Hello everyone, I can’t believe how quickly time has flown. It feels like I was on campus yesterday, and all of sudden we find ourselves in September and less than a month away from classes resuming.
It’s been a busy summer with lots of traveling, first out west to New Mexico and Colorado, then Northeast to New Hampshire and Massachusetts, with as much work mixed in as possible. It’s hard not to miss rainy England when it’s 110ºF in Texas, but it’s nice to know it’s right on the horizon.
A quick stop by the Rio Grande earlier this summer.
We got our timetables on Monday, which always makes school seem much closer. I’m so excited about the classes I’ll be taking this semester and look forward to updating you guys on how all of it goes. Unlike in first year, when all modules are compulsory, the second year of the Theatre and Performance course has only one compulsory module per semester, which means you get to choose your remaining three. This allows you to begin tailoring the course to your particular interests, whether you want to be an actor, director, writer, academic, or something else entirely. It’s also one of the main reasons I chose to come to university in England rather than staying in the U.S. As I’ve mentioned previously, pograms in the U.K. are highly specific and you don’t have many electives outside your subject, which means you get to graduate in three years instead of four with a great deal of knowledge and expertise in your field. But if that seems like a big commitment to make right our of high school, you’ll be happy to know that within your subject you get to choose where your focus will be. The electives you choose can be targeted to the niche of your subject that interests you most, meaning that you’ll graduate with a lot of certainty and the tools you need to succeed. It makes you more employable, but it also makes your time at university a lot more fulfilling. If you’re only taking classes that really interest you, you’re going to be a lot happier and more productive.
Excitement over classes aside, one of the most challenging parts about going to university on another continent is deciding what to pack. When I arrived for my first year, I managed to pack everything in three suitcases, but this year, I’m shooting for two (one big and one small). While this seems pretty ambitious given the fact that I devoted one whole suitcase to shoes last year, I’m taking it as a personal challenge. We’ll see how it goes. I’ve learned that you usually need a lot less than you think you do.
When I get back to campus I’ll write an update on how I prepare for school in the week leading up to classes resuming and the move in process. I hope everyone had an amazing summer!
