Religious Studies

Settling into the PPR department: Becky and Katie

/ Becky

This week we thought we would talk about what it was like in the PPR department when we first started uni.

Once you get used to your timetable and knowing where your lectures are (which you quickly do) you really get into the swing of things. The first few lectures you have tend to be introductory, outlining the course and what you will be doing over the next term. The way you learn in uni is different to how you learn at college and school and initially finding your feet can be a bit daunting but honestly, after a while you really get used to it. You’ll find a style of note taking for lectures which best suits you.

Explaining seminars: Along side lectures you will have seminars for all your subjects. These can be quite different to what you have experienced before. Depending on the size of your module, seminars can have from around 9-20 people in them, lead by a tutor from the department (in second and third year seminars are usually lead by your lecturers). They are usually discussion based, going over topics which you will have studied in that week’s lecture, as well as going over the weeks reading for that topic. Even though it can seem like a bit of a drag sometimes, it is so important to do the readings as they really do make a difference to your learning and understanding. Everyone is usually quite quiet as it can be quite intimidating talking in front of everyone, especially when you might be with people who you have never seen before. However, you should bite the bullet and if you have something to say then just say it because 1) someone else will be thinking what you’re saying and 2) usually if one person speaks, it gets the ball rolling and other people start to contribute too which makes for a good and more interesting discussion. Tutors will be willing to help where they can, especially around the time of your essays and exams however, just worry about that when it comes to it.

As well as seminar tutors you will have an academic tutor in the department and student reps. You will meet up with your academic tutor once a term and discuss how you are finding the course / any issues or questions you have and how you are in general – they are usually quite informal meetings and academic tutors really will help you all that they can (they also are the ones who will write your reference so it is worth keeping in touch with them). Also in the department there are student reps who nominate themselves, from your course, in your year (it could be you!), to represent all the students on that course – if you have any problems but don’t feel your academic tutor / seminar tutor is the right person to talk to about it then your student reps will be the best people to talk to and they can give advice and pass on information to higher authorities if necessary.

As well as getting used to your new home, social life etc, you have to get used to the work load and managing your time. Doing three subjects in your first year really is not as daunting as it sounds – as long as you manage your time correctly then you really will be fine. Generally: for each subject you will get one reading per module per week as well as a essay at the end of term. Balance is key here but, it really is possible. Everyone is in the same position as you and so many people will be willing to help if you are struggling, so don’t panic at all.

If you have any problems at all, in regards to your course, changing modules or anything else, there are so many people who you can go to so don’t be afraid to speak up. Your lecturers, tutors and everyone in the department wants you to do well but most of all, want you to enjoy your time at uni – so they will do all they can to make this happen.

Becky and Katie x

Our first weeks at Lancaster: by Becky and Katie

/ Becky

Hello!

We just thought we would share some of our initial thoughts and experiences of our first few weeks at Lancaster uni and with the PPR department.

Lancaster university has nine different colleges (a bit like Hogwarts) and you become a member of one of them. Being in different colleges obviously our experiences aren’t exactly the same, however we both lived in the halls of our colleges in first year and so our situations were quite similar.

Becky: I was really excited to start uni but obviously nervous too and the thing I was most nervous about was who I was going to live with. When I first arrived everyone was really nice and I just kept on telling myself that everyone else was in the same position as me. After a few days everyone ‘came out of their shells’ and we started to become more comfortable around one another. Fresher’s week was full of activities and talks and me and my flatmates attending pretty much everything together. Even little things like cooking together in the shared kitchen helped friendships to develop. It was so important that everyone was just themselves and put themselves out there, even though sometimes it was quite daunting I feel that participating in as many things I could with my flatmates made a difference to my overall experience of first year. It was good to know that at the end of the day I could go back to the flat and feel comfortable around people. Obviously not everyone gets on with everyone but, if you are yourself, the chances are you will make friends really easily and click with people who you never thought you would click with.

