A Mid Year Reflection

Now that term 2 reading week has ended, we begin to approach the halfway point of this academic year; slowly we are drifting from the carefree and relaxed days of University and approaching the comparably serious and exam based weeks of term. So, in light of this I have decided to construct this blog as a reflection of this academic year so far; outlining the major successes and events that have taken place this year as well as what is soon to come. For prospective students, this blog may act as an insight into what the University has to offer; while for current students this blog may exist as a guideline to external ways you can actively participate in University life. 

1. Society successes: This year the Politics society has hosted a range of successful workshops where they have called in numerous political figures and leaders from the UK; this has provided Politics students with a great insight into the British political realm. Accordingly, societies such as UNICEF and RAGs alongside Warwick Volunteers have also launched countless food fairs, fundraising activities, and collaborations to raise money for charity. Indeed, there are still many more events that will soon take place this term, so if you are interested in joining these volunteer-based societies please do check out their Facebook pages. In addition, Warwick’s sports and music societies have competed in many cross-national competitions and conferences to share their passion and love for their hobby. 

2. Insight to the PAIS department: This year I had the privilege of being appointed a Politics and International Studies student ambassador where I was allowed to engage in open days and University tours for prospective students. This offered a day for students to gain an understanding of how our department operates and the benefits of studying at Warwick. I have also had the opportunity to write blogs and attend many PAIS department talks and workshops where I was able to gain career skills and an understanding of employee demands. If you are a prospective student interested in studying PAIS, please do check out one of my previous blogs: Defining PAIS at Warwick.

3. First-year academic review: It would be completely dishonest and untruthful to say that studying Politics and International Studies at Warwick so far has been a piece of cake; the course is indeed very challenging and the seminar discussions highly thought-provoking. I have received feedback from assessed work that did not go to plan while also receiving a few which put a great smile on my face. Having said that, I can conclude that studying PAIS at Warwick so far has been highly interesting and inspiring – especially since I had never studied Politics before. The module of Justice, Citizenship and Democracy is one that I would highly recommend to prospective students as it has harvested some of the most interesting seminar debates and discussions so far. 

In all, I really hope that this blog has provided you with a short and cohesive reflection of this academic year at Warwick so far. As always, if you have any questions regarding this blog or in general please feel free to contact me.