As I write this message to you, it is December 1st. Where has the time gone? – it’s been only two months since the freshers began their move to Lancaster!

The festive spirit is definitely starting to settle into campus as the end of term draws closer and the Christmas socials begin. Last week, the Swimming and Water Polo club had their Christmas social at The Crafty Scholar pub in the town centre. It is a fabulous opportunity to socialise with your fellow athletes over some super tasty food and drink. We ended the night as always in the student union nightclub – Sugarhouse. It was an amazing night, with a pretty famous band called Scouting for Girls playing there! I love to see live bands and it was a super fun event, so thank you Lancaster University Students Union for organising that!

Essays and coursework are also looming in the background, as week 9 comes upon us on Monday. I am feeling pretty relieved at the moment, as I have completed both of my assessed presentations for health economics and have got my essay for my international business module just about done. Only my two essays left to go on health economics and British foreign policy!

Whilst the stress is settling in a little, as deadlines draw closer, I have been making sure to set time aside to enjoy socialising with friends and continue doing all the things I love. It’s super important to take breaks and chill out from time to time, and with the festive season on the horizon, it’s a great motivator to persevere to the end of term!

I just want to take this opportunity to wish everyone lots of luck with their studies and I hope everyone has an amazing festive season!

Speak to you soon,

Orla

Hi everyone!

 

Hope everything is going well! I apologise for not uploading anything in some time, I’ve been really busy with the essays and the application process for my Master degree. I’m happy to say that I have been accepted here in Lancaster to do an MA in International Relations. I hope I will be able to learn even more than what I have already in my undergraduate course. Moreover, I’m sure I’ll be be able to develop myself here as a researcher, so that I will be able in the future to gain more employability in both academia and think tanks.

To be honest, these weeks haven’t been especially eventful. With the deadlines approaching, there isn’t that much time to do anything else other than spend time researching and writing. Luckily, the University Library offers many resources, from books to academic journals to help you with your research. It is a really good place to study as well, with a silent room and various pods in which you can meet up with your colleagues to do research together. The workload is quite stressful, but luckily this Friday there is a Latin Party in town, so I hope me and my mates will be able to have some fun and take our minds off the essays for a while.

 

I’ll keep you guys posted about how the term ends. Wish me luck!

 

Guillermo

Hi everyone, I hope you’re all doing well.

We’re just at the start of week 9 here at Lancaster Uni, the penultimate week before Christmas break. Many people have deadlines in week 10 before leaving for Christmas, so many are running around like headless chickens; but this year (the first in all three so far) I am not one of those people. Since two of my modules are specialist subjects (5,000 words each), and my third requires 4,000 words, it’s safe to say that I am stressed, for sure, but overjoyed to have the Christmas break to complete these essays (particularly as most of my attention so far has been directed at my dissertation). 

Tomorrow, 4th December, is my 22^nd birthday: I have two-two hour specialist seminars back to back: just my luck! Never-mind… because after that, I’m going to Kaspa’s deserts with my flatmate to claim my free birthday shake!

This weekend was written off for me to celebrate, since my good friend Alice came up to visit me from the Friday to the Sunday. Alice and I became friends in first year when we were put together in Aldingham (one of the Furness blocks), and we (plus four others from first year accommodation) moved in together for second year. Although we kept the house on for third year, Alice moved to Milton Keynes to pursue a year in industry, where she gained a position with Audi doing business analysis, reporting on market performance (within the supply and planning sector.) Pretty outstanding, right? There are wonderful opportunities to explore with regards to sandwich degrees and placements, and if that’s not for you, there are also plenty study abroad opportunities which I would definitely suggest considering. If I could change anything about my uni experience, it definitely would’ve been having the courage to go abroad in my second year. 

Anyway – back to me! It’s my birthday! 

Alice arrived on Friday afternoon, so we treated ourselves to a haircut, (although Prestige is quite good, they were fully booked. Because of that, we discovered Tao hairdressers, where we managed to get our cuts done at the same time. I would definitely recommend checking this out, I’ve definitely found my new favourite hairdresser). Later that evening we all went as a flat for a couple of casual drinks (I’m pretty much over the Sugarhouse/going out scene – but trust me, all of this is very much to look forward to if you are becoming a fresher!) Then, Saturday evening we went for a meal at Pizza Margherita, an Italian restaurant in town, which was followed by a bottle of wine and many more drinks… although I say I am done with the going out scene, we ended up in Generation and Hustle… Crafty Scholar… Mint… Cornerstone (formerly Sphere) is another, which I would definitely recommend on any night out if you’re looking for a more sophisticated vibe. Sunday we took a trip to the Manchester Christmas markets for a cheeky bit of shopping.

