I’m nearly dead. It’s exam season. It’s late at night. Curse my ADHD brain that only works for one hour at a random time of day. Curse it! Curses, also, upon Colin Firth, who I am having to consume, on my laptop, for ten hours, as part of my module on historical fiction. Who cares about whether he takes his shirt off for historical reasons or not? Why must we stop an innocent man on the television from being gorgeous? It’s not right! Live and let Jane Austen’s artistic vision live!
Oh, hello. Sorry. I’m Ed. I’m a second year history student here at York, in between writing these blog posts and curling up somewhere in the literature section of the Morrell Library to mutter about accuracy and period detail over a Jane Austen book.
Why I chose to study history
I often wonder why I chose history when it feels like I’ve never studied “normal” history. You know, kings, queens, civil rights, The Great Depression and the Spanish Armada. Then again, that’s why I love it. Every semester, I am plunged into a completely new and fascinating period and place. For example, looking at nursing and midwifery in the twentieth century, or queer histories of the African continent. Some people study Samurai culture; others do histories of pets and animals.
There is plenty of support available, which means that you can really enjoy your life here at York. Whilst balancing a degree with several part-time jobs and having some sort of social life is incredibly difficult for me, as someone with neurodivergencies, there is so much out there at the University of York that other places I looked at didn’t necessarily have. If you register with Disability Support Services, they can make sure your needs are met with a student support plan, which our departmental support officer describes as a document that compiles all your needs in one helpful place and acts as a passport to succeeding in your studies. For example, making sure your classrooms are accessible, or providing you with text-to-speech software if you struggle with readings.
York is such a historic city
Whilst the degree is really interesting and has allowed me to study and do things that are genuinely interesting, the thing that makes history at York what it is, simply put, has to be the University and the City itself. From the Roman walls, to the little coffee shops, to the free entry to the Minster, there’s lots to love about this city. As someone that comes from an inner-city area, something I really appreciate is how safe it is. Not to mention how friendly people are, both around campus and in town. Furthermore, as a History student, and somebody that loves reading and books, there are more bookshops and museums than you could swing a cat at. There’s also the opportunity to join one of the hundreds of societies, including re-enactment society, who usually recreate Viking life for hundreds of visitors every year during the Jorvik festival in February.
There’s lots to love about History at York; Colin Firth or no Colin Firth. I hope to see you around some time; maybe you, too, will truly appreciate the impact filmic representations of Jane Austen’s novels have on academic history, too…
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