Third Year Liberal Arts – How It’s Going So Far

Now that I’m over halfway through my final year as a Liberal Arts student, I thought I’d give you an insight into how it’s been so far:

They say time flies when you’re having fun, and they’re not wrong – it’s almost week 10! I can’t believe how quickly the time has passed. Having lost a big chunk of my second year to COVID-19, and with it the experience of Liberal Arts teaching, it feels like only yesterday I was in my first year Art & Revolution seminars on a Thursday morning after POP…

Each year has been a different experience, with this year being the busiest I’ve ever been (through my own doing). After not being able to do much last year, I chose to take this year as an opportunity to try new things as well as bring back old hobbies. I restarted netball and have played for the BUCS 2’s, I am now chair of the Liberal Arts SSLC, I started writing these blogs, I created marketing content on the University Instagram stories, I joined the exec for PhotoSoc, and I became more involved with WarwickSnow society. On top of all this, I’ve had the academic side – writing my dissertation, putting together my Masters application, doing all of my weekly seminar work, and completing assessments. I can’t say it’s been easy to balance work with social life, nor that I haven’t had my fair share of moments where I’ve felt overwhelmed, but I can say that this year has been one of the best (so much so that I’m doing a Masters at Warwick too… you just can’t get rid of me!).

So, how is it going thus far? If I’m being honest, one word to describe it would be quickly. There’s been a lot to do, and it does get overwhelming. Committing to BUCS means a lot of my time is spent training, my dissertation is an ongoing project which needs to be kept on top of so that I do well, I have weekly seminar readings and seminars to attend, and I still have many assignments to do (I have 5 deadlines in week 10…). So I’m not going to lie and say I’ve handled it all amazingly, but I have done my best. If this year has taught me anything it would be this:

1. you don’t have a time machine, don’t think about changing the past.
2. sometimes you have to sacrifice things – think about the important vs the urgent, don’t feel bad about it
3. you can only do what you can do – better is the enemy of good, and you don’t have to be “perfect”
4. don’t compare yourself to other people, everyone works at their own pace.

It was, perhaps, ambitious to take on so many responsibilities in my final year, but I wanted to make this year worth it. It’s been great having face-to-face teaching again, as it’s something I really missed last year. I haven’t started (properly) writing my dissertation, but I know that’s fine for me because I know how I work and I trust myself to get everything done that needs to be. Not everyone has the same experience as me, it’s entirely dependent on what you choose to get involved with. One thing I would advise everyone, however, would be to make the most out of the opportunities given to you at university.