Hi everyone! This time we’re going to talk about adjusting to life with new flatmates! They always say that the friends you make at uni will be the friends you will make for life, and the people you move into accommodation with in freshers week seems like the best place to start!
For myself personally, I was really nervous moving into Lancaster for the first time. Being an only child, and sharing a house with just my mum and my two dogs (yes they count as family) for the past 18 years of my life, I was dubious to see how I’d adjust to sharing a flat with (in my case) eleven other people. I was used to my own space, how on earth would I cope with what is basically like eleven siblings?! However, when I moved in, I soon realised I loved sharing a flat with people who were all in the same boat as me. I experienced all of the new things at uni with my flatmates, and we saw each other at our best (and our worst!) Currently, in my third year, I’m still living with a few of them now, and couldn’t imagine eating turkey dinosaurs at 2am with anyone else.
Not everyone gets on with their flatmates however, and that’s okay too! Sometimes there seems like a lot of pressure to be best mates with the people you live with, but remember you’re allocated people to live with based purely on your choice of accommodation, so there’s always the possibility that your personalities just don’t gel. Some people are far closer with people they’ve met on their course, and also friends they make in societies, so it’s possible you’ll have more in common with those that you don’t share a flat with.
Following on from this, in first year you’ll be pressured by housing companies to find somewhere to live for second year straight away. Don’t rush into this! Take some time to really think about who you want to live with, and take some time to look around different accommodation options. If you’re nervous about renting a place for the first time, Lancaster University Homes is a great website that lets you compare different choices of accommodation from agents that have been approved by the University, so you can rest easy knowing you’re not signing up to anything too dodgy. (*disclaimer – I promise I’m not on commission for this website, I just think it’s a great idea!*) LUSU, the student union for Lancaster Uni, also have a letting agents called LUSU Living which is based on campus to make life easier as well. Either way, make sure you’ve settled into your first year before you rush to make any plans for the future!

Hello again!

 

As we reach the middle of the term it is hard to believe that time is going quite as fast as it is! This week I have begun my research for the first major assignment of the year, a 1200-1500 word critical review piece, though the task is for history there are a great deal of transferrable skills that are equally valuable for politics. Essentially the assignment involves reading a text (I have chosen a highly political piece by Francis Fukuyama from his work The End of History?) and critically reviewing the work to assess how effective it is in presenting its argument, using evidence, and passing effective judgement about its subject matter. It is a pretty interesting exercise and one that makes you think a great deal about the way in which academic work should be written, which will (hopefully) make my essays better in the long run!

 

On Wednesday I attended a careers fair run by the university that hosted numerous employers including Unilever, Boots, BT, Toyota, BAE Systems, Civil Service Fast Stream and all branches of the armed forces (to name but a few!) It was a really fantastic to talk with employers about the opportunities that are available once you leave Lancaster and the event was also a great chance to network allowing students to talk informally with employers. Not to mention the vast array of freebies that we collected whilst we were there!

 

This week also marked the best result of the year so far for ‘Quiztopher Columbus’, the quiz team that I am a member of. Our team (rather limited in breadth of knowledge as we are all History and Politics students!) managed to come 10^th out of 17 teams competing this week. We performed pretty well in the general knowledge areas, but were definitely fish out of water in the music round, in which we scored a big fat 0! Still a great night nonetheless and a good way to unwind after a hectic week.

 

Until next week…

 

Hi everyone!

My name is Pietro and I’m a third year philosophy student at Lancaster Uni. Throughout the year I will write blog updates, roughly twice a month, to let you have an idea of what it’s like to live and study here at Lancaster.

As far as the academic side is concerned, what I’ll be doing this year primarily is studying a bunch of philosophy modules and writing a dissertation. The PPR Department (Politics, Philosophy and Religion) offers quite a broad range of philosophy modules you can choose from, which allows you to form a solid understanding of all the main sub-areas and branches within philosophy. This term I’m taking Continental Philosophy, Darwinism and Philosophy, and a third module called Philosophy in Progress, about which I will probably tell you something in the next couple of weeks.

On the social side, this year I’ve joined the Hiking Club and the Culture Society. There’s plenty of societies you can get involved with, and every year I’m unsure about which to pick due to the wide choice. However, as I said, I’m currently involved in activities run by the hiking and culture society. The Hiking Club organises trips in the areas surrounding Lancashire; last sunday we we went to the Yorkshire Dales, for example, but most of times it’s likely to be the Lake District. I’ve also joined the Culture Society, in an attempt to begin learning a foreign language. The society runs classes of many different languages, all taught by students, which makes the membership fee incredibly cheap. These are just a couple of the many interesting opportunities you can find here, more of which I will talk about in the following blog posts, so keep updated!

 

Hello all! First things first, let me introduce myself. My name is Michael and I study as a second-year History and Politics at Lancaster University. In these blogs, which will be published weekly, I will attempt to present to you the life of a ‘typical’ Lancaster student. This will involve updates on my activities, assignments and events for that week, and I hope that I may even be able to impart some pieces of advice (no matter how small they may be!) to you along the way.

 

Despite only being two and a half weeks into term things are already moving at a pace. As I am a member of my college football team (the Bowland C team) the week began with a practice session on Monday night. Lancaster has a huge number of activities and societies to join and so there is always something for everyone. The most important thing for me however is that they are all so open and accepting, no matter what your ability or your experience there is always something to get involved with. The practice was a good session and involved some team drills mixed with small practice matches. Having said this, I am still getting back into the swing of things as I didn’t play at all over the summer break – well over 3 months out!

