It’s hard to believe that it’s almost the end of the academic year – it’s gone so fast. Yes, it’s been stressful and we’ve wished for it all to be over but now that we’re so close to the finish line, we can’t help but wonder where all the time has gone. This is especially true for me as this is my final year at Lancaster. I’ve had some brilliant times here and there’s still so much more I’d like to do, so I’ve put together a list of suggestions of things us students might like to try out during our time at uni.
Youtube Karaoke:
How could I not begin with karaoke? I am a Furnessian after all and if there’s one thing my college is famous for, apart from its legendary 15 hour bars crawls, it good old Trevaoke. I’m well aware that karaoke is not for everyone, especially in front of a crowd, however karaoke with a few close friends in a private space, can be super entertaining. So gather round at yours or at a friend’s house, get the pizza in, maybe have a cheeky drink or two, and let the ‘singing’ begin. Nothing’s better than belting out some 90’s tunes and if you’re feeling adventurous, a bit of 80’s too. Everybody loves music after all; it ‘makes the people get together’!
Find out the names of the people who you know far too well to not know their names:
There’s thousands of people at this uni however there’s this one person who you always see, but you’ve known them too long to ask them what their name is; and now you want to enjoy the glory that comes with solving this ancient mystery, and add them on Facebook, of course. So that’s your challenge, find this person and find out their name – discreetly.
Hold a Séance:
This is possibly the most bizarre thing I’ve done at Uni. When my friend asked me to come around to play ghost games I couldn’t resist. Whether you believe in the supernatural or not, a séance is something different from the more generic student activities. Me and my friends began with a Spanish game called ‘Charlie, Charlie’, a very cost effective game for us poor students, which required just two pencils and a piece of paper. However this game didn’t work out so well, so we soon scoured the internet for other ghost games. Why not do the same? Even if nothing supernatural occurs you’ll be left laughing, as you try and work out who was moving the planchette (the wooden thing on a Ouija board); and there’s the shock factor element for when your parents ask you what you did last night.
Hand in a piece of coursework early:
I’m sure most of us have faced that moment where we’ve had to sprint to the mixing bay to hand in a piece of work; we either left it to the last minute, or technology decided to start a vendetta against us by causing us some serious last minute delays. That’s why it’s so great to hand in your coursework early. I never used to like handing in work before the deadline day, even if it was finished, because I felt like I should be spending the remaining days continuing to work on it. However when I finally did I had this nice, sort of surreal feeling. I avoided a lot of stress and had some extra time (that I so badly needed) for the next deadline.
Sit in on a lecture not in your field:
Pretty much the first question we ask a new friend/acquaintance is, “what do you study?” and about half the time this is followed by them mocking/moaning about the course they’re spending so much money to study. If your own course is boring you, go and sit in on a lecture for a different one. There must be one subject you’ve always wanted to try out but never had the chance to do; Lancaster has a lot of on offer, such as: Astrophysics, Creative Writing, even Peace Studies. So why not go and gate-crash a lecture? It’s a chance to learn something new, and it’s kind of naughty – right? Which makes it exciting!
Spontaneous food binge:
The student life doesn’t always allow for healthy and/or time consuming cooking, so sometimes a takeaway is in order. I’ve indulged in many food binges over the years, most notably £50 of Dominos for me and just one other friend (it was half price if you spent that much – don’t judge us). Food brings us pleasure and it’s a good distraction from work which we all deserve a break from, time to time, so as long as your bank account won’t become a casualty – go wild!
Hold your own Come Dine With Me:
Another food-related activity for when you do have the time to commit to cooking a restaurant standard three course meal. There are people from all walks of life at Lancaster and food is a great way to embrace and celebrate this, plus we all love eating! So gather up some friends, pair up if you’re not feeling confident and start cooking.
Start a conga in a club:
I’ve always wanted to do this one but the timing’s never been right. Just think of the reputation you could gain if you become that person who started the 100 person conga in Sugar. The conga is fun and it’s all about being part of a community which is essentially what uni life is about and what makes being a student so great. So if you’d like to do this, let me know so I can be second in line.
Go to the ice cream shop on campus:
This last one’s quite a personal one. I planned to go in first year however despite being British (and therefore famed for being patient), there was no way I was going to wait in a queue that big – you all know what I mean. Two years later, during the rare period of super sunny Lancaster weather me and my friend finally braved the queue and the results were well worth the two years of anticipation. Hopefully the sunny weather of late is here to stay and you know you can’t fully enjoy the sun without an ice cream.
I really hope some of these ideas appeal to you and I’m sure you’ve got your own bucket list of things to do. Uni life is chaotic so it might be hard to fit them all in but if you can work your way towards few (just not at the expense of your work – obviously), you’ll more than likely leave Lancaster feeling fulfilled, knowing that you made the best of your time here. As I said earlier this is my last year at Lancaster, and so this marks my last ‘Advice With Elliot’ column, so I just want to say thank you so much for reading and I hope you have the best time ever at Lancaster!
