Over half way into term two and it’s feeling…long. We’ve come down from the high of the New Year and settled in to new timetables and work being flung at us from all angles. And for those with dissertations still to write? Don’t even start.
Excited to see your housemates again after the holiday? Think again. A nice catch up and a couple of nights out straight after exams do a good job of masking the fact that you’re already a bit annoyed with the plates piling up next to the sink. But then, it doesn’t take long for reality to sink in, and soon we’re sniping at each other with passive aggressive post it notes and wondering whether it’s acceptable just to dump their dishes in their bed (I’ve known this to happen more than once).
If you’re in your first year (when the crushing existential dread has yet to set in), term one is an endless cycle of nights out, sleeping in and rushing to finish essays the night before they’re due. And somehow still managing to maintain a reasonable 2:1 average by Christmas. Not too bad, right?
soon we’re sniping at each other with passive aggressive post it notes and wonderingwhether it’s acceptable just to dump their dishes in their bed
But by second term, the novelty of life away from parental rule has somewhat worn off, and this leads to a lot of lethargic almost-twenty-year-olds living on microwave meals and questioning their choices. Plus, there aren’t any more Christmas dinners to go to; which as we all know, seem to stretch from mid-November to the last day of term. Don’t let it be said we aren’t getting our money and time’s worth at uni.
And it’s even worse for those of us no longer bright eyed and bushy tailed, aka second years and beyond – we spend good deal of our time complaining about “Freshers taking up all the room in the library” and “Freshers getting younger every year”, despite the fact we may well have counted as one of them a few months ago.
But buckle up, folks: the lead up to summer exams somehow always feels like more of a drain than the hurried prep you do during the Christmas holiday. Having longer than a month off at Easter lulls you into a false sense of security, characterised by the phrase, “I’ve got loads of time, so I’ll start tomorrow.”
But enough doom and gloom – at least it’s getting warmer soon, right? We’ll all be kicking back in Exmouth before you know it.
Term two blues
Over half way into term two and it’s feeling…long. We’ve come down from the high of the New Year and settled in to new timetables and work being flung at us from all angles. And for those with dissertations still to write? Don’t even start.
Excited to see your housemates again after the holiday? Think again. A nice catch up and a couple of nights out straight after exams do a good job of masking the fact that you’re already a bit annoyed with the plates piling up next to the sink. But then, it doesn’t take long for reality to sink in, and soon we’re sniping at each other with passive aggressive post it notes and wondering whether it’s acceptable just to dump their dishes in their bed (I’ve known this to happen more than once).
If you’re in your first year (when the crushing existential dread has yet to set in), term one is an endless cycle of nights out, sleeping in and rushing to finish essays the night before they’re due. And somehow still managing to maintain a reasonable 2:1 average by Christmas. Not too bad, right?
But by second term, the novelty of life away from parental rule has somewhat worn off, and this leads to a lot of lethargic almost-twenty-year-olds living on microwave meals and questioning their choices. Plus, there aren’t any more Christmas dinners to go to; which as we all know, seem to stretch from mid-November to the last day of term. Don’t let it be said we aren’t getting our money and time’s worth at uni.
And it’s even worse for those of us no longer bright eyed and bushy tailed, aka second years and beyond – we spend good deal of our time complaining about “Freshers taking up all the room in the library” and “Freshers getting younger every year”, despite the fact we may well have counted as one of them a few months ago.
But buckle up, folks: the lead up to summer exams somehow always feels like more of a drain than the hurried prep you do during the Christmas holiday. Having longer than a month off at Easter lulls you into a false sense of security, characterised by the phrase, “I’ve got loads of time, so I’ll start tomorrow.”
But enough doom and gloom – at least it’s getting warmer soon, right? We’ll all be kicking back in Exmouth before you know it.
Bea Fones
2018/19 Online Comment Editor. Reader, writer, dancer, explorer, shouty feminist.
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