A third of the way there! – Journals from Abroad

I have officially been in my modules (classes) for one month and have been living on campus for two! It has taken a bit to get acclimated to the differences between Linfield and UoN.

Currently, I am enrolled in 3 modules which equal about 15 credits at Linfield. I am taking Introduction to Comparative Politics, Politics at University, and Democracy and its Critics. Each of these modules is laid out differently than any of Linfield’s classes. Two of my modules are lecture-seminar models and my other module is online self-directed.

A brick building with fall coloured trees infront. — The Law and Social Science building is the main building my lectures and seminars are held. IT has two main lecture halls, each holding a couple hundred students. It is also home to the School of Law and the School of Politics & IR.

The lecture-seminar model has taken some time to get used to. Instead of having a class where the professor teaches but also student engagement (questions, activities, presentations, etc.) is involved, we have lectures where professors just teach and seminars with someone different where student engagement happens. We also have weekly optional lecture engagement sessions where we can ask the convenor (not always the professor doing the lectures) questions related to the module. The online self-directed module is very similar to an OCE course at Linfield. I have weekly slides I go through with a few activities attached to them.

A large modern wooden structure with large modern windows on a lake. — Djanogly Learning Resource Centre is one of the libraries on Jubilee campus. Inside there are tons of study spaces and computers. This building is unique in that it has a single floor that spirals upwards to the top. It is on a lake, so no matter what window your are seated at, you can look out and see geese and swans swimming on the water.

In all of my modules, homework is not common. My final marks (grades) are based on either two papers or a paper and exam. Because these papers and exams are worth a big portion of our marks, we are given the prompts and dates in our syllabus at the beginning of the modules. This allows us, students, to start ahead of time and ask questions during our seminars and lecture engagement sessions.

View of the lake on the side of the Djanogly Learning Resource Centre. In the distance, an island is accessible for students to sit on and study — This is the lake that the Djanogly Learning Resource Centre is surrounded by. Throughout the day you can see geese and swans swimming on top of the water as you walk on by/ In the distance, there is an island where students can go to study or eat their meals.

Campus life is similar to Linfield but there are some key differences. At UoN, there are two types of halls, catered and non-catered. I live in a catered hall which means I have a dining room to eat breakfast & dinner on the weekends and brunch & dinner on the weekends. For lunch, I am given £25 pounds a week to use at any of the cafes, bars, and restaurants on University Park or Jubilee campuses. In all; the halls, we have a common/game room with a TV, a study room with a printer, and a TV room. My hall is a bit different than others because we have one of the four bars on campus. In the halls at Linfield, you are encouraged to decorate your door, leave it open, and socialise with your neighbours in the hall, but at UoN it is a bit different. We are not allowed to decorate our doors or necessarily leave them open. It is common for people to go to the pantries (sink kettle, microwave, and toaster) on their floor to socialise.

Modern building with stone stairs leading down to the entrance. — The Portland building is the home to the Student Union, Portland Printing, Portland Clothing, and a few restaurants. Students will get lunch and study inside or outside.

Outside of the halls, our Student Union and ResX team, similar to ResLife, puts on various events throughout the campus. So far they have done massages in halls, food catering, scavenger hunts, poster sales, pop-up thrift shops, movie nights, game nights, and other campus-wide socials. Most of these events are attended by freshers (first-year students) and not so much by the second and third years. Just like Linfield, food is a hot commodity at these events, especially Domino’s pizza. It is also pretty normal to see evening events with a bar because the majority of students are 18 years old, the legal drinking age in England. Across campus in the halls, they put on formal dinners each term where students dress up. They have the dining staff do a proper multi-course meal served with wine and other drinks. It is a fun time to get with your hall friends and enjoy a fancy meal together.

I only have a few months left here and so much more to explore and experience!

Signing off – Tanner