminar
What is a seminar? I hear you ask. Basically, seminars work as a discussion group and a short recap of a lecture you have had that week. I like to think of seminars as the place of afterthoughts. They give you time to ask any questions that you may have been pondering since your lecture. They’re also an opportunity to test your knowledge through group work or quizzes.
Thursdays are my Critical and Creative Approaches to English seminars. We tend to discuss themes of our set texts and highlight any new terminology we may have come across in the previous lecture.
11:00 – 13:00: Study Time
So, I’m up and out; now it’s time to get stuff done. As we’re edging towards the end of term, I can feel my deadlines creeping up. Of course, uni wouldn’t be uni without a constantly growing to-do list, but don’t let this put you off! Once you’re in the swing of things, keeping organised is a breeze; I could do it with my eyes closed… I wish I could say the same for all the reading, but I haven’t quite mastered that.
For the next couple of hours I organise my lecture notes from the week, prioritise work to do, and of course, read (with my eyes open, sadly). There are so many places to study – the library and cafes – but today I kept it simple and worked in my room. If I find myself getting distracted here, I have no excuse not to move!
14:00 – 15:00: Time for the last lecture of the week
Usually, my lectures are two hours long but this one is only an hour. Now you see why Thursdays are my favourite! My lecture today is on Perspectives on Education which delves into psychology and philosophy questions. Don’t let the short time fool you: this takes a lot of brain power!
Time for friends
University does come with a lot of work and commitments, but if you enjoy your course it doesn’t feel like a strain. One of the most wholesome things about university is meeting so many amazing people, be it course mates (shout out), flatmates and staff that you wouldn’t have met otherwise. University allows you to come out of your cocoon and be a social butterfly.
To celebrate (almost) finishing my first ever term, I met up with a good friend of mine. We went for some well needed feel-good food at Brew and Brownie in the city centre. You only need to be in York for a couple of weeks and this glorious little cafe becomes part of your lifestyle. It’s fitting that it has made it into this insight for a typical day of my life… I typically go a lot.
Time to wrap it up
That’s all from me (for now). I hope this gave you the opportunity to take a big, deep breath and see that university isn’t as daunting as it appears to be. I have settled in so fast and made friends that I feel like I have known for a lifetime. My course has been so welcoming and I cannot imagine my life any other way. Being part of the University of York has been the best decision I have ever made. I hope you join the party too!
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