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The Friendly Introvert

On a large campus, it is very easy to get swallowed up by the crowd. However, part of the university experience is getting out there and meeting new people. Not only is making connections important in making the campus feel more like a home, it is also an important skill to develop for your budding …

Life-lessons from F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

Still one of the most watched TV shows, ‘Friends’ has somehow remained relevant. It’s popularity among younger audiences is undeniable, and has become a go-to when it comes to binge-watching a comfort programme. It is one that our generation has grown up with and makes us nostalgic for a time before us. I have recently …

Ask a Busy Person

“How do you find the time?” I’m asked this often. I’ve worked full-time in heritage for 20 years, I’m a trustee for a local charity and I have a side hustle. Nothing unique about that, but there’s a saying in my network that if you need something doing ask a busy person. To be honest …

How Seeing Plays Helped My English Degree

Starting my English Degree at the University of Nottingham, a course in which you are thoroughly taken out of your comfort zone if you expect anything resembling a ‘dry degree’, nothing terrified me more than one looming module: Drama, Theatre and Performance. There is something uniquely evil in taking a shy student and forcing them …

A Student’s Search for Presence

When we establish a routine, it almost feels like nothing in the world could ever disrupt our rhythm. The rhythm of lectures, seminars, workshops. The rhythm which binds us on a set journey towards a certain career. Some time ago, I would have shunned this rhythm. This monotony. Yet, I realise that none of it …

A Guide to Fresher’s Fear

Freshers week. A few months ago these two simple words would make me feel an all-encompassing sense of dread. Even voicing the phrase was enough to make my mouth dry up a little. However, at present, I can proudly state I am a true survivor of this worrisome week and am offering to share some …

Reading: A Guide for Undergraduates

With most English undergraduates taking six modules per year, and each module carrying its own hefty reading list, it can be difficult to know how best to stay on top of such a daunting workload. Most of us are taking this course because we love to read, but finding time to read for pleasure can …

Having a ‘creative block’? How to stay creative when immersed in an academic world.

The University of Nottingham is a brilliant place. We are spoiled with an academic environment full of specialists, passionate about the subjects they teach. We are encouraged to read deeply and broadly, be inquisitive, be critical, be this and be that. I sometimes find myself so focused on the academic side of the course that …

How to Spend Your Christmas Holiday

With Christmas holidays coming up and assessments looming, many of you might be concerned with how best to spend the one-month break. Depending on your degree, you may be facing upcoming exams or coursework deadlines, in which case the holidays might look like a black hole of stress. Some of you may already be planning …