Hello, my name is Evelyn and I’m a 2nd year History student at Newcastle University. I thought you might like to know what a typical day looks like for me. Of course, some days are busier than others so I will give you an insight into my busiest day which is a Tuesday.
I leave my flat and head to campus around 9:30, and if I’m running early, I usually grab a hot chocolate on the way to get the day started. My first lecture is on the Russian Empire from Peter the Great to Lenin. Sometimes it can be hard to concentrate so early but staying hydrated and bringing snacks can help you through.
I now have my seminar for the same module. I really enjoy the seminars for the Russia module as the teaching groups are really small. My lecturer also focuses on technique rather than just content so I can apply these to my other seminar groups too. By this point I’m usually hungry though so afterwards I head to the Co-Op on campus and grab a meal deal and then go and relax in the Students’ Union with some of my course mates.
Lecture time again! This time it’s for my Japan Survey module and it has a very different energy to the Russia one. It has a lot more people which can make discussions really interesting. I love my lecturer’s teaching style and he keeps you really engaged with a few bad jokes here and there!
Next, I head off to the library as my contact hours are over for the day. I like to study in the collab spaces as I can chat to my friends and it’s a nice relaxed way to get work done but during exam season I’ll usually be in silent. The library has a really nice café and has so much choice for a quick snack! In these hours I do a lot of my seminar reading or essay preparation.
Around 5pm I head off home and have some well-earned chill time watching Netflix and cosying up in bed. If I have no plans, I usually do a little more work but try and head off to sleep early before that next 9am. However, sometimes I go out to eat with a few mates – the cheapest and yummiest places include Shijo, Zapatista, and Francesca’s. There’s so much choice I’m never going to get through all the places!
If I’m going on a night out I then start getting ready around 7. Newcastle can get pretty chilly in Winter so make sure you wrap up! There’s a lot of great clubs in Newcastle (we are the party city!) and some of these are free, such as Market Shaker and Soho.
If I’m not going on a proper night out, I’ll usually end up having a few drinks at one of the bars or pubs in nearby Jesmond or Sandyford, or alternatively I’ll be doing something history society related whether it be a pub lecture, bar crawl or just a chilled gathering in the Students'' Union.