Life after Exams
So, my first year at university is completely over, and has been for eleven days now!
The afternoon of the day of my exam saw me gleefully and joyously baking a cake for my flatmate’s birthday, walking around campus in the sun, and then heading down to the SU to celebrate with a few (okay, maybe more than a few) drinks in the evening/night/early morning.
However, I didn’t go too wild as the next morning I had to be up to catch my train back home. Unlike a lot of people I know, I don’t go home that often. How often people do really varies; I have flatmates who go home every weekend without fail and have done since the start of the year, but I also know people who rarely go home at all. Since October, I’ve only been home about three times other than for the holidays, and have completely surprised myself with how I haven’t felt homesick at all. University has taught me to be so independent, and whilst I obviously miss my family (and my dog, especially my dog) I don’t feel the need to go home as often as other people. Plus, the journey home really sucks. Driving, it’s only between two and a half and three hours from campus to my house, but if my parents can’t pick me up then I have to get the train, which takes about six hours in total. However, after I had finished for the year I wanted to go home to see everyone so I hopped on the train and headed home for a week. Once there, I had a completely relaxed week with lots of lie ins, reading, and dog walks and now I feel totally refreshed and content.
I’m back at university now and I’m loving being back. There isn’t any obligation for me to stay now that I’m done as if I wasn’t here to collect my results in person, they are posted online a bit later, and so some of my flatmates have started to move out already (which is a bit heartbreaking as it brings the realisation that first year really is coming to an end). I wanted to stay though, choosing to come back in order to enjoy the last few weeks of the year with my friends, utterly guilt-free now that we have no deadlines remaining and can spend the time doing whatever we like!
The way I see it, most of my friends are still here, having made the same decision as me, and my accommodation is paid for right up until the end of term on July 2nd, so I may as well make the most of it! It’s the perfect time to explore and have fun – and hopefully the rain which has been lurking for the past few days will make way for sunshine again soon enough!
Rain or shine, there’s plenty of things to do on and around campus including: -taking walks around campus and admiring its beauty -meeting your friends in Curiositea/Costa or one of the many cafes and coffee shops in Coventry and Leamington -taking your friends/ flat for a meal in the Duck/Xananas/ Le Gusta or venturing out to Coventry/ Leamington to do the same -going to see a play in the Arts Centre on campus or wander around the art gallery there -visiting Stratford upon Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare! (Sorry, I am an English student!!) -strolling through Leamington’s beautiful Jephson Gardens -spending the day at Warwick Castle -having a picnic somewhere on our grassy campus -going for a classy cocktail evening as a change from all those nights in the SU (which is still a perfectly acceptable way to spend your time)
and many more! Warwickshire and the West Midlands are such diverse areas with so many things to see and do and as summer approaches there’s no better time to do them! And of course, there’s nothing wrong with kicking back and devouring a book or binge-watching a new series either!
Here’s hoping that everyone has fun in their last few weeks of the year – make the most of them while you can!
