Getting back into it - the start of the final semester

It’s been several days now since my last deadline passed, and we’ve still got a few days before the new semester kicks into play, leaving life somewhat adrift. It seems I’ve become caught in some strange sense of limbo; the twilight zone between assignment work and the return of lectures, seminars and general structure.

To let this time slip on by seems almost too wasteful. It may be important to get some serious rest in before the start of the new term - what promises to be the busiest yet - but equally, this little pocket of dead space has proven mighty useful for ticking off a number of things I’ve been pushing myself to do, but never quite got round to. More pressing matters always seem to end up getting in the way, but with the deadlines now all pushed to one side, the hunt was finally on.
 

Those little green ticks have unleashed a whole new world of nothing

Jobs

Yeah, I used the ‘J’ word. This week I finally addressed that ominous spectre that seems to somehow float above the heads of all third-year students, taking some of this spare time to polish up my CV and even send off a few application forms. I won’t lie, gathering up the energy to start seriously thinking about my future hasn’t been particularly easy, but once that first form was perfected and sent off into the ether, everything became that little bit more manageable.

A quick flick through the University’s Careers and Employability Service website also proved mighty useful, giving me a necessary kick in the right direction whilst also letting me know about upcoming employability events. Knowing that there’s plenty of recruitment fairs between now and the summer helped ease a few worries for sure.

Dissertation

Oddly enough, I actually owe a lot to the fact that I have to hand in the draft of my dissertation in just over a month (a slightly scary thought now that I’ve seen it written down). Between all the research and garbled rewriting, dissertation work has not only kept me sane, but it’s also helped to maintain at least a sense of focus in my otherwise structureless days.

Occasional meetings with my tutor ended up encouraging me to head on back over to Avenue Campus, which still looks just as pretty as it did last year, despite the sudden sub-zero temperatures. The actual work itself helped me to feel productive on days when otherwise, time would have simply slipped on by. Apparently this whole dissertation thing isn’t nearly as terrifying as I’d first heard. In fact, I think I might be becoming rather fond of it.

Semester two

Otherwise known as ‘the final semester’ (cue dramatic music, thunder, lightning etc.). Suddenly having no lectures and no deadlines for a bit has of course left me plenty of time to plan out how I’m going to spend my final term here at the University.

Drawing up a timetable for my next set of modules seemed like a good way to start, but from there it seemed to mostly dissolve into a Southampton bucket list - something I’ll no doubt share with you all further down the line. Rest assured though, SURGE, The Edge and SUSUtv will hopefully remain heavy fixtures in the coming months.

It’s been a strange few weeks, but with lectures returning really rather soon, I’m sure some much needed routine will follow just as easily.

Ben