 

                                                     Manchester Christmas Markets

 

Later today I have to trek to Preston to apply for a National Insurance Number: Being from Jersey I was never given one on turning 16, but require one since I am now employed here in Lancaster. So, lots of travelling, but it’s refreshing to see some different scenery now and then. 

For my final birthday treat I am having a hot towel massage on Wednesday post-lecture. One group who make use of Lancaster University’s Chaplaincy Centre are the trained therapists who make up the Natural Healthcare group. I discovered Chryssie, who offers a fabulous range of massages in exam time last year. Chryssie is particularly great for anyone in need of a little help to destress during busy periods such as exam season. I think it’s fantastic that we have such services on our doorstep, and it’s important to make the most of them.

Forgive me that this blog became egocentric, but I hope nonetheless that it has highlighted some of the general features of living in Lancaster, and updated you sufficiently on what I’ve been up to. Next time I’ll try to incorporate something more academic/ philosophical, perhaps such as my final conquering of Sartre’s “Look”. 

Until then, take care, and go easy on the mulled beverages.

Ellie 

It’s a been bit of a quiet and somewhat stressful week this week, everyone is starting to buckle down as the end of term approaches. It’s been a mainly research-based week for me this week, finding out as much as possible to make my essay the best it can be. I have managed to finish my International Business essay about risks faced by companies who operate in more countries around the world, so that’s a big relief.

 

To chill out, my housemates and I took some trips to the cinema to see Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Bohemian Rhapsody. It was a great stress-reliever for us all and with it being only 10 minutes on the bus and tickets only £5, it’s a super easy and affordable way to enjoy yourself with your friends.

 

For Politics Society also, it’s been a great week. Last week, we had Dr. Richard Johnson deliver a lecture on racial polarisation partisanship in US politics. This is about the differences in voting between white and minority voters in their decision to vote Democrat or Republican. It was a fascinating lecture that was greatly enjoyed by the members who attended. Events such as these are some of my favourites as it allows our members to learn about areas of politics that they may not be able to fit into their degree scheme. We also hosted a pub quiz on Wednesday 21st November, which was a great break from work for everyone!

 

Hope you are all doing brilliantly and remember to take some time out for yourselves. See you next time,

 

Orla

 

Hi friends,

Welcome back to my blog, I hope everyone is doing well.

As I promised, I’m back to tell you how my few days at home went, and catch you up on what has been happening in my life for the past two weeks. It sure is crazy how time flies here, it’s already been a week since getting back from my trip at home and I have lots to share with you.

I went home from the 8th-10th November, a short whistle-stop and I was back to Lancaster again. Going home really helped break up the term for me, particularly because it forced me to focus on something other than my degree for a short moment, (if you aren’t going to count the reading in between places, like on the train and on the plane.) Sometimes uni work can feel all consuming – so if you are like me and struggle to put it aside, short breaks like this are important to your wellbeing since they allow you to step back and frame yourself in the larger perspective.

If like me you won’t be living near home, this can be just as well achieved by scheduling yourself in for some down-time: time in which you put the books away and let your mind wander or focus on something completely different. For me, this is going to gigs (I am a big fan of hip-hop, so I often travel to Manchester or Preston for events), spending time with friends (usually food is involved), drawing, cooking and other creative outlets. Last night, for example, I went to Herbarium (a vegan cafe/restaurant) where mutual friends were hosting an art exhibition/ hip-hop DJ/ live music event. If you are a creative person, it’s incredible how much local support there is for the arts, whether this be music, dance, drawing/painting; you name it. I think this is what gives Lancaster its unmatchable community feel.

I can’t stress how important these things are to avoid burnout, and although I have learned much over the past three years about myself, I think this might be the most pertinent.

Back to it – home. I had a fantastic time at home, it was so lovely to spend time with some of my friends since I don’t get to see them much other than in the holidays living so far away. It was awesome to be with my mum for those few days, she spoiled me rotten – we had two amazing lunches by the beach (hopefully you can see the pictures attached below) and dinner out one night too. We ate all sorts of naughty things like crisps… chips… and even chocolate brownie with ice cream.

                                        My Lunchtime view at home in Jersey. 

Even more than this, I got the pleasure of delivering a speech about the International Baccalaureate to 100+ people (potential IB students, and their parents) at my old high school. I have no idea why, but that was the first time I did not feel nervous whatsoever public speaking. I didn’t stumble over my words, I didn’t even get dry mouth! It couldn’t have gone smoother: I even got lots of laughs and even some tears from a teacher’s partner; a truly humbling experience. I think perhaps I wasn’t nervous because I was confident in my message and felt it worthy of being delivered.

