So a week ago, I got my last mark for my final assignment for my first (foundation) year of university, which marked the end of the year. I can’t believe that the first year is over and done with. It seemed like forever for me to actually start uni and the academic year seemed to zip by so fast.
I’d be lying if I didn’t find parts of the year stressful. There were times when I didn’t think I would be able to complete the year. Things occasionally got on top of me, especially at the end of that first semester when three assignments were thrown at us in a couple of weeks, but I got through it, and it all seems a little silly now. Despite the stress, I’m pleased with how the year went. I managed to get pretty decent grades (mostly between 60-70), better than I honestly thought I would get.
I was anxious before I started; I didn’t know how I would be. It had been a while since I had left my job, so the thought of going out into the world and meeting new people worried me. But having an induction week, where I met lecturers and students, was a beneficial thing for me, despite the stupidly high anxiety I experienced. This week helped me meet fellow students that would ultimately become friends that I would talk and work with throughout the year.
I can’t say that it was a perfect year, however, there were a few issues that I had with it, and not just the piling on of the first few assignments. My lecturers, on the whole, were great, but by the end of the year, one of them was grating on me. We had a good intro to some things, but others, like how to reference (despite being told we would be taught it), we were just left to educate ourselves. Some of the instructions on the papers we had to write weren’t great. Don’t even get me started on the “group work,” which consisted of what was pretty much musical chairs.
All in all, it was a good introduction to university, but you could tell that it was the first time that the course had been run. For its faults, the foundation year helped me decide that I didn’t just want to pigeonhole myself into just doing a creative writing course, so I’m not doing an actual English degree that includes creative writing as a module.
I don’t know when I’ll be going back, I just know it’ll be in September sometime, so I’m using my time off to decompress and catch up on the writing and games I want to play. I am looking forward to returning and getting my teeth into the degree proper.
As a quick addition, is like to thank those that have bought, read, and reviewed Back to School so far. I’m pleased with how release day went, and it’s safe to say it was my best yet. Anyway, i’s back to working on blogs and Creatures 3.
Gareth Ellis - Author 