May 25, 2012, by Matt

A Day in the life of a Geographer … Francesca Marriott

Wow. That’s gone quick. I know last time I was going on about how quickly first year was going and now all of a sudden it’s virtually gone. Soon I shall be losing my title of being a ‘fresher’ and become a fully fledged second year geographer.

Since my last post, I have attended the 1^st year field trip to the Lake District, (encountering snow, sunshine, high winds and rain in the space of 4 days). Which, despite the fluctuations in weather was a great experience, see Andy Cook’s blog for more about the trip. I can confirm at least 1 geographer was definitely enthused and inspired! So thanks to all the staff who made it happen. I’ve also picked out my modules for next year – very exciting!

So what have I been up to this week? Well I’ll spell it out to you R-E-V-I-S-I-O-N-! I’ve been hitting the books with a vengeance. So I have spent a lot of time in Hallward library surrounded by the mountains of knowledge I need for the exams.

And exam time is truly underway. 1 down and 2 more to go. In comparison to January, I feel a lot more comfortable, A) because I have half the number of exams and also the knowledge that I’ve been through the whole thing before and survived! And B) because summer is nearly upon us, which is enough to make anyone happy. In addition, the weather has been pretty nice, which has allowed a change of scenery from revision in Hallward to revision on the downs!

So how did my final exam for Earth and Environmental Dynamics go? Well the jury’s out on that till I get my results. I’d like to think better and that I have lost the ‘journalistic waffle’ that plagued my previous exam essays. Note to self, examiners do not like it when you use metaphors, similies or any other ligunsitic devices when trying to answer an essay question. This is the problem you get when you take non science a-levels and then want to do a BSC! Still, that’s 1 exam down and only 2 more to go. So onto the next one, Exploring Human Geography!

Other stuff I’ve been up to this week includes paying the deposit for the ‘Techniques in Physical Geography’ Fieldtrip to Malham, Yorkshire, where I shall hopefully learn all the techniques I will need to conduct my dissertation. I’ve also been completing the last of my duties as a First Year BSC Geography course-rep, which I’ve found both interesting and rewarding. I’ve been putting in place some of final details of my volunteering/work experience over the summer, with the RSPB at Blacktoft Sands and the Over the Wall – a superb children’s charity who provides summer camps for disabled and terminally ill children. For more information check out their website (shameless publicising, but it is for a good cause). So now I am just tying up the loose ends of what I believe to be a fairly successful first year in the Geography department at Nottingham. And role on second year!

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