And that was home – all went smoothly, even the travel, and before I knew it, I was back in Lancaster.

This week I have been focusing mostly on my dissertation, as I have been given another deadline of 2000 words. I am currently at about 4000, but it still isn’t saying much or going where I want it to, but I think this will come with more reading. I am definitely an ideas person: I always have too many. But this just means that in cutting down and editing I will have more material to choose between (hopefully).

In Philosophy of Work, I’ve decided on an area of study for my 5000 word mini dissertation – which will focus on the good life (within an Aristotelean framework) and the way in which the capitalist job market has de-skilled the labor force at the detriment of the good life. For my other mini-dissertation I am still not sure what my essay will focus on – perhaps the non-identity problem in Parfit’s Reasons and Persons. For anyone who is curious, Parfit thinks that personal identity is largely misunderstood: all that really matters is what he calls Relation R – psychological connectedness/ and or continuity with the right kind of cause. He goes as far as saying that despite our natural inclination to believe that if a replica of ourselves was created on Mars, (but we are told after her replication that we on earth will die), we should regard this as good as ordinary survival – since all that matters is not the continuity of our body, but that some psychological connectedness/continuity holds. On the account of personal identity, however, (the account we instinctively believe), if my replica survives but I die, this is just as bad as normal death. By using thought experiments such as this, Parfit tries to convince us that our natural beliefs such as the importance of personal identity are simply wrong.

I don’t expect you to understand this – this has taken six weeks of toil for me as a third year to come to grips with! I just thought I’d whet your appetite all you moral philosophers out there.

Onwards and upwards with week 7,

Talk to you soon.

Ellie

 

Hi Everybody!

My name is Kenneth, and I am this year’s mentor for those of you applying to study Religious Studies & EPR here at Lancaster

So, I thought it was about time I introduced myself, and said a little bit about this blog.

I’m currently a Master’s Student, reading for a degree in Religion and Conflict. I also studied at Lancaster for my undergraduate degree, which was in International Relations and Religious Diversity. So, I’ve been here a while…

This year I will be mentoring any RS students starting their degree here in Sept 2019. So, keep an eye on this blog. Every week or so I will be posting a short post about what it is like to be an undergraduate student in the PPR department like, what you might want to bring with you, what a lecture is, and what is Fresher’s Week like!

I would also like to introduce our mascot, Lumpy! 

As you can probably tell from his name, Lumpy is a Heffalump teddy…

This year he will be following me around, helping me document what university life is like. So, keep an eye out for him around social media and open days, he is rather mischievous! He mostly hangs out on my twitter (@kenarchy97) but will also feature on this blog and our Instagram account which will be coming soon! 

So yeah, that is us. I am really looking forward to getting to know you all and to help you prepare for coming to Lancaster!! Next week, I’ll be writing a short blog about what my first week at Lancaster university was like.

Best wishes!!

Kenneth and Lumpy

 

Hey guys!

 

After the first few weeks in, it is now time to confront the deadlines approaching. Usually, in the PPR department each module asks for an essay at the end of the term concerning a question related to the course’s topics. For example, in my Understanding External Intervention in Violent Conflicts module, I was thinking of writing my essay on the impact of the War on Terror on the AfPak (Afghanistan and Pakistan) region. In some modules, like China in the Modern World, you also have to make a presentation for your seminar tutor and classmates, but doing an essay is more common.

My Economics modules are very similar, I’ve been lucky not to have any exams this term: for my Applied Economics module I did a presentation on a paper that explored the incidence of low wages in various European countries, and I was thinking of doing my essay on the effects that inequality of education has on developing countries; for my Monetary Macroeconomics module I will do a presentation concerning the role of monetary institutions in tackling wage inflation, and my essay will probably be on the recommended policies the Bank of England should follow in the post-Brexit UK. Dissertation work continues, but I’m afraid progress is pretty slow and might get even slower with all the deadlines approaching.

 

However, I try not to get too caught up in the academic work and have some fun as well. Even though it is important to get good grades (especially in third year), it is also necessary to remember that everybody needs a break sometimes, to chill and let your mind rest for a bit. Luckily, Lancaster offers a lot in terms of social activities and ways of relaxing.

After last week’s debate on atheism and religion, this week in the Philosophy Society we’re going to have a social event: we’ll watch the movie Her, and then talk about the philosophical themes and undertones behind it (hopefully while chilling in a bar nearby). There is also the option of going to the cinema, either the Take2 cinema on campus or the one in town. Finally, I hope that in spite of the deadlines my friends and I can still go out this weekend to the Sugarhouse, a club run by our very own students’ union.

 

I’ll keep you guys posted on how everything goes during the second half of this term. Thanks for reading!

