Tag Archive: student

  1. Countdown ’till hibernation mode

    Leave a Comment

    18 days, 1 hour, 42 minutes and 13 seconds. That’s how long it is until the Christmas break begins. I can’t wait. I know people say that all the time, but I literally cannot wait. I want to go home and think about something else than uni for just one minute.

    Forget everything I said in my previous post about making this year last forever: I am so tired I feel like I could’ve slept continuously through the whole of next week, scrap that, next month if it hadn’t been for the tiny insignificant detail that I’ve paid a small fortune to be here.

    If I’m not working on uni stuff, I’m talking about it (either through sympathetically calming someone down from a close-call breakdown or ranting to my flatmates) and if I’m not talking about it I’m definitely thinking about it. I keep a list of all the things I have to do, just to make sure my brain doesn’t burst from trying to remember everything that’s going on.

    A normal conversation between course mates nowadays usually goes something like this:

    “How are you?”
    “Eeeeeh,” (facial expression reflecting panic attacks hovering just beneath the surface) “I’m OK” (fake smile).
    “Mmmmm,” (knowing and conspiratory smile) “I know”.
    “It’s just so… so… arh, it’s so ­–“ (eyes looking off in the distance)
    “I know”.
    “I feel so…. so–“ (eyes go inward-looking)
    “Yup, I know.”
    And then we sit there in silence looking despaired.

    Projects and deadlines are piling up, and just when you think the workload can’t get any bigger, then it sure does. The light at the end of the tunnel is our 1.5 month long Christmas break. And that we have no exams. Which means we can enter hibernation mode as soon as the clock hits 5pm on December 12 (or 13 for some).  Only 17 days, 23 hours, 10 minutes and 4 seconds to go.

    Photo: http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/keep-calm-and-make-it-to-winter-break-21.png

  2. 2012/13: A very brief retrospective.

    Leave a Comment

    Some girls like shoes and handbags.  Some girls like diamonds.  I like stationery.  I’m very excited at the moment because I’m about to purchase a new academic year diary.  This does beg the question, however, of what has happened to 2012/13.   I’m pretty sure it’s only been a week or two since I got to City.  On the other hand, Christmas must have been about fifty years ago.

    In a bit to preserve whatever sense of time I have left, here are my top five best and worst bits about the year:

    Worst:
    Money (lack of).  The time I had a cold but couldn’t afford to buy Lemsip – that was a bad day.
    Time (lack of).  Babies have been born, lives have been changed, the average day remains fixed at 24 hours.  To compensate, I’ve been filling myself with coffee and eyedrops at my desk for several months.
    Weather (excess of).  When my grandchildren complain about the cold, I will say “ah, now 2012/13 was a winter.  Not like these winters you get now.”  They will roll their eyes and groan, but we know the truth…
    Public sector cuts.  I’d like to work in a hospital when I qualify, but at this rate there’ll be none left.  The whole thing is really sad and also quite scary.
    The tube.  Self-explanatory.

    Best:
    Geekery.  Now that I’m about thirty, I don’t have to act embarrassed about how I find learning really exciting.  Which is nice.
    People.  I hadn’t expected to make friends while studying, but actually I’ve met some excellent people and I feel very fortunate to know them.  I don’t think I could do this without social support, especially the kind that happens at…
    Happy hour in Saddlers.  I would also like to give a shout out to the microwave there.  It made the winter more bearable.
    London.  It’s got everything.  I do like living in a holiday destination.  And actually you can do quite a lot for cheap or free, if you hunt around a bit.
    Clinical Placement.  This is basically Applied Geekery.  It’s the hardest thing I have ever done in my whole life and I love it.

    Just think, all I have to do is do this all again, and then I’ll be qualified!

  3. Although halls of residence has it’s benefits, one year is enough

    Leave a Comment

    Living in halls of residence is overrated, overpriced, and too bloody loud. If I’d gotten a pound every time I was kept awake in the night because of some ridiculous drunken person feeling the need to share his feelings with the rest of London by screaming out of his window I’d be a millionaire. I’m not kidding. I’d be swamped in cash. Probably could’ve bought my own unicorn.

    £170 a week for a room (read: cupboard) smaller than our garden shed at home. £170 for a window that would only open 8in in case you should have any “crazy ideas” (although, I have to confess, the lock on my window was broken. I “accidentally” put the lock on every time they had an inspection and “forgot” to ask them to fix it. Call me crazy: it was my way of getting back on them for financially ruining me). £170 for a mattress with springs stabbing your back every night. I might as well have flushed £170 down the toilet every week.

    The thing is though, with the real estate market in London being as insane as it is, and, the fact that many students coming to City aren’t from the city, staying in halls during the first year is the most convenient choice. I surely couldn’t spare the money, time or energy to fly over to London in a desperate attempt to find a place on my own before starting uni.

    The funny thing is that when I stayed in halls last year I somehow managed to trick my brain into believing that “it wasn’t that bad”. Probably as a survival strategy so I wouldn’t break down sobbing uncontrollably over the money I’d wasted.

    But honestly, it wasn’t that bad. It’s a great way to make friends when starting off with a clean slate, and it’s quite nice that every party is only a few feet away. I first realised how much better private accommodation was when I’d kissed my cell in halls goodbye. It was alright when it lasted, but one year was enough. Although it does feel eerily quiet falling asleep without the reassuring sound of drunk people in the background. I think I’ll manage though.

    This year I live in a flat in Hoxton: a 15-minute walk from uni, £150 a week and I can actually move freely in my room without either bumping into my desk, bed or closet. Incredibly liberating. And the best part? It kind of feels like home. Not like a sterile asylum for mad people.

     

    Photo: http://www.superstock.com/stock-photos-images/1848-268010