Transition at UCL - Student Blogs
Elizabeth - Before Coming to UCL
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What are you most looking forward to about university? Meeting new people, beginning a new stage in my life, learning more about a subject that interest me and living in the centre of London! What are your main concerns about starting university? I haven’t had many, the curiosity of not knowing what it is going to be like for sure is part of the fun. What do you expect will be the biggest challenge in adjusting to university life? Motivating myself to study in my own time, after a year out! But my year out has made me want to go back to learning as well. |
First Year
First Month
I have definitely made the best choice to come to UCL. The Institute of Archaeology is very welcoming and everyone is so approachable. They put so much work into organising our introductory programme - just ask anyone who went to 'Primtech', it was brilliant! Fresher's Week was great for socialising and meeting new people, and being in the centre of London, there are no shortages of people or things to do. I haven't had much problem adjusting to life in London as it is so easy to fit into and the University offers a lot of support if necessary. UCL has a great atmosphere and everyone I've spoken to is really positive about being here. I am really looking forward to the next 3 years!
Third Month
Its the end of term and deadlines are looming...great. But to be honest, its not that bad. Everyone is talking about coursework and exams, but we are all in the same boat. Fortunately, I don't have any exams until the Summer term, so that has taken the pressure off. I have had three deadlines to reach and met two of them so far; the last one isn't until the last week of term, so as long as Im remotely organised, I should reach that too. The Institute has offered a lot of help with essay writing and the dreaded referencing system as well, so that has made the work a lot easier.
Speaking of the end of term, everyone is getting in the festive mood (even with coursework left to do). The other night we decided to go to the Union for one drink after lectures, but ended up staying until closing time. Not exactly wild, but its so easy to forget about coursework when everyone else has too - even if it was just for one night.
My first term has flown-by at UCL. Looking back I don't know where the time has gone. It feels like I have only been here a couple of weeks, but at the same time I am so comfortable here, I could have been here for ages. I have managed to study, as well as socialise and make loads of new friends, so it couldn't have gone much better! Im looking forward to the holidays so I can catch up with all my old friends, but I am also looking forward to next term. We have planned our New Years Eve as well. Friends from Manchester and Blackburn are coming back early to celebrate it here...what can I say, it must be London!
Thinking about any negatives with uni life, the only thing I can think of has been the numerous fire alarms that have greeted me at 3am. A couple of times I have tried to sleep through them, but that doesn't work. They usually go off because someone was smoking in their room, or like my flat, cremating sausages (but that was early in the evening - we were considerate enough not to wake people up!) Within a couple of minutes the fire brigade storm in, which is all a bit surreal when youve just woken up, but an experience all the same.
So my lessons learned this term are: dont grill sausages and dont stress about work - there really isn't any need too because help is always available (even with cooking).
Fifth Month
January and February were really busy months filled with coursework, and of course, socialising, so they have just flown by. As the time has gone so quickly, Im wondering exactly what I have done with it all, but that is a good thing I guess - not a boring moment!
Reading Week was mainly filled with reading and sleeping in too much, which was great. The coursework hasn't been too bad either, its just a matter of getting to the right books before someone else beats you to it.
Most of my course modules are coming to an end as well, but it doens'nt feel as if I've been here long enough to be considering the end of my first year already...
London is constantly becoming more interesting as well. I've made more of an effort to travel out of Camden and into other areas. A couple of weeks ago a friend won tickets to go the The Matador premier in Notting Hill, which was certainly a change of scenery...and you wouldnt be able to do that in any other city!
Other than the pub, cinema, and a random film premier trown in, my weeks have been filled with uni work, as well as the odd lie-in, so I'm not complaining!
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Second Year
First month
Being back at UCL is as if I never had break…in a good way. It’s strange how easily we all just progressed into our second year without thinking about it. I had a great summer excavating with the uni in Romania, so unsurprisingly the main topic of conversation amongst the Archaeology department was where we went excavating and what it was like.
Being an officer for the Society of Archaeology Students (SAS), I had to help organise Freshers Week for the incoming first years, as well as the annual ‘Primtech’ where the first years, SAS officers, and other members of the Institute of Archaeology spend 4 days at the end of Freshers Week in West Sussex doing ‘experimental archaeology’. Its always great fun, and this year was no exception. We organised a quiz night, pub night and BBQ/Bonfire Party, which I think everyone enjoyed. It also gave us a great chance to get to know a lot of the first years.
I’m looking forward to my courses this year. I’ve had more options to choose, so it has given me a chance to really concentrate on what I find interesting. I’m thinking the workload will be greater this year, but it doesn’t bother me too much as its what I expected.
Second Month
With the first half of term over, I have really had a chance to settle back into uni and assess the workload, which has increased as I expected, but it’s not too bad. The first few weeks involved many house-warming parties and nights at the union, but towards reading week, essays started piling up and we all wished we had spent an extra night or two doing some work. I have a job now which fits in well with my studies. It’s also really handy to have a little extra cash coming in, especially with the extra out-goings this year.
Like the first term last year, I have made many new friends and met even more people, which is great. It’s strange how quickly 5 weeks has just passed by. Before I know it, more deadlines will be looming, but I’ll be a little more prepared this time…I hope.
Page last modified on 13 dec 06 15:48 by Samantha Martin
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