University of Aberdeen Blog

So after four years in Aberdeen I am now into my final week here. I know it sounds like a cliché but it really has gone past so quickly; I don’t think you can truly appreciate quite how short four years at university are until you get to the end of them. It’s quite a bizarre feeling to be finished, everyone is really excited about the end of exams and essays but not looking forward to leaving all their friends and having to be what we have now termed as a “proper grown-up”. I unfortunately (or fortunately in some senses as it means I get to avoid being a “proper grown-up”) am not yet done with essays and exams as I am heading down to York next year to do a Graduate Diploma in Law. This does also mean I still get to enjoy the three month long summer holiday which I have come to love as a student. This year I’m going to spend it temping in Edinburgh so I can hopefully save up some money to help with another two years of being a student.

For now I face the mammoth task of packing up my flat and transporting it back to my (significantly smaller) bedroom in Edinburgh. Quite how impressed my parents are going to be by four years worth of lecture notes, essays, text books, Freshers’ Week freebies, and all the other things I just can’t seem to part with, I don’t know!

I also have to say good-bye to the city which has been home for the last four years. I’m not quite sure what I will miss most about Aberdeen, the beach is certainly a close runner, as are the stovies from the Old Toon Café on the university High Street. I’ll also miss being able to escape to the Catholic Chaplaincy common room for a cup (or several cups) of a tea and a gossip, playing croquet on King’s College lawn, attending mass in the ancient King’s College Chapel and walking to classes down the cobbled streets. But most of all I’ll miss the people who I’ve come to know over the last four years. I know we’ll all still see each other, but it’s not quite the same as being able to pop round the corner for afternoon tea or to watch a DVD.

Karen

During my four years at Aberdeen I have played a fairly active role in the Debater, including serving as the President this year, a position which I finish in couple of days. The last few weeks of the year tend to encompass a few competitions, the first of which, the “Granite Gavel”, happened last night.

This was a new competition for this year which builds on the tradition of friendly competition between the University of Aberdeen and Robert Gordon’s University (RGU). We also have Granite City Challenge whereby any sports team that has a rival at RGU takes part at various locations throughout the city. All the sport is followed by a big awards party in one of the Unions. So far Aberdeen has won every year, and touch wood that will continue!

But back to debating. Last night’s competition saw two teams from RGU take on two Aberdeen teams. I was unfortunately drawn to speak on the opposition, which is often difficult when you are strongly in favour of the proposition. The motion for the debate and the positions that people are speaking in were drawn fifteen minutes before the debate, which is the standard practice in competitive debating. The debate was fairly lively and I’m proud to say that my partner Alex and I won it for Aberdeen.

Next Tuesday we have the final of the Debater Cup, which is our internal competition. This one is an individual speakers competition rather than a team one, which can be a bit more nerve racking, but fingers crossed I will be just as successful.

Karen

So it’s just over a week now until I fly to Washington and I’m very excited. I’m going over in a group of 16 other students for a three week work placement at the Washington Naval Museum. The trip is run by the history department every year as part of one of the fourth year honours programs. There are about 12 different departments within the museum which you can apply to and I’m split between the departments of PR and Education, which should make for an interesting mix. Our boss over in Washington has been e-mailing us every week just to keep us up-to-date with the department and let us know the kinds of things we’ll be doing. There are about 8 of us in either PR or Education and it sounds like a fun area.

We only work Monday to Thursday when we’re out in Washington so there should be lots of time to explore. The accommodation is with host families and one of the host parents is organising quite a few visits for us. It’s also the cherry blossom festival when we’re out there, I have no idea what this is but I’m told its amazing!

I still have lots to do before I go though. I need to buy travel insurance and go pick up my dollars. Of course there’s also my dissertation to get finished (3500 words at the moment) and at some point I’ll need to get all my packing done as well!

This will probably be my last blog entry for a few weeks as I think I’ll be far too busy whilst I’m away but I shall update everyone when I get back.

Karen

My dissertation seems to have taken over my life a bit at the moment! It’s not due in until the 24th of April, but I’m doing work experience over the Easter break so I want to try and have it finished by then so I can get it proof read, then I’ll have ten days once we come back from Easter to make any changes, and possibly write the conclusion if I haven’t done it before. Fortunately my “read” pile of books is JUST higher than my “to be read pile”, although I seem to keep adding to the latter with things I stumble across so will need to stop that soon.

As much as I moan about it though, it can be quite enjoyable to have the opportunity to investigate one topic in depth. As a joint honours student I was allowed to do my dissertation in either History or International Relations and I chose History because of the dissertation alternative course I wanted to do, which is an IR one. My question is a comparison of elite British and Asian women during the Indian Mutiny. Although I have taken a course in the Indian Mutiny before, I’ve never really taken an interest in gender history before, but I’m finding it fascinating!