Guillermo

Hi guys and girls, welcome back!

I hope everyone is having a nice start to the month and enjoying all the autumnal colours.

This week will be an eventful one for me. Tomorrow I have another dissertation meeting, and although I am around 2000 words in, I’m starting to feel the pressure; particularly the pressure of expectations considering that the topic I have chosen is quite obscure. Week 5 is around the time in which to start thinking about essay plans, and because I am taking two specialist subjects, this means I have two mini-dissertations of 5000 words each on top of my 10,000 word dissertation to pursue and plan for this week. The questions for these two extended essays are expected to be formulated independently, so I have a lot of work to do. This is just the work side of my life right now!

In other news, Thursday morning I am heading back home to Jersey. Although it really isn’t the best timing, the motivation is definitely a good one. I have been asked to give a speech on the Thursday evening to potential International Baccalaureate students and their parents at an open evening at my old high school. This opportunity was particularly important to me, because, despite the fact that I hate public speaking, I feel that I owe the fantastic teachers from my old school for putting me on this path, and leading me to where I am today. In fact, if it wasn’t for the leap of faith I took in moving sixth form and pursuing a diploma pretty unheard of (and massively underrated, might I say) against the will of my parents, I would never have taken Philosophy as a class, and I doubt I’d have gone to university at all. The IB set me up for university in ways that I could never have predicted, and despite how hard it was, it instilled in me a work ethic which I probably wouldn’t have gained elsewhere. More than this, it prompted me to appreciate the importance of a holistic education, which as I mentioned in my last blog, was a motivating factor in my choosing Lancaster as my place of further study.

I think going home will be a nice relief for me, and hopefully it will help me get through the mid-term slump I am currently experiencing; this is normal, by the way. I am also having trouble with student finance which isn’t great, but I’m trying to be positive; a positive mindset is important when you have a lot of work on your plate. Anyway, it just so happens that the Thursday I return falls on one of my friend’s birthday’s, and I haven’t seen her since early September, so it will be nice to spend some time with her, and share our term’s experiences so far. Living so far away I tend not to go home until the uni breaks, so I’m feeling it might break up my term a little and push me to work harder when I come back.

Sunday evening we’re making a flat meal – there are 6 of us in my flat and we try to do this every now and then. It will be a curry night, and honestly, I’m already excited for it! One of my flatmates is directing me on how to make an authentic red lentil Dahl (from a recipe passed down from his grandmother), pretty cool, right?! I return on Saturday evening, so it will definitely be something to look forward to.

See, I’ll only be gone for a few days, but I’m already looking forward to coming back despite any setbacks or slumps. Lancaster is home.

I’ll check in with you all soon and let you know how the speech went, (please cross your fingers and toes for me.) I think I’ve decided that these blogs will be best if I do them bi-weekly, so that I have more to report on, unless something particularly worth writing about comes along. I’ll try my best to keep you engaged!

Take Care,

Ellie 

 

 

Hello everyone!

My name is Guillermo, I’m on my third year studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). I will try to maintain a weekly update of what is going on here in Lancaster University, both from an academic and social perspective, so that you can see how life in Lancaster is like.

 

I feel that first I should talk about my degree. It is organised by the PPR department, but it also incorporates modules from the Economics department, which gives it the interdisciplinary character that I was looking for when I applied. You can really see it on the course structure I have this term: I’m doing two Economics modules, Monetary Macroeconomics and Applied Economics, and one module from Politics, Understanding External Intervention in Violent Conflicts. In addition to that, although I am not doing any Philosophy modules this term, my undergraduate dissertation is on Hannah Arendt’s relationship between thinking and evil. That way I can get my healthy dose of philosophical thinking (and existential crises) for this term while research a topic that I’m really interested in. However, this is only one possible combination of modules, and you can choose from a great variety of options ranging from Epistemology to Metaphysics in Philosophy; from Elections and Domestic Policy to the Political Economy of Globalisation in Politics and International Relation; and from Game Theory to Economic Policy in Economics.

 

On the more social side, Lancaster is full of opportunities to interact with other people and to have a fun time. From the wide variety of societies you can join, to your colleagues from your college and events happening in town, it is possible to enjoy your time here even if you have much work to do. For example, as a member of the executive of the Philosophy society (I know, nerd much?) we host a weekly debate on a variety of topics that the members have voted for, and after that we usually go to one of the pubs in Uni to either continue the debate or to just have a few laughs. Also, as Halloween approaches new events and parties are approaching, which promise to be really fun and exciting, as well as an opportunity to move around town to enjoy the festive ambient.

 

I will try to keep you guys posted on what else happens this year. I hope that this will convince you to come join us in the future!

Until next time,

Guillermo