When someone asks me why I chose to study Social and Public Policy, I always say the same thing. It’s everywhere you look, and affects you from cradle to grave. The publication of one policy can change the lives of thousands of people around the world, which is why it’s such a versatile subject to study. I hope this blog gives you an idea of what it’s REALLY like to be a social policy student at York!
Monday
I’m not going to lie, I like to start my week nice and slow with a lie in and coffee… It takes a while to get into the swing of the week! Once ready for the day, I plan my week out. Being a student can be busy, so I find carving out some time to plan makes my week run much smoother. After this, it’s time to start my required reading. The VLE is a great way to keep track of what needs to be done each week, and module leaders post links to reading and tasks on there.
Then it’s time for a quick lunch at home before heading off to my first lecture of the week; Victimology and Victimisation. It’s is held in the Church Lane lecture theatre, which is modern and comfortable- definitely my favourite place to have lectures. Following this, I might head into the Link Cafe and grab yet another coffee before walking home through Campus West.
Tuesday
I usually like to fill my Tuesdays with reading and seminar preparations. This means making notes on journal articles, answering questions on a theory we are learning that week or writing our own piece of work.
I then have my second lecture of the week at 4pm- Researching Policy and Society. My lectures this semester are all 2 hours long, but they can range from 1-3 hours. All lectures are recorded, so if for any reason you can’t go, don’t worry because you can catch up really easily once the lecture has finished.
Fun fact! I’m actually president of York’s Social Policy Society. We usually hold our socials on Tuesdays, and this week we did a bar crawl! The social started on campus, and ended at an indie night in town. It was a lot of fun and if you’re planning on coming to York to study any of the Social Sciences, I would definitely recommend joining. (@uoysocpoc on Instagram 😉 )
Wednesday
At the minute, Wednesdays are my favourite days of the week. I don’t have any lectures or seminars on Wednesdays, so this is the perfect opportunity to catch up on anything missed at the beginning of the week, or finish off seminar work for my modules.
I also like to clean my room, do my laundry and clean the bathroom on Wednesdays- the boring stuff! Me and my friends got our shopping delivered in the evening so we got that put away and cooked our tea together. If you’re lucky like me, your friends will become like family here at York, and spending time with them everyday is really special.
It’s also important to step away from work and take your eyes away from the laptop when you can. I enjoy going on walks around campus and town to relax. I usually do end up buying a sweet treat while I’m out too! Gatehouse coffee at Walmgate Bar is my current favourite.
Thursday
Thursday’s bring my only 9am of the week. After a large coffee, I start walking to campus. The weather recently has been a little more sunny, so the walk to campus is quite nice. This module is called ‘Social Inequalities’. It’s all about why we have inequalities in society, what causes them and what we can do to combat them.
After this, I head home and do some final reading for my first seminar of the week. Seminars are really good to hear what other people thought of the week’s reading, as well as a good opportunity to ask your seminar leader questions about that week’s content. I sat in the Spring Lane building after my seminar and waited for my friend to finish for the day.
Friday
Finally made it to the weekend, only 2 seminars to go! My first seminar starts at 11am, but I sometimes like to get there early to check my emails and do some work for the Social Policy Society!
I’m quite lucky to be living quite close to campus this year so I ran home and grabbed some lunch before coming straight back to campus for my second seminar. If there isn’t enough time to get home and back, I like to get lunch in the Library cafe or the Costa at James College. There are plenty of places to get food and drink on both campuses. I lived in Goodricke on Campus East last year, and I still haven’t been able to find an iced latte as good as the ones at the Ron Cooke Hub!
After my seminar I headed home and got ready for student night at Salvos (Club Salvation). This is probably the most popular club night of the week and you’re guaranteed a laugh with your mates if you go! No night out is complete without a pizza from Salt and Pepper, so we got one of those and headed home.
Saturday
Like Mondays, I tend to sleep in on a Saturday morning. Once I do finally get out of bed and get ready for the day, it’s lunch time. I eat and then spend time phoning my family and friends from home. Durham isn’t that far away, but it’s nice to speak to my friends regularly, as they also go to uni so we can’t meet up as often as we would like.
Saturday nights are usually spent on the sofa with my housemates. We play games, bake and watch films. If we are feeling up to it, we might even go for a nice walk to the Minster and people watch for a while, but after a busy week, a Saturday night in is sometimes needed.
Sunday
Sundays are for brunch. The perfect way to round up the week and get ready for the next one. York has no shortage of brunch spots. My favourites are Rise and Robinsons. After this, I had a look around the shops in town and chose out some flowers from the markets.
I spent the rest of the day relaxing and getting ready for the new week ahead!
Read more student stories about studying Social Policy at York.
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