I cannot believe I am about to type my next sentence.

I have finished my first year of university!

We made it through to the very end, guys; it’s been 30 weeks, 3 courses, 13 pieces of coursework, 3 exams (aaaah!) and too many memories to count. When I lay it out like that it seems so strange to think where the time has gone and to think of everything I’ve learnt here, both inside the lecture theatre and out. The experience I have had at Lancaster this year has been something really special and I’d like to use this final post as a means of reflecting on what being a Fresher has really taught me.

Nearly everybody will say that being at uni is the best time of your life and that it will shape who you are as a person – and as tacky as that sounds they say it because it’s true. I have learnt a lot about academic myself over the last 8, nearly 9, months. I’ve spoken to quite a few people in the run up to exams and so many of them have explained how liberating university will be for us as students and as young people interesting in the subjects we’re studying. As I reflect on these comments I can’t, in any way, shape or form, deny what they are saying. I came to realise as I was doing my revision and when I look back at the way I did my coursework, that I could take some of these questions in any way I chose to. Even though it is a case of sticking to some form of general exam or marking criteria, being at uni gives you the opportunity to manipulate the question and establish the premises you want to discuss. Due to this, I have started to understand the sort of factors I am interested in discussing and the types of history I would like to pursue in the future and this is something really important to the Fresher experience. I guess, as I was revising and writing my coursework essays, I found ways that I thought were effective (including songs about the French Revolution, as I said last post!) and ways that made me go ‘oh my God, what is this?’ and hopefully adopting some of the more effective strategies next year will put me in good stead.

Uni has taught me to try and ask questions, to teachers, or friends, and eventually they can guide you through the sticky spots of your degree. One of my fondest memories from this year is definitely submitting my first history essay and then getting it back. I remember staying up for most of the night trying to create something worthy of a good grade and attempting to do some justice to the course material that I’d looked at so far, and then panicking as I went to the essay submission box thinking ‘Oh God, they’re going to think that I was asleep in this lecture or something’, but as soon as I’d submitted it I did feel the greatest sense of relief and achievement – I had submitted my first piece of uni coursework! When the essays were returned to our seminar group I can recall the sort of churning, nervous feeling in my stomach, but when my tutor handed it to me and smiled, I knew that things were going to be okay.

While uni has certainly stretched me academically there is no way I can ignore the way it has stretched my social skills and tested me as an individual. If I were to give you a couple of my best memories from uni beyond academia I would find it harder and harder the more I thought about it – I have had some really, really lovely moments with my flatmates and with my friends from societies and my seminars. I wish I could attempt to describe all of the memories I’ve made here, but neither time, nor word restrictions will allow, so I will attempt to pin down three of my favourites:

1. Campus Fest

The buzz I had during (and after) Campus Fest was absolutely insane. The atmosphere that night and the smiles that people had on their faces were incredible; it was so, so, so great just to see people enjoying themselves in the crowd and to see the performers getting a real kick out of doing what they love: music, dance, drama, comedy – it was all there. Spending the day with the ballet girls and getting to know them all a little better was one of my Fresher’s year defining moments because being part of my society and really getting involved is something totally invaluable. I have been able to continue doing something I enjoy and I have made some really lovely friends in the process. The same goes for choir! Campus Fest was an evening where we all pulled together and collaborated to create a show that I felt was pretty fab. Listening to the crowd singing along to the Disney medley and seeing them gazing at the fireworks made me feel so happy and I knew then that being part of these societies was genuinely a very big part of my experience as a Fresher and will continue to be important as the next two years go by.

2. House 105’s Roast Dinner

This was such a cute evening! When I have been writing my blogs before I have always thought it a little trivial to tell people what I had for my dinner, but I will make an exception for this! I think I’ve said this before, but for any potential students reading, you must have a house roast dinner at least once when you’re at uni! We really came together when we made this meal – we had a couple of people on veg and gravy, and then one on Yorkshire puddings and stuffing, we pitched in with the roast potatoes and parsnips and then all sat down together, chatting and laughing and munching. You tend to see this sort of thing in coming of age films about people starting their new lives at uni (maybe not with roast dinner), but they spend some time just relaxing with their new flatmates. I felt kind of like I imagine those characters would be feeling; I felt ‘student-y’. I’d worked as a team with my new friends and we were really enjoying the results – and, knowing that people liked my gravy was a definite plus!

3. My Last Couple of Full Days in Lancaster

I spent my last day in the city with my closest friend from the flat, Becky. We walked to the canal in the centre and then all the way to the Roman ruins (which I didn’t realise existed until yesterday – terrible, seeing as I’m a historian in training!) and then up to the priory and the castle before heading home again. I am very, very lucky to have found a friend like Bex since I’ve been here. I came to uni really hoping to find a good friend and it’s so lovely to be able to chat about anything and everything, to have a dance partner for the cheese nights in Sugar and somebody to make cakes with! On the Thursday after exams we went to the Ashton Memorial in Williamson’s Park and it was really lovely. We walked all the way around the park, passing the duck pond and so many hidden gems – there’s a lot more to Lancaster than meets the eye! Hopefully next year, when we live in the city centre, we’ll be able to take a little break from studying and uncover a little bit more. That’s something else I have learnt this year – it’s important to take a little bit of time to explore and to appreciate the space that you’re living in. The campus and the city here are beautiful, really, and it’s worth taking a little bit of time (or a revision break) just having a little wander!

I can’t complete this post without taking a little paragraph’s worth of time to mention exams. Revising and reading and preparing for exams at uni is most definitely one of the most challenging things I think I have ever done. Looking back at the notes I’ve made in lectures and seminars and trying to make some sense of them to start branching out into further research is something that has really tested me. There were a few moments when I felt a little bit out of my depth, but going to speak to somebody like my tutor, or a course administrator (and particularly my parents who I must say a massive thank you to for putting up with the endless phone calls and Skype sessions with me panicking on the other end!, or simply making a poster with key ideas or themes (using felt tips!) was really helpful. I say this as a little bit of reassurance to any prospective Freshers because going into the first round of exams, for me at least, was something quite scary and nerve-wracking: but I made it and now I’m free! I did it and I feel so, so, so good! Coming out of that exam room on the day of my final exam for the year was the most amazing feeling – I could feel the pressure gradually lifting and I knew that summer was on its way.

I called my very first post ‘Stories’ and coming to uni is about growing up and taking time to write these narratives. A big part of my time here at Lancaster has been writing this blog – it’s a means of me keeping track of these new adventures and I can’t imagine not ever doing it. I guess in a way it’s my own little story and I really hope you guys have enjoyed reading it and that there have been some little nuggets of advice, or it’s given you a giggle, or some kind of insight to what uni life has been like. Thank you so, so much for reading. Next year is the next chapter and I hope that it’s one fantastic page turner.

Have a lovely summer, guys!

History Hugs,

Eleanor :0)