30,000 words vs 1 PAIS Student

I remember the time in second year when my friends and I would endlessly complain about having to tackle 12,000 words in total for our final summative essays. Somehow, it’s as if we blinked and the required words had more than doubled before our very eyes. Having talked to a number of social science students, I find it funny how almost all students were aware of the required words for a dissertation, yet the heavy requirements fail to sink in until 3 months before the final draft is due. Now, I find myself helplessly drowning in a sea of deadlines, yearning for a single date when all of this is over (May 4th). However, I am very much aware that 1. I am not alone in this struggle and 2. Crying and moaning about this will most likely get me nothing (not even sympathy from my very own parents). Thus, I have decided to write this blog to outline what it is I have been doing to tackle the mountain of work I have on my plate. I sincerely hope that this read is somewhat motivating and if not then I hope you can at least find some joy in my struggles: 

So, I began my journey of writing just like many of the greatest: by getting out of my bed. I quickly discovered that despite the long hours I spend sitting on my desk in my bedroom, as long as my bed was there, no work would be done! Thus, I began my quest for a cozy learning spot. Here are some that I would highly recommend: 

1. Coffee #1 in Coventry sits right next to the train station and has recently been a second home to me and my laptop (I also highly recommend the Matcha Latte). 
2. Croffle Bank in Coventry presents a beautiful and extremely cute place for a warm cup of coffee for you to start writing your essays! The combination of Crossaint and Waffle always empowers me to work faster. 
3. Finally, I also recommend i-Tea; if you are a bubble tea lover like me and are searching for a spacious place to sit down with some boba jellies, then i-Tea in Coventry is defiantly the place for you

Okay, so now that the destination of work is settled, it is also important to push yourself to start writing. I find a concise and short plan with clear instructions for each paragraph makes it extremely easy for me to start writing. In addition to this, I have also been switching between essays as I find focusing 100% on one specific topic for an extended period of time not only makes me lose my passion for the readings, but after too long I begin to struggle to concentrate. Therefore, I recommend not forcing yourself to perfect every essay individually, but rather switch between essays if you find that works for you. Interestingly, in doing so, I found myself applying different theories from different modules to other ones which stimulated great debate and a more interesting perspective to my essays.

Finally, I also wanted to stress that despite this period of time appearing extremely overwhelming with deadlines building up and hectic schedules everywhere, it is crucial that you do not isolate yourself from reality and fall into your own pressure-inducing world of assignments. It is crucial that you find that one hour a day where you can go for a walk or to the gym, spare a few nights to go out with your friends, and continue engaging with societies at the University. In doing so you will foster a healthy climate of approaching and tackling your deadlines. All the best and please don’t hesitate to reach out for any questions!