The student word: A personal take on university life
Bristol politics student Oliver Tucker tells Christine Henry about his play time, as he tries to knuckle down to the books...
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference."My finals culminate in five exams and a dissertation, which we have just handed in. That was a relief - mine just scraped the word count! Now we have a paddling pool in the house so I have been mucking around in that ever since. I don't find studying easy and I don't feel very prepared. I need to start revising now. I have done a little... I am quite relaxed though, but I know I will get stressed nearer the time.
"I am not good at hitting the books unless I've got something to look forward to, so I will definitely make time to socialise. I have lots of friends on different courses, and I enjoy hanging out with them, going to the pub, playing PlayStation... the usual.
"I really like the lifestyle: living in halls of residence with your mates only two minutes away is great. I like that you can try different things that you wouldn't normally. I was a member of the gliding society last year. I only went twice but it was really fun!
"Working is naturally the next stage in life, and completing the task of getting my degree should be very satisfying. My days currently lack discipline and I am looking forward to a bit of structure and routine! I will miss the massive long summers though, and the very few hours of work.
"Socially, university has been a brilliant, life-changing experience, like growing up and stuff, and I can see a difference in myself. I think about the future and I plan to take a teacher training course, but first I will take a gap year and move to London."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments