Whilst university is a fast-paced, hardworking environment, this can fluctuate depending on what course you study. When I was offered a place at Ulster University I was beyond thrilled, but I always had that small voice in the back of my head that worried I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the workload or the environment. But after the first month of my degree, I realised that studying English would give me the option to live a slow life on the coast filled with reading and drinking coffee. If you’re also heading off to university to study an arts and humanities subject, here’s what your day might look like.
Classes
If you’re lucky, your timetable won’t include a 9am lecture like mine did. As a night-owl, I can confirm getting out of bed on that dreaded Thursday morning seemed like the most strenuous task I’d ever done. But it did, however, mean that my day of class was over by 12pm.
Classes usually consist of either lectures, a lesson where the lecturer teaches for a solid hour or two, or seminars, typically shorter classes consisting of class participation with group work or PHD students coming to lead an activity. If you plan on actually focusing during lectures, my advice would be to bring a notebook and pens (this way you won’t be tempted to open a new tab and go online shopping.) It also means you can draw diagrams, arrows, and colour coordinate easier.
Usually there is a break every hour, for around fifteen minutes. I use this time to head to the bridge and pick up a snack to keep me going for the rest of the class. It’s also impossible not to run into someone I know, so the ten remaining minutes are spent catching up and making plans for coffee. Then, it’s time to head back to class.
Study time
After class (or after lunch,) I head to my designated study spot in an attempt to revise what I’d just learnt, or to get a head start on my assignments. Ulster University has many different areas where students can work.
Sometimes I’ll head to the library if I need a desk and a place where I can people-watch, if I have another class soon then I usually stay in the main entrance where I can study under the stairs in my own bubble before class, but more often than not I head to I-block. I-block is where most of my classes take place as it is the designated block for humanities subjects. It has huge glass windows that are perfect for the motivation of natural light, a replica of the Tardis, a vending machine, and comfy sofas in a place with little footfall. I find I get the most work done here, with less distractions and plenty of scenery I can block out the outside world and completely immerse myself in my studies.
I try to force myself to do at least one hour of studying here before I allow myself to head back to my student house and meet up with whoever is back from class.
Free time
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I’m lucky enough to attend a university in a seaside town, so when I get back to the house, I can grab a friend to go to my favourite coffee shop “lost and found” which is right by the beach. Often, we bring our bibles, and it turns into a bible study in the cafe, or we get our order to take out and drive onto the beach, chatting and planning what our week will look like.
On the way home I usually run any errands I have, like posting parcels or getting the groceries. I must admit, I am very unorganised when it comes to meal planning and I usually just decide what I want to eat when I get to the shop. I do intend to plan my meals a lot better this year though, even if it means taking ten minutes to make a list of things to eat that I can choose from. Speaking of eating, when I get home, I start on the dinner, usually some form of pasta or fish, and whilst that’s cooking, I reply to any emails I received that day.
Dinner time is a communal time for my house, and we try to eat together as sometimes it can be tricky to see each other during the day since most of my housemates have a lot more classes than I do (typical STEM students!). It can be tricky to find time during the day to eat at regular mealtimes depending on your class timetable, so it’s important that you enjoy a good hearty meal when you leave campus. If you’re struggling for inspiration, our shopping list for students might help.
The evenings are usually the busiest time of the day for me as the CU have something on nearly every night. If I’m not going to a small-group meeting, then I’m at nightvision, or the CU service on a Wednesday. And any evening that I decide to take off, I’ll watch a movie with my housemates or chill out myself in my room.
For me, living the slow life comes easy due to the nature of my degree. Whilst I’m only in class two or three days, I do have plenty of extra reading to do, but this can all be done in the walls of my favourite cafe paired with the sound of the waves crashing down outside. I have found the last two years to be a real blessing in allowing me to take my time with life and really soak in the environment university has placed me in. I can say with certainty that if you are planning to lead the same life as I have been, then you are in for a real treat!