Reflecting on my first year at Warwick as a Film and Literature student

As we start the third and final term of the academic year I wanted to reflect on everything that’s happened so far. I moved in in September and it was a huge adjustment to university, higher education, Covid-19 on campus and meeting new people.

This year wasn’t the year I hoped or expected but I’m proud of myself for so far getting through it, because it hasn’t been simple or easy. I have to make sure to take time away from my laptop as I spend most of my day studying and staring at it.

However, as a disabled person, the flexibility of online learning has been useful for me personally. Many disabled people have campaigned for this for years and I hope it won’t be completely discarded when the world returns to normal. Being able to pause and rewatch lectures is useful for everyone’s notetaking.

Recently it has felt like an uphill battle especially when studying from home. Over the past month of the end of the years, content and revision have felt like a slog. I feel very isolated at home, it is harder to concentrate and I don’t have a library to give me structure. Thankfully I will be returning to campus soon and will refocus in a new space for exam season.

These Film exams will be different from anything I have ever experienced andbut I have attended sessions explains the Alternative Exams Portal, also known as AEP. I’m working hard to get back into exam mode after not sitting my official A-Level exams last year.

Although I have enjoyed my first year, I’m looking forward to starting to explore more specific interests in my optional modules next academic year. I am also looking forward to hopefully being able to safely watch screenings with my coursemates in one of the great screening rooms. When this year has got hard I have just tried to focus on my passion for the subjects and remember why I applied, even if my first year is very different to how I imagined.

If you have any comments or questions about my first year please contact me.