Comparison really is the thief of joy: The dangers of comparing your university experience to others
November 8, 2023
After a long day of university seminars and lectures, you find yourself back in your dorm room, procrastinating on that looming assignment by scrolling endlessly through Instagram. As you look through curated stories and posts of your friends’ university experiences, you’re bombarded with a visual feast: endless parties, newfound friendships, perfectly decorated rooms, productive study …
Oppenheimer and The Waste Land
October 10, 2023
Early on in Christopher Nolan’s 2023 film Oppenheimer, there is a whirlwind montage of the young J. Robert Oppenheimer imagining phenomena within quantum physics. We see visions of the universe, atoms and waveforms intercut with shots of Oppenheimer surrounded by art, history, and monumental architecture. It is a kaleidoscopic composition signifying the turbulence of the …
The pressure to have ‘The University Experience’
October 4, 2023
‘The University Experience’ is more than just something first years use as a reason to dump their long-term secondary school girlfriends/boyfriends. It’s a term that gets thrown around often and is commonly used to justify going clubbing when you have a paper to write or pulling all-nighters the day before your essay is due. But …
Keeping up with my contemporary reads whilst studying as an English student
July 31, 2023
Reading for pleasure can be tricky as an English student. Finding the time to balance the reading that my course prescribes me with my own personal reads is something I have often struggled with. Unfortunately, time and time again I have had to prioritise the reading for my course at the expense of the books …
Navigating University as a dual honours student
July 19, 2023
Coming to university in September, I was originally intending on taking liberal arts with a primary focus on English and history, however, I quickly realised that these two subjects as a pair were personally a better fit for me to study. History and English are luckily quite complimentary subjects meaning it made it easier to …
How MA Applied English made me a better museum professional when I least expected it
July 5, 2023
I graduated with my BA in English Studies from UoN way back in 2004; 19 years later, in 2023, I’m just about to hand in the final piece of work of my MA in Applied English, studied via Distance Learning. In my tour guide costume at the National Justice Museum The Galleries of Justice, now …
How working on the ‘Plants & Prayers’ exhibition gave me post-uni clarity
June 26, 2023
As someone studying a non-vocational degree (BA History of Art and English), I am often inundated with questions about what I plan to do when I graduate. What people expect to hear is ‘teaching’ or ‘journalism’ or, as my parents probably hope, ‘a PGDL course’ so I can follow in the footsteps of my hotshot …
The benefits of joining a sports team at university
June 9, 2023
Arriving at university can seem like a daunting experience. For most people, it is the first time you’ve lived away from home, maybe moving to a new part of the country, or perhaps even a different country altogether, and chances are you don’t know many (or any) other students here too. And so whilst it …
The importance of routine when living away from home
May 24, 2023
It is said it takes approximately 66 days for an individual to develop a habit that will become an effortless part of their daily routine. However, what is often overlooked is the difficulty of adhering to this extended and sometimes gruelling timeline. Establishing good habits is a fundamental aspect of personal growth and being an …
If over-thinking burned calories, I’d be a supermodel
April 12, 2023
Being in your own company 24/7 can sometimes be tiresome – especially when every thought you have, every inconvenience, every problem is on a constant loop in your mind. Even if you don’t categorise yourself as an other-thinker, there is always that one moment, embarrassing or traumatic, that has daily reruns in your mind. Unfortunately, …
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