I’m Becky, a third year English and History student. Welcome to a week in my life! Final year is pretty busy, so there is a lot to be done!
Monday
Reading day! Not the most fun, but necessary. Every week I have about 180 pages of reading to do for my History Special Subject module, on top of my English reading. This may seem like a lot – it is – but bear in mind that this is a third year reading load, so don’t worry about it for now! I usually start reading at home, and then go to a library study room – you have easy access to the books and if you go with a friend you can encourage each other to stay focused.
After spending a couple of hours in the library, I’ll stop by the gym – this is a good way to break up my day, and take my mind off work for an hour. The university has two gyms, so if you’re looking for anything from squat racks to a treadmill, they’ve got you covered.
In the evening, I head to Jazz Night in the Vanbrugh Arms. It’s a weekly event and is a great place to grab a drink and listen to some talented musicians.
Tuesday
The busiest day of my week. I spend my morning finishing off the reading for my English workshop before heading to campus. For my English module, I have a seminar and a workshop a week. Workshops are more interactive than a lecture, but have more instruction than a seminar.
Once this is done, I have an hour break in which I go to get a burrito from Vanbrugh catering. This is one of the campus’ worst kept secrets: they are cheap, cheerful, and very popular!
Next up is my History seminar which, like all third year History seminars, is three hours long. Now although this may sound daunting, we get a 10-15 minute break, and the Special Subject modules are incredibly insightful.
After a quick dinner, I head back to campus for Fencing training. Tuesday is a busy session, as there’s an hour of fitness, and then training for our experienced members from 8pm-10pm.
Wednesday
It’s BUCS Wednesday! For me and most people involved with sports teams, it is match day for British University and College Sports.
This term the women’s fencing team have mostly had away matches. Today is no different: we are driving to our arch-rivals, Lancaster! And this is our mascot, Honks!
We came, we saw, we conquered. A good day for York fencing. It’s a long day with all the travelling, but it is very rewarding being on a uni sports team.
Once I get home, I finish my book for my English seminar tomorrow, before heading out to a Where’s Wally sports social.
Thursday
I have a 9am on Thursdays, which means an early start. Having rolled out of bed, coffee in hand, I walk to campus. Third year English seminars are usually made up of about 8 people, so a rather intimate group which is actually great for discussions.
After my seminar, I stay in the Spring Lane Building (SLB), which has loads of seating and desks for individual work, to do some dissertation work ahead of my supervision. We, as English and History students, are lucky to do a bridge dissertation, so we get two dissertation supervisors, one from each subject, which means even more support!
After this I head to the gym before heading home to do some more work.
In the evening, I head to one of York’s many pubs with a group of friends for a pub quiz. A great outlet for random knowledge and a way of challenging the locals. We are yet to win though…
Friday
This is another “chill” day. I start it off with some admin for the Fencing Club, before moving on to some dissertation work. I get a head start on my English reading and get an idea of the work that I have next week. Keeping on top of your workload and being organized will make your life so much easier in the long run.
In the afternoon, my housemates and I play some Wii games, because we still live like it’s 2007. It’s important to take some time for yourself sometimes and stop thinking about work, whether that is watching your favourite show, going to training, or playing Wii Sports.
And then I head to training for the last training session of the week. After a two and a half hour session, we head to D Bar, one of the campus bars, for post-training drinks. This is a tradition at the club and is great opportunity to relax with some friends after a long week.
Now, it’s the weekend! Time for a lie-in, some socialising, and thinking about something other than work!
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