Katie: For me, I had felt ready to move to university for a long time. However, it was only when my parents pulled onto campus that the nerves hit. Who would my flat mates be? What if my flatmates don’t like me? Will it be awkward? But as soon as I started meeting everyone I was going to be living with for the next year, I soon relaxed. Everyone there was as apprehensive as I was, and also as keen to make friends, so instantly we all had something in common. Plus, I don’t know why I was worried about it being awkward because there’s so much to talk about! The first few hours of conversation in the flat was about whee everyone was from, what they’re studying, what they did that summer, etc. It’s natural to be nervous, but rest assured that once you get to your new flat, it will soon feel like home. Your college will also play a major role in getting you settled in. Each college will hold events throughout Freshers’ week, and during the whole year, which are great opportunities to get to know other people in your house and college. In my Freshers’ week, we had several fancy dress nights including animal safari (I was an elephant) as well as events during the day.

Both of us settled in well, despite initial worries and it seems as if this is the case for nearly everyone we have met.

As well as settling into our accommodation, we also had to settle into our courses too. After having initial talks from the department and meeting the lecturers some faces became familiar. At Lancaster, in the PPR department, you have to do three subjects in your first year (1 major and 2 minors). This seems like a lot but it really is very manageable. The subjects don’t have to be directly related to your Major which leaves you the option to explore other avenues if you wish.

As faces became more familiar we gradually began to feel a part of our subjects and the department. Whenever we were struggling everyone was willing to help whether it was other students, our lecturers or our academic tutors. Facebook groups were made so that people in our subjects could talk to each other and ask each other questions – neither of us ever felt like we were stuck and alone. As we started to get used to the style of teaching in the PPR department, everything seemed less daunting as it was a big transition from sixth form. Everyone in the department was so friendly and you could ask anyone anything, and if they didn’t know the answer they would direct you to someone who would.

This week’s little piece of advice: be yourself. Uni is such a great opportunity, both academically and socially so don’t waste time hiding who you are: put yourself out there and you will make friends and meet some of the most amazing people. It is okay to be nervous of course but, after a while these nerves will shrink and you will look back and wonder what you were ever even nervous about.

Just don’t worry!

Becky and Katie x

An Introduction…

/ Katie Work

Hello!

Before we start writing about our experiences, let us introduce ourselves.

We are Becky and Katie, both third year students in the PPR department. I, Katie, am doing a BA hons in Religious Studies and I, Becky, am doing a joint BA hons in Religious Studies and Politics. We have taken many modules together over the past three years and now have a close friendship within university, as well as outside.

We are writing this blog with the aim of informing you about what the ‘real’ university experience is like. We will cover topics both academic and social, including things such as life within the PPR department as well as life in Lancaster as a city.

Each week we will write about a specific topic, covering various aspects of our time at Lancaster University. We will cover most things, from our first day of moving to uni, to essay deadlines, picking our modules and friendship gains and losses.

A big part of life at uni is all the opportunities Lancaster and the PPR department have to offer. This summer, through taking the ‘PPR in India’ module, we were able to spend two months together studying in, and travelling through, India. This experience was literally life-changing and we will be sharing many of our stories (both good and bad) which will show that anything is possible when you’re thrown in at the deep-end!

University has definitely expanded our horizons, both socially and in terms of our plans for the future. We both feel we have made a friend for life in one another, as well in others from our colleges and from our courses.

We will be writing this blog together with the aim of giving an informative and well-rounded view of student life in Lancaster.

Each week we will share one small piece of advice that we wish someone would have told us when we were new to student life. This week’s little piece of encouragement is – simply do not worry. You may feel out of your depth and like you’re not ready to live away from home or to start student life, but firstly, you’re not alone. We guarantee everyone else is in the same boat as you. And secondly, as long as you keep an open-mind and always be yourself, you’ll soon find you fit in very well and will wonder why you ever even worried! Basically, don’t worry – everything is always fine in the end.

Next week’s blog will be about our experiences within the first few weeks of university when we started in first year and how we dealt with all the new things which we had to adapt to and understand.

We hope our posts will be helpful and informative, and that you find some of our stories as funny as we do…

Catch you soon,

Becky and Katie x