 

This week I also met with my academic advisor. Every student is assigned an academic advisor who will provide additional support and guidance through the time that they spend at Lancaster. The purpose of this particular meeting was a beginning of the year check-in to see that all aspects of the year, both academic and non-academic have started well. These opportunities are great in getting a second opinion on pieces of work, receiving extra-pastoral care and tutors often write references for employers when you leave the university.

 

I also had the opportunity to attend a fantastic extra-curricular lecture this week as the film 300 was shown and was then followed by a lecture by Owen Rees (from Manchester Metropolitan University) on the Battle of Thermopylae. The lecture focused on the accuracy of the film in comparison to actual events on the battlefield and it was interesting to see how in some areas the film was surprisingly accurate such as the portrayal of Sparta as a warrior state. Whilst in other areas Hollywood has perhaps taken some artistic licence, such as the presence of rhinos and elephants being present at the battle – which they were certainly not…

 

Aside from that the bulk of the week has been taken up with studying. As I am a double major student of History and Politics my time is pretty evenly split between the two disciplines, though as you can imagine there is quite a degree of cross-over. For instance, this term I am studying the Vietnam War in History, whilst in Politics I am taking a module in International Relations and Security. This mixed nature of the subjects is really useful and can help provide some deeper understanding to concepts that appear in both subjects.

 

However, as exciting as the week has proved to be it has also been exceptionally busy and so I look forward to the weekend, which promises to be a great time as my flatmates and I are heading into Lancaster itself for a Halloween party. It will be a blast and I am really looking forward to rest at the end of a long week.

 

Until next week…

 

 

 

Hi there,

My name is Lewis and I am a Master’s student in Politics at Lancaster University, having previously graduated with a 2:1 in History and Politics at Lancaster last year.

So far, life at uni this year has been quite busy. I am currently studying three modules this term, namely Theories and Concepts in Diplomacy and Foreign Policy, Theory and Method in Postgraduate Studies and Public Policy, which are proving interesting to say the least! My modules are comfortably spread out throughout the week, which is making doing the work to stay on top of my studies really easy.

In addition to my studies, I have also become involved again in the societies that I had joined throughout my undergraduate degree in Lancaster, namely Badminton (on which I currently serve on the exec as the ‘Engagements’ officer, having previously served as ‘Social’ sec and ‘Health and Safety Officer’ in previous years), as well as debating, which has helped me to continue to hone my skills and help me to prepare for my upcoming job applications. It has been really easy to fit back in with everyone this year, and most of the old faces have returned along with a bunch of new people who I am already getting along really well with.

Outside of this, I am also getting used to my new flat. This year, I have chosen to live in Chancellor’s Wharf, which is university ran accommodation the town itself (as opposed to being on campus). This is the first time that I have lived in halls since first year, and the big thing that I have noticed is that is is nice to have a cleaner again!

This week I have been meeting prospective students at applicant days and interviews. I still can’t believe I’m in my final year at University and am telling people, who frankly look older than me, about Lancaster and my experiences. I remember the mentors at my applicant day and how mature they seemed and then I realise that I have actually matured over the past three years. I am more confident both in myself and in my ability and feel proud to have nearly completed my degree.

I remember my first day very clearly. I was so so nervous. I have always lived off campus so I didn’t know the campus as well as my course friends. As the first day talks were in colleges, I made a few friends in my college but the friendships were short-lived as none of them were on my course. Getting into my car to go home that first day was a bit of a relief, I must admit, as it all seemed so overwhelming. However, once the lectures and seminars started I soon got into the swing of things. I remember feeling like I was starting high school all over again, making friends and not knowing where my lectures and seminars were being held and generally panicking about the unknown. But soon enough I felt like I’d been at University for years and couldn’t imagine being back in a classroom. University allows you to be more independent, both in your social and work life, especially if you live in. But there are still support networks present.  You get assigned an academic advisor who you meet up with and can email or see at any time if you have anything you’re concerned about. There are also wellbeing, counselling and mental health services which can help in a variety of ways. My college, Bowland, also offers its own welfare services and peer mentors which ensure you get the most out of your time at University. So even though at first it may feel like you are totally on your own in a whole new place, you’re not really and support is always there if and when you need it.

I get asked a lot about the collegiate system at Lancaster and whether it’s similar to ones at other Universities. As I can’t really talk about other Universities’ systems as I’ve never been to one, I can tell you that at Lancaster we have nine colleges, each with a distinctive character. The colleges are made up of people on different courses so it encourages you to make more friends with a diverse range of interests. Each college put on their own events too which enables you to make even more friends and really feel like part of a family. Each college have their own accommodation and this may differ slightly in each one, for example County offer townhouses which provide a different experience to the flats offered by the other colleges. It’s all about choosing a college which you feel comfortable in and which provides the accommodation that suits you.

I also remember being asked by one of my future lecturers on my applicant visit day what I liked most about Religious Studies and I have to say I really struggled with the question. I liked learning about ethical issues and the government and religious legislation surrounding them but I didn’t really feel passionate about anything. Now I struggle to think of things I don’t like about Religious Studies. There are so many interesting components to religion and connections between religion and the other areas of society which relate in ways I’d never considered before. Media and politics play a bigger part in the existence and nature of religion throughout the world and understanding religion as part of the bigger context has really helped me to better understand the world in which I live.

The place of religion in the world is better understood when studied from a variety of angles in a variety of contexts and I feel that the PPR department itself and the module system at Lancaster really allows you to do this.