My expectations for my final year

Well, that’s it, summer is nearly finished. As we begin to knock on September’s door, the excitement of returning to uni reaches its highest point. I start looking at my belongings and decided what I should and shouldn’t take, and purchase anything I lost or broke last year. At this time, I think it’s a great idea to evaluate expectations for the coming year, to act as goals and motivations towards making every day a positive and productive as possible.

Dissertation

I have no doubt this will become my life for a large portion of my final year. I already have some ideas what I am going to write, but I am honestly excited to see how I deal with arguably the highest level of academic writing I will have done thus far in my life. Having spoken to many final years last year, the top tips have been to start early and get as much help early on as possible to avoid many late nights before the deadline (whether I stick with these tips is yet to be seen.)

Workload

Similarly to my dissertation, I’ve heard that the workload in final year does ramp up. I am really excited as I’ve got a good mix of modules I’ve studied previously, such as my Latin American Drug Trade module whilst having something a bit different in my Aftermath of WW2 module. I think both of these, combined with my dissertation and historiography, will mean my learning is very diverse and engaging throughout the year. Exam season is a long way off, but unlike last year, I am going to endeavor to make revision notes which are usable as I go along, unlike last year which saw Easter becoming my cramming season.

Societies

My first 2 years at Warwick have been amazing, however, my engagement in societies has not been as much as I would have liked. I am hoping to get more involved in the RockSoc and another sports society this year, as I feel it’s a great way to meet new people and provide a catharsis from long days working in the library.

Mindset

This is my final year at university. My final year before taken my first steps as a genuine adult. Whilst I intend to do my work to the best of my abilities, I am also going to enjoy this as much as I can. I see this year as my final year of my childhood, of not having real responsibilities, and I attend to take the full advantage of that.

Overall, I am unbelievably excited to start my final year now, but also so nervous for what comes after. I hope I can use this year to build myself up ready for adult life, and also make some incredible memories in the process.