Karen

I think it will be a fairly short blog entry this week as I barely have time to stop. My dissertation outline is due in next Thursday so I have lots of work to do for that. I also need to pop down to the National Archives in Edinburgh in order to do some research. Still I can’t complain too much, I’m also going to see Swan Lake whilst in Edinburgh, which I’m really looking forward to. I went to see the ballet of Sleeping Beauty here in Aberdeen a couple of weeks ago and it has really got me in the mood for seeing more ballet. I’m also attending a big charity ball in Edinburgh on Friday night which should be lots of fun.

After a busy few days in Edinburgh I’m heading back up to Aberdeen first thing on Saturday morning for a busy weekend of debating. We’re holding our own inter-varsity competition on the Saturday so will have teams from all over the UK descending on us. Then on the Sunday Robert Gordon’s are holding their first ever competition so I shall be competing in that. I’m looking forward to catching up with all my friends from other universities that I’ve met through debating over the years, and having a few drinks once the debating is over.

I’ll also need to squeeze in some reading for my non-dissertation course at some stage. I’m taking a course in 19th and 20th century political thought. It’s not technically an International Course, but the department are keen to accommodate people’s interests as far as possible within the curriculum so are letting me take a divinity course. So far I’m finding it very interesting, although having never studied divinity before I have to catch up on a few technical terms.

Karen

Well, it’s now back to lectures after the exams. It was nice to have 5 days of holiday though. I spent the first two preparing for a Burn’s Supper which my friends and I had last Thursday night. It was really good fun, even though I was the only Scottish person there. I also now know I can cook a seven course dinner for ten people without murdering anyone, so if I get really stuck for things to do after I graduate then there’s always catering!

I then headed back home to Edinburgh for a long weekend. It was my little brother’s birthday so we had a big family meal, which was good fun. I also used the break to fill in my application forms for postgraduate study (four years at university just wasn’t enough for me). I was considering for a while going into PR but after speaking to the careers service and doing a bit more research I’ve decided that I really want to be a barrister. So I’m applying to do a graduate diploma in law which will only take me a year longer than if I’d done law in the first place.

I then headed back up to Aberdeen yesterday morning. The journey back was a bit of an adventure; I normally take the train but decided to get the bus which was only £4. It’s strange how your standards drop when it’s the end of January and funds are at their worst for the year (I hope). I got back to Aberdeen in one piece though and considering how cheap it was I’m not sure I can complain too much.

I have payday to look forward to tomorrow which is particularly welcome this month. I’m heading off to Washington for Easter so had to buy the flights just before Christmas, coupled with the inevitable expense of Christmas has meant low spending for the past week. My student loan is now being paid in monthly, which I tend to complain about at the beginning of term when I don’t get a big cash injection into my bank account, but tend to like a lot more at the end of term!

Karen

I can hardly believe that the Christmas holidays are over already and it’s almost exam time again! I spent the first week of the Christmas holidays up in Aberdeen working and attempting to get a bit of revision done. I then went home to Edinburgh for a family Christmas before heading to Poland with a group of friends for the New Year. It was a fairly hectic holiday with not much time to relax but I have about 5 days off between by exams ending and classes starting back so I might have some time to unwind then.

In the meantime the library shall become my second home before the exams. These are my second last exams before graduating and because I’m doing my dissertation next semester I’ll only have one exam in June. Aberdeen is pretty quiet at the moment as most people are in the library, or have stayed at home until they have to come back for exams, but at least it means I have fewer distractions from my revision!

Karen

I can hardly believe that the first month of the summer holidays has already past! I can’t complain too much though, the advantage of being a student is that there are still another two and bit months left.

I’m staying up in Aberdeen for the summer as it’s so easy to find a job here and I tend to spend slightly less money than if I were home, so I might actually have some left for term time! I’ve been working full time for 3 weeks now so I am just about used to the 9am starts. It’s been quite difficult getting into the routine of working full time again but as I only have one year left of being a student it’s probably a good idea that I’m getting some practice in now!

Aberdeen is fairly quiet at the moment as a lot of students have gone home for the summer. Fortunately a few of my friends have also decided to stay in Aberdeen so there is still some entertainment and when the weather’s been good we’ve managed a couple of nice evening walks along the beach.

I’ve also managed to get away for a couple of long weekends, one in Edinburgh at the end of term, and then last weekend in London to catch up with a few friends. Managed to get a very good deal on my flights to London; it was only about £80 return with BA, which considering I was very disorganised and only booked a week in advance is really good!

Karen