A Degree in English Literature?!

So the reason I haven't written anything in months is because back in September 2016 I began a Bachelors Degree in English Literature!

I have posted before about how I love English but was unsure whether to do it as a degree as I couldn't see a future in it.....well.....basically I've gone for the 'Follow Your Dreams' method and I'm currently hoping for the best!

I am not trying to become the next J K Rowling or Charles Dickens, I just want to read books and talk about them all day! And that's exactly what I get to do! Honestly, some days I just sit in my lectures smiling like a maniac because I get to discuss Shakespeare all day and it makes me so happy! I am so glad I decided to follow a path that makes me happy, even though I am unsure where it will take me. University is hard and I know that if I had picked a subject with a more secure future, but one that didn't interest me as much, I'd be screwed! It's your passion that keeps you going when times get tough and you have four essays due in at once! I've learnt that if you don't love what you do, it's very hard to stay motivated.

So, I attend a very small university twice a week, where there are only two other students in my class. This may surprise you, however I am not shocked. I live in the middle of nowhere. In my primary school there were 106 students, 10 of whom were in my year. In my Photography college course which I completed last year there were only 5 of us in my class. I like it better this way though, as it means guaranteed one-to-one time with the lecturer, faster marking and a closer knit group which results in less fear to join in in class discussions. Our lecturers can whizz through their presentations and then we can all discuss and debate topics for the rest of the time. I imagine if you attend a major university where there are hundreds of students in a lecture, your questions won't get heard and the lecturer may not even know who you are. Well there's no chance of that happening where I go!

The work is hard. Well, actually it's not. It's reading and writing and thinking, which we can all do. The work LOAD is hard! Seriously, my lecturers will all be like "Over the weekend, read this entire book, answer these questions on it, read these two poems, don't forget to write your 1500 word essay due next week, start your presentation which is due the week after and don't forget to read your own books in your spare time,".........yeah, sure, ok!! I'll just not go to work, not sleep and not socialise!

Sometimes it feels like we're drowning, but as a close-knit group we can support each other and we know we're in this together. The trick is to start things as soon as you get them! Right now I'm off (Christmas Holidays) until the 30th of January, which is a rest I definitely needed, especially as we still had essays to hand in over the Christmas period. During term times I am basically a hermit.

My timetable looks like this:
Monday- Three very long lectures that take up the whole day
Tuesday- Quick! Try do read everything they set!
Wednesday- Bang out some essay material
Thursday- Three very long lectures that take up the whole day
Friday- work (waitressing) all day
Saturday- Quick! study study study! Then its off to the pub for a rare social moment!
Sunday- Quick morning out with the boyfriend, then its back to studying!

It took me a long time to get used to this routine. I used to work 25hr weeks while I attended college, so when the university said I'd only be in 2 days a week, I though 'great, I can work the rest of the week!'...oh how wrong I was! It was clear from the beginning that this course came with a massive amount of homework, but luckily my boyfriend understands how much this degree means to me, and once I told my boss my situation, we were able to sort things out.

All I can say is "Thank God for student loans!".