International Relations is one of those degrees that can seem a bit nebulous; sometimes I think my friends don’t really understand what I’m studying. Is it politics? Is it world history? Is it learning how to give therapy to diplomats (yes, someone has said that to me before…)? So to help you see if IR is the degree for you, here’s the average day in the life of an International Relations student.
07:45:
I optimistically set my alarm for 7 am, but snooze until I can snooze no longer. Wake up and ponder all my life decisions that have led to this point.
08:00:
With a much-needed coffee and a bowl of cereal, I catch up on all the news I missed when I was asleep. International Relations requires an up-to-date understanding of current affairs. In today’s world, so much can change in the space of a few hours (see South Korea’s president quickly implementing martial law, and then reversing it just as quickly). In many IR modules, we use current news as a way of understanding and applying political theories. Staying on top of the world’s happenings prevents that feeling of confusion whilst in a seminar. I’d recommend listening to podcasts / reading news from organisations spread across the political spectrum, to avoid partisanship. This will help you to form nuanced opinions, which will get you high grades in your essays.
08:30:
Get ready. It’s the same uniform most days for university in December: jeans with tights underneath, big jumper, big coat and boots.
09:00:
Walk to campus. If I’m feeling extra studious, I’ll carry on listening to political podcasts. My favourites include The Headlines from the New York Times and The Rest is Politics (UK or US version, I’m not fussy). If not, I’ll just listen to some music.
09:30:
Arrive at campus and stake my claim on a much-coveted seat in one of the campus cafés. By this point, my friends are usually there, so I’ll join them and have a chat. University work is important, but so is not devoiding yourself of social interaction.
09:45:
Okay, now it’s time to knuckle down. I usually have some readings to do for my Feminist Political Theory class. On average, I have one essential reading (usually 30 pages) and then a few supplementary readings. I get on with the essential reading first. The amount of time it takes me to get through this depends on the text in question. Note-taking is very personal and different people have different approaches. I note down any quotes that stick out to me. Then, I try to summarise the page I read in a sentence or two. If I disagree with what the author is asserting, I make note of my opinion. This is useful for in-class debates. Once I’ve read it, I try to summarise the entire reading in 4-5 sentences. This is a bit tricky, but it forces me to get at the core of what the theorist is saying.
11:00:
Celebrate slightly because I’m ahead of schedule. To mark this momentous occasion, I do one of the supplementary readings. Depending on how busy I am, I won’t always get around to these texts. But they are useful, particularly for essays. If you want more studying tricks, check out this Unifresher article!
12:00
Lunch time!! I’ll chat with my friends. Most of my uni friends study French and English, so consequently, I don’t really talk over the material with them. But this does allow me to switch off my academic brain for half an hour.
12:30:
I’ll usually do some more seminar prep. I do a combined honours, studying International Relations and French. I get given significantly more French seminar prep than IR prep, so I’ll try and tackle as much of it as I can now.
14:30:
Time to go to class! Today, I had my Feminist Political Theory class. I really enjoy this class. I locate a friend and pull up on my laptop the necessary readings and the PowerPoint. At the start of class, a student does a presentation on the essential reading. This helps us to refresh our memory on the key theorist of the week. This presentation counts as 20% of our overall grade. Then we have a Q+A with the student who just presented. It might sound scary, but our class is very chilled, and so it’s not overwhelming. Then, we have a five-minute break. Our professor then lectures for 30 or so minutes. I frantically scramble to write down everything they say. Then it’s activity time! We try to apply our theory to the real world.
16:30:
Class is over! Say goodbye to my friends.
16:35:
Run to my dissertation supervisor’s office.
16:40:
Make it in the nick of time. I talk over the readings I have done for my dissertation and discuss my thoughts and ideas. My supervisor points me in the right direction of where I should be heading. These meetings usually last 20 minutes. He very kindly sends me a list of resources of where I should go next. I panic slightly, but that’s all just part of the process.
17:00:
Walk home. I might call my parents at this point, just to pester them.
17:30:
Flop onto my bed. Consider just staying there, but resolve to get changed and actually do something productive.
17:40:
I review the resources that my dissertation supervisor sent me. I try to make links between the texts they sent me and the ones I already have read. Writing a dissertation requires you to come up with a research question. The entire time I am reviewing my notes, I’m trying to form a specific question.
18:30:
Work time is over! I try (keyword: “try”) to have a good academic/life balance. I find “clocking out” at a certain time every night allows me to not drown in studying.
18:35:
Time to cook dinner. I live with five other housemates, and we usually cook/eat at the same time in the evening. We catch up and talk about our days. I try to cook something with a lot of vegetables because I refuse to get sick and I need all the vitamins I can get.
19:30:
Do my washing up, clean up the kitchen a bit and head back to my room. Time for some Netflix whilst I’m straightening up my room.
20:30:
Shower, PJs on and pack bag for the next day.
21:30:
Either pester my housemates some more or read my book. I tend to read a fiction book (currently it’s Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld) as I’ve spent too much of the day studying reality.
22:30:
And like the Granny I am, it’s time to turn off my lights! Therefore, I try to wake up early but that’s basically impossible if I go to sleep anytime after 11pm. It’s all about knowing yourself.
There you have it: a day in the life as an International Relations student! Naturally, this changes day to day. First years tend to have more classes than us final years, so it can be variable. I really do enjoy my course. It has allowed me to gain a nuanced understanding of the world around me. And no therapy has been dispensed to diplomats in the process.
Hi, I’m Rachel! I’m a French and International Relations student at the University of Exeter. When I’m not studying, I’m usually reading a good fiction book or listening to pop culture podcasts! Or, you’ll find me reading the guests’ essays from the New York Times.
