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).

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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).

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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!

The last few weeks have been quite hectic, with the end of term fast approaching and deadlines catching up on me. For the last few weeks I have been attempting to get as much work done as possible before the Christmas holidays so that I can take it a bit easier. So far, this has gone quite well, as I have just completed my single hardest essay and can now focus more on getting my remaining two completed during the holidays!

I’ve also been preparing for my Research Proposal conference this week. Basically, as part of the Master’s at Lancaster there is a conference ran for one of the modules in which you choose a topic to do a research proposal on, which you can then expand on in a dissertation. You then have to do a 10 minute presentation on you’re topic and how you want to go about working on it, in front of some of the students and staff in the department. I’ve chosen to do my research proposal on the role of ‘alternative media’ in the UK general election of earlier this year, and based of the work I have already done, this topic sounds really interesting and worthy of further examination.

Christmas is also less then two weeks away now, and it definitely feels like it! The societies that I am in at the moment have been hosting their Christmas meals this week I am now already sick of turkey! My flat has also decided to hold a secret santa, and for once we are actually keeping quiet about who we all have. Thinking of a present has been quite difficult, especially with the work I’ve given myself to do, but I have decided on what my present will be and am waiting to pick it up tomorrow.

Term so far has been quite hectic to say the least! Deadlines are approaching me, and I have begun work on my three essays for this term. At the moment, I am currently working on one to do with military alliances, which is turning out to be interesting to say the least. In addition to this, I am also planning both my next essay (on how governments deal with justice and home affairs) and a presentation I am due to present at the end of term on a potential research proposal for my Master’s Dissertation (for some reason, I decided to choose the impact of ‘alt-left’ media on the UK General Election earlier this year). Suffice to say, the next few weeks should be quite busy.

 

This is probably why its a good thing that one of the societies that I am involved in (the Lancaster Debating Union) has just completed one of the annual competitions that we run – the intercollegiate debating contest. This year’s was won by Furness for the first time since 1995, with the victors being rewarded by the college Deans and the head of the Lancaster University Management School. This years was a huge success due to the amount of organisation from all of those involved.

 

I’m also in the middle of preparing and applying for jobs. So far things are going well on this front, with my CV now being polished and potential job applications chosen. The processes for each vary, as do the time frames, but hopefully I will soon be able to fill you all in on how they are going, along with some good news!

 

Finally, my flat has so far been really fun this year. There are 6 of us in total, with 3 of us studying politics and 3 studying physics. We are all getting on really well so far, and they have even decided to start teaching me how to play guitar (which is going terribly so far). We decided yesterday to organise a Secret Santa, but with a £5 spending limit, it looks like it is going to be a challenge to decide what to get.

 

 

Hello all, it’s been a while!

We have just entered week 9 in term and as such, deadlines loom around the corner…

 

For week 10, I have 3 essays due in, the modules for these are: Middle East, International Business and Continental Philosophy. Naturally, as you approach final week your time tends to be devoted towards essay writing, which is the case as of now.

Since my last post, I have attended a Futsal match in Sheffield against Sheffield Hallam University which, after going 2-0 down, we came back to win 4-2 and attended an International Dinner as courtesy of UNICEF on Campus. The International Dinner certainly had a sentimental value for me given that last year i participated as the General Secretary of the UNICEF on Campus society, to see how the society has grown in prominence around campus certainly emboldens one with a sense of self-certainty in what can be achieved. When discussing the International Dinner, a key thing to remember and hold firmly in mind is the international nature of a university like Lancaster. I highlight this because at events such as this, the diversity held by our campus is certainly illustrated especially when you eat dishes from Bulgaria, China, Nigeria and Turkey (to name a few!).

Just as the food represents, people from different regions of the world so to does this lead on to the people you meet in daily activities. In all of my seminars, I am sure each counts a wide array of different people and backgrounds. I digress!

Choosing to focus heavily on studies this year, my extra-curricular activities extends no further than the University Futsal team. However being in the third and final year necessarily means one must begin to think about life beyond university and formal education. To this end, I have been heavily applying for jobs in a variety of fields. As of the 5th of December, I shall be off to attend a particular job related event.

University offers a plethora of ways to get involved and many opportunities for students to build up their own skills and knowledge. Having been here for 3 years, my experiences and the resulting knowledge acquired lead me to urge all students to get involved as much as possible to learn about where your skills and interests lay, but still maintain a certain pragmatism with other responsibilities you may hold!

Until next time!

Sowenna

 

That time of term is coming! With three essays due in week 10, I’ve spent most of the last weeks of term in the library, which means I don’t really have anything that exciting to report. So, welcome to my boring (but hopefully helpful) tips for getting you’re coursework sorted as hassle-free as possible!
1. Plan ahead of time – Writing essays may seem like a daunting task, but if you come up with an idea of how is best to use your time, especially balancing between different subjects, it’s a lot easier! Personally I prefer to do all of my reading first so when it comes to starting to write up my essay, I have a really good idea of exactly what I want to put in it. However, everyone works differently, so don’t stress out if you’re at a different stage to your friends!

