Author: Emily Siddall

Back to work!

/ Emily Siddall

First off, I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas break and a Happy New Year to you all.

Christmas this year for me featured a few cherished days off from studying, and on the other days, focusing on writing my essays which are due in the first three weeks of Lent term. It’s safe to say though, some time off was definitely well received, and I really enjoyed spending time with my family and catching up with friends (whilst regularly raiding the fridge and cupboards for all that “Christmas Food” you’re not allowed to eat until at least Christmas Eve).

Here’s a picture of me and my friends catching up and having a few drinks over Christmas! (I’m on the right!) 

As for this blog post, the best place to start is probably with my essays. As a Masters student, the essays are slightly longer than those at undergraduate level (so don’t be too alarmed or be put off by this), so I have had to complete 3 x 5,000 word essays, one due each Monday until week three. So far, I have completed two essays, the first in International Law, and the second in Major Approaches to International Relations. I found my first essay somewhat challenging, as I have not studied law before prior to my Masters, so adjusting to this new style of writing was quite difficult! Once the essay was finished, however, it was really rewarding to have a better understanding of a new subject area, even better, knowing I was 1/3 of the way through my deadlines.

Then, came my second essay, on whether realism and liberalism explain the Iraq War for my International Relations module. This, was somewhat easier to write due to my undergraduate degree being in Politics and International Relations. What I did notice quite quickly however, was how I was able to use my newfound understanding of international law in my international relations essay, which enabled me to add a new aspect to my writing, which I was very pleased about! This was something I was fairly used to in my undergraduate degree, as my modules regularly related to each other in subject matter, but was definitely not expecting when studying law AND politics. As for the essay itself, I really enjoyed writing it as it is my preferred subject area and I was able to tailor my essay question to a subject area that really fascinates me. I submitted this essay today, and tonight I shall start writing my final essay (which luckily in the previous term I had already planned and completed the readings for so hopefully will not take too long).

As for the plan for the rest of this term, I can safely say it is going to be fairly busy. Although I only have 4 contact hours a week (as FASS subjects tend to require a lot of independent study guided by lectures each week), there’s lots of other stuff to keep up with! First, is the job hunt. This is probably what I’m going to focus on for much of this term, whilst monitoring other applications made in the previous term. My friends and I are planning to meet up to go through applications with each other and read over our CV’s to make sure there aren’t any silly mistakes, which knowing my luck there always are!

Alongside this, I have my lectures and readings to complete each week, which again takes up quite a lot of time due to the wide variety of readings any Masters student has to complete to keep up with the course. Of course, maintaining some social life is hard with all this going on, but I intend to keep playing netball and pool, whilst sneaking in a cheeky trip to sugar into the schedule every now and then! Plus playing in the bar sports teams holds the perfect excuse for a pint.

Finally, in my role as Admissions Mentor for the PPR department, I will be helping out at the Admissions Day on Saturday 27th, which I believe some of you who read this blog may be coming to. As part of the day, I give a lecture on the student experience and what to expect as a PPR student, and I also talk to prospective students and parents about my experience of Lancaster so far. Part of the role also means regularly posting on this blog too!

So, as you can probably tell, this term is going to be a busy one, but I’ll be sure to update you midway through this term with what else I have been working on, and hopefully give you more of an insight into what it’s like to be a student in the PPR department!

Starting essays already!?!?

/ Emily Siddall

Introducing me

I’m Emily, I’m 21 years old, and am currently a Masters student studying LLM International Law and International Relations. On this blog I’m going to give you a bit of an insight into what it is like to be a student in the PPR department, and what normal days/weeks look like as a student at Lancaster University. But first, I thought it would be wise to let you know a little bit about me. I studied my undergraduate degree in Politics and International Relations here at Lancaster, and have decided to stay here for my masters as I really enjoyed my time here and didn’t quite want to leave! I’ve played college netball for Bowland throughout at my time at uni, held numerous part time jobs, and also been lucky enough to have three internships during my time here at Lancaster so far. During my spare time, I enjoy going to the  pub with friends, often entailing a few pints and a game of pool, so, this year joining the college pool team was a must (mainly because it’s the perfect excuse for a pub trip).

But now onto the important stuff, a day in the life of a student…

This week I have to say is one of the quieter ones, focusing on starting planning for my essays. For my masters there are no exams, instead 3 x 5,000 word essays are the assignments for my first term. 5,000 sounds a lot right? Well, after a few years of studying your chosen subject, it becomes very easy to reach if not go over a word limit of 5,000, so don’t be put off by that. For my PPR modules, you get to choose my own questions to focus on, which is great as it gives you such flexibility to focus on areas that you have been interested in previously. I have always been interested in social media and its effects on politics, and the Iraq war and the motives behind it have long since been an intrigue of mine. So I have managed to worm these two subjects into each of my essays, the first essay being of the effects of social media on diplomatic practice, and the second being on whether realism can accurately explain the invasion of Iraq. Pretty cool eh? Well, the nerd in me sure thinks so.

Besides essay planning, of course there’s lectures and seminars I have to attend. My current timetable this term I must admit is very quiet, requiring lots of self-study, reading plenty of books and articles, and frequent study trips to the library or computer rooms on campus. Fun right?! Well, 7 hours of lectures/seminars a week isn’t actually all too bad, and I really like this method of study, as it allows me to work at my own pace and use the lectures to clarify my understanding of the weekly readings I have to do. What’s even better, is that I love my subject, so spending time studying for the most part is very rewarding.

Life at Lancaster however, isn’t all about studying, and luckily for Lancaster students there is plenty to do both on and off campus. This week, I have a netball match on Wednesday, a competitive pool game this evening, and plans to go on a night out at the weekend. In between this, I often find myself catching up with friends for coffee (or my preferred drink from costa, a hot chocolate) or watching an episode of two from a good TV show on Netflix to unwind after a long day of studying. Fitting in time to do the things you enjoy in between the time you spend studying is key for providing yourself with a break from your studies, as managing your time effectively is one of the biggest things you’ll learn at university, even though after three years I still haven’t yet mastered this skill!

I hope this provides you with some insight into my life at Lancaster, and please keep your eyes posted on this blog for more updates from myself and other students! If you have any comments or questions, feel free to comment on my post.