2. Find your best work space – This one is more important than you might think! There have been countless times that I’ve tried to convince myself that the best place to smash out a good piece of writing is at home… in bed…with the TV on in the background… and then I’ve not achieved as much as I’d set out to do. Again, everyone works differently, so spending time to find the best location, and even time of day, where you are at your most motivated is really helpful and saves a lot of wasted time!

3. Remember to take time out – You’re not a robot. Everyone needs some downtime to recharge their batteries. Some people will make trips with friends, go home to see family, or use societies and exercise as a way to unwind after a day of working. The great thing about first term is that its coming up to Christmas so there’s always loads of festive stuff to do as a break from the library!

4. Take full advantage of the help offered – In PPR, the lecturers are really supportive with coursework and are always up for a chat about essays to make sure you’re on the right track, or just to sound out your ideas. This is really useful so make the most of your consultations!

5. Try not to let the stress take over – Everyone needs some help now and then. If you find yourself getting worked up over deadlines, see what support you can get. Sometimes, no matter how small it seems, a coffee with a friend is enough to help you realise that you’re not doing as bad as you think!

Hello again! Leaving home to start uni can be a big step, although it isn’t as daunting as you may think! However, one thing I’ve definitely needed some practice with is learning how to adult. When it gets to week 7 and your washing is piling up, your diet consists of instant noodles and coffee, and you’ve run out of absolutely everything except toothpaste, you might start to miss living at home. So here’s some advice on how to try and be a functioning human being who doesn’t live solely on chicken nuggets!
The best thing to do is attempt to find a routine. This can be hard at first – you’ve moved into new accommodation with new people, and suddenly you’re the only person who cares what time you actually get up in the morning. Trying to stick to a routine will do you wonders, as going to bed and getting up at the same time is probably better for you than binge watching Netflix until 4am and then wondering why you’re knackered the next day. Planning your time will also help you sort out the little things that you might not have had to worry about at home, like washing clothes or shopping for food.
Another important thing is trying to eat properly! Usually when I get home from campus I don’t like spending a lot of time in the kitchen, so a really useful thing to do is cook things in big batches, freeze them, and then defrost them the night before. That way, if I spend all day in the library but then only have a short time to eat before a society thing or a night out, my food is ready to whack in the microwave, and it probably will be something that actually has veggies in it!
Not every single week is going to be perfect though, and that’s okay. To motivate yourself, just imagine how proud your mum will be when you go home for Christmas and can do more than just boil an egg.

Hello again,

This week has been a pretty eventful one on campus! As some of you may have heard Lancaster received a good deal of rain over the last week or so and it all came to a head with some rather large puddles all around the university. The underpass even became flooded due to the near-monsoon conditions (which some students are calling Storm Desmond 2.0!). The good news however was that the water soon disappeared and has allowed the university to return to normality, the wet conditions will certainly be missed by Lancaster University’s resident ducks though!

In more serious news this week was also a big one for the PPR careers team as Lancaster hosted Chris Webber from the Cabinet Office in London who came to talk to students about opportunities in the Civil Service. Chris’s talk was fascinating and focused around the potential career paths open to those with an interest in working within government, the Civil Service Fast Stream, as well as providing some useful insights with respect to applications and successfully navigating the selection process. The session ended with a Q&A and which was a superb chance to gain an even better understanding of what a life in the Civil Service can provide.

Outside of work I also took part in the weekly ParkRun event in Williamson Park in Lancaster. The run happens every week at 9am on a Saturday morning, so you will only find hardy souls on the start line (especially as winter draws in!) This week the route was a little muddy due to all the heavy rain, but this fact did not dampen the spirits of runners and volunteers who dug deep and got round the 5km course – despite this a long shower was definitely a welcome treat come the end!

Until next time…

Hi! My name is Mackenzie and I’m currently in my third year at Lancaster in Religious Studies. Long ago, in the distant past of 2015, I left my home and lovely dogs to study at Lancaster, and I’ve enjoyed it so much that I want to stay here another year for a master’s! This blog is to try and give you a bit of an insight to daily uni life, and my experiences in PPR (Philosophy, Politics and Religion) in particular. Also I’ve never written a blog before so, for the sake of adventure, here we go!
With Halloween just gone, I thought I’d talk a bit about the social side of uni first. As a fresher you will undoubtedly be introduced to the wonders of Lancaster nightlife, with 9 bars on campus for the lazy and the famous Sugarhouse! Those of you who aren’t down with the kids in terms of music taste, fear not! While comparatively small compared to the music scene in bigger towns, Lancaster still has something for everyone if you look in the right places. There are live events throughout the year, open mic nights across a number of pubs, and even societies in the uni that revolve around different types of music.
Alongside making friends with your flatmates and people from your course, a great way to get out there is to join a society! After a very lazy first year, I decided to join the Trampolining Club despite having no trampolining or gymnastics experience beyond leapfrog. It has been one of the best decisions I’d made at university (excluding the academic side, obviously!) It was a really fun way to get some exercise, push myself (way, waaaay) out of my comfort zone and learn new skills, and of course to make new friends. Despite being so nervous about joining, everyone was lovely and encouraging, to the extent where I’m now competing, which I never thought I’d be brave enough to do. Don’t hesitate to try something new when you get to uni, there are so many opportunities and it’s a great way to unwind after a